New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-01-17
Cheap Iron vs.. Protection-Letter from Free

LONDON, Thursday, lssh Dec, 1851

My DEAR Mr.. GREELEY: | beg espe-
cially to thank YOU for The Tribune OF 18th
November which, under the head of " Pennsyl-
vanian Iron" gives your advice and sanction to a
system we have found rather unbearable in this
country and as know YOU towel and respect
the opinions YOU promulgate too much to fancy,
for one moment. that they are not your real
ones, wish very much that you will give my
opinions soon IN your paper, in order that your
readers NAV, at least give you credit for patriot
ism IN desiring they should arrive at a Just
decision
For long series of years, Torylsm in this
country had monopoly in the Senate, the pro-
LESSONS and all offices of profit and q" Protection
to Native industry" is the iast dying speech OF
that party in England as 1t will be soon in all ap-
pearance In the most despotic countries Free
dom and Free Trade, Despotism and Protection IN
all countries hang together, and 1t has only been our
good fortune to get rid of the one by obtaining the
blessings OF the other.
Your large consumers of Iron and there is not any
industry in the States that can do without H. have
not tasted the sweets Of cheap IRON Your tax upon
IT, with expenses Of freight and charges, render 1t 60
per cent dearer to your artisans than to ours. f5
purchases a tun of bars in any locality m England
IT costs II Tor $3.50 in the most favored sea-board
city Of the United States, while large quantities Of
superior iron from England is sold now In America
from Go to go per ton How Is 1t that these latter
descriptions are not undersold by Pennsy lvanian
makers II low quality, comparatively cheap iron
cannot be undeTsOld, surely superior qualities for
which you pay importers tlG and els per ton, like
the M TX Lowmoor," ought TO be kept out without
the necessity q increased taxation.
will tell you why IT takes always capital, with
long and patient manufacturing. 10 establish repu-
,aiIon aud TO adapt works to make peculiar out
necessary article. Some two or three works
only IN England with a make OF two and hall
millions Of tuns per annum) have alone succeed.
ed, and the demand for such iron Is so limited
to the sc two or three that they obtain great prices
so great from their high standing as to quality
and Their manufacture OF certain descriptions
only TO be obtained of them, that they charge any
sent boiler plates to Norway, charging f33 ptun,
because DO where In the world could they obtain
similar in size and quality We are, therefore, ms
cheapest market for common at the same time mat
we the dearest country IN the world Tor superior
qualltes-the large consumption OF the cheap IRON
necessarily calling for extraordinary qualities IN SUI
fcient quantity 10 keep TWO or three acknowledgements
going, which Establishments would entirely lsngnish
II all works IN England made no IRON under L ~ per
tun and thereby limited consumption here aud en-
tneiy put all end 10 export or, =.
Iron respectively "a los, II and La per tuh In
England IL Il los, Go los and eli los 10 fle ~
present IN America and although TOO high Dy iatio,
AN article so essential TO all industry would cuita
We know too well m England the difference OF per
sonal bearing Ia iron master # he IS getting LIZ
per for bar iron or "a los In the his' case ne
unappTOachable and despotc IN the latier, cour.e-
GUS and concIiating and IL would be ten times more
unendmable If he were secured IIO by ~f % Far'
lament -, ...o,, =. an
each trade DO well not by force or fraud but by the
natural demand overtakIBg the natural supply but
to establish and seifimpose Toryism TAR greater
than the ore cast Off assure yourself, my dear Mr..
Greeley We know too much the liberty ana blessing
ne enjoy TO think Of IL a moment. America would
have all she wants If she had cheap and free Iron,
and an unrestricted importation would save her
millions Of dollars, ennching every Industry IN her
wide-spread land. 90
France offers an example - you OF the sensible
benefto OF prohibiting foreign iron. She make.
$4,000 tuns to supply IS millions Of inhabitants, and
her Iron works are so short Of work they are only
making half they could Ask the reason they tell you,
&" We have no demand-no consumption, people use
wood rather than pay Cl2 per tun tor iron ouf
railroad bars per tun therefore we nave 80
ten or twelve miles OF each other. There Is no
healthy Iron industry It Is ruined ana sunoca'eo
by monopoly and protection"
Spain has minerals richer than any country IN Eu-
rope-coal aud ron-stone together In most covetous
proximity, and within or ~ miles OF the coast
There prohibition 10 foreign Iron In Spain Nauve
industry (as II industry were not cosmopoatan) Is
the spoiled bantling that cannot be permitted 70 %
leazed by competition, and native Incidence IN
Spain Is the result. Austria, as you OBSERVED IA 'n9
Exhibition, has healthy Iron industry Du' 80 i"ca
that her extensive territories for want " Ioa-s,
not benefited by u, and she wisely mas reoecea
her tariff on iron, and freed the navigation OF her
rivers, and next year will reap the oeneh' o.
with England ever before denied her s4ru'a .hs
Norway and Sweden Russia, Finland, SPAN, ,ns
Zoll yerein and Austria, have all more OF de,s.-
duced their tariffs within these WE'VE aa, and IL
France. we fully expect will do so nest yeesdered
would be indeed so marvellous as 20 DC "a nom this
m,rarle' # Amenca with trade 70 ana .souid put
Country greater than all the world oe' En1cDe Nsvi
On The cast off livery OF antqus. 81 send vessels
al me
Issss se out by them sa sisl %.
a1S = les. sss %s :aa
OF fondling desoui snem hsev. me-
With an W Greeley, yours very sincerely, ~,
Remarks.
our friend Bird, we need not he|itate 20 say
since his letter indicates the fact Is DIE,
seller and exporter OF Iron, and ne u ai''