New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-10-21
TO THOSE WHO WANT RAILROADS.

Throughout the South and West there is
great desire for Railroads. The article chiefly
REQUIRED for the making o. such roads being
Iron, We deem it exPcdicnt to ask the attel-
tion of cur readers TO view Of the effect OF
the existing policy Of the country on the sap
PLY and price Of this highly important commod-
ity. and our reason for so doing " Ii be found in
the following item Of intelligence by recent
steamer:
The iron trade was uelch cvri,od some ri.nutac.
turers were advocating anothcr risc o 20 sl e per
tun"
Tor several years past Congress has been
besieged with applications for grants Of land to
be used in aid Of the construction of railroads
throughout the South and West and most of
them as we think, would have been accorded,
had the applicants been willing that the pro-
ceeds of the lands given by the older States
should be used for the purchase OF domestic
cloth needed for The consumption Of the peO-
pie who made the roadS,and Of domestic iron for
laying them l. was deemed only reasonable
that The people OF the Old states should derive
some ADVANTAGE from the lands they were asked
to present to the new ones, aud therefore IL was
asked that the tariff on cotton and WOODEN
goods, and upon iron, aad some other eOmm0d-
ties should be so modified that the protection
originally accorded by The tariff Of lSl6, at the
date OF its passage, should at least be restored
In 1916 the domestic manufacture OF iron
had reached, a. Was stated by NJ. WALKER,
s5O0o0 tuns whereas, ct the date Of the pass
age of the act Of l-i2 it had but little exceed
I'd go Coo tms. That extraordinary increase
had taken place under a specific daty Of S25
per tun. The Tariff Of 1-46 changed the duty
10 80 per cent. Gd rdiOTeR, giving the mlna-
facrurer q protection Of about 81 The rail-
road spcculations Of England, however, passed
away, and tie fever lad been followed by
chin, and railroad iron Ind gradually flen
from Eli in lsi6 10 - = in 1850, making
difference in the price abroad Of $50 pcrtun TO
which was 10 be added q reduction OF the duty
amounting to 50 per tun, or in al S31-a re-
duction so great that the furnaces and rolling
mills Of the country had been brought to the
verge Of ruin, and many of them lad even
then been forced 10 suspend operations.
Such was the state o. tliu.s in the spring Of
ESQ, in The FIRST Congress Of Gen. T,yLoR's
administration. That Cngress, in uhich a
combination OF moss discordsnt clements sue.
cecdcd in placing in the Speakers Chair Of the
House Of Representative Mr. Com. gentle.
nan who signalizod Lis advent 70 power b.
placing On the Committee Of Was arl Means
a set Of persons who combined together 70 re-
fuse TO make any report On tie important ques-
ricn Of the Tariff, even though adYerse 10 the
prayer Of tie numerous petitions before them.
les5 the question should thereby be brought be-
fore the House in such manner as 70 render
L the subject of discussion. The applications
ior roads were numerous, and all the applicants
were snxiOus 70 avail themselves ofths then low
Price Of iron. They were, however. tod thst
he reason WIZ it was 50 low was thai the do
nestle compcJit.C was sin maintained tholaA
at al enormous sacrifice, and that if orr own
furnaces and rolling mills we're permitted to b.
closed, they themselves wo ull f,n into .bo
hands u tie English moaop0lis,s. who wour1