New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-23
THE ROAD TO CHEAP IRON.

The Pennsylranidn, exulting over the bright
er r-ospects for Iron caused BY the British
Ell hncement of prices, and trying to claim
those prospects as the fruit of Democratic
policy, says:
"It il matter of universal business notoriety that
the Iron trade in this country has never been in 20 Hour
ishing condition il ia but, for the sake OF ar
c,1rnerf let US suppose different s.ate OF AFFAIRS anu
then inquire how the result to be varied by the opera
ton OF Legislative enactment Suppose the per centage
Of duty on imported Iron should be douOled-the pEee
Of Iron would be so much increased that every furnace
in the country would 90 into operation excited oy the
prospect of such substantial prohs Capital Tor invest
ment would in this manner be a. once anrac ct am
competition would increase and grow until the Pr2ss
sonid Be brought dorm TO point rAeh hcoEd Darcy Jss
fif The employment Then what would be the result
Why az has always been the fact these niSn VIII rsn 70
Congress for relief appealing falsely % ee situation OF
the laborer and pointing to the chilled furnaces aut 81
lent forges they camor OUT the old cry of Protection
Suppose further that Congress listening 10 this seduct
i've argument and losing sight Of the proper cure Tor
such ey should still 60 adding TO the cause.-The con-
.equences certain the annual journey OF the sum-
follow as they did before until by thus unwseiy at
tempting to foster they end by entirely destroying ule
trade they hoped benefit True, some men, taking adj
vantage Of the spasmodic effect produced by sudden re-
action make rapid fortunes out the CONFUSION whilst
the poddng legitimate manufacturers in the end. con-
pletely ruined.
We wish it were possible TO make the Iron
consumers of our country realize the truth
set forth by The Pennsylvania which we have
placed in Italics The truth it certainly is;
and il ought to be conclusive Of the Tariff
controversy. The price Of any protected
fabric will be speedily run down by competition
to the max ed cost of producing such fabric, and,
if it has for a season been higher the inevitable
influx of capital and enterprise into the BUSH
ness of producing it will carry it down be'oo
that point If the duty on Iron were to-day
raised to $1,000 per tun, the price would be
enhanced only so long as would be necessary to
put in operation works sufficient to produce
as much Iron as we require after which the
price of Iron, as of everything else, would BIO
governed by the cost of producing it, regard
less of the amount of duty. Excessive pro-
duction may reduce the price below the point
of profitable manufacture for season where
upon the furnaces will haul off, and less and
less Iron be made, until the demand shall equal
the supply, when the price will react, and the
business improve again. In short If we made
all the Iron we use, its price, like that OF
Indian Corn, would be sometimes above, some
times below, the point of profitable production;
but in the main bar of Iron like bushel Of
Corn would sell for the average cost of its
production, neither less nor more. And men
would no more ruin themselves by producing
too much Iron than they now do by growing
too much Corn. 1t is the fluctaatiOn of prices
caused by our dependence on British Iron
that renders Iron making gambling business,
to-day scattering its workmen to all points of
the compass, and tomorrow calling them back
to the furnaces again. How long must this
endurel