The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-11-29

In view of these facts our ironmasters strug-
gled for long years, and manfully, to shield
themselves from the dangers of fuctuation in
prices of iron by high protective tariff; and
though this has been at times attained, the fire.
quent changes which our tariff has undergone
has been as pernicious to them as the changes
in the price Of the product. Now that free
trade and u revenue tariff with incidental
protection only, has become the adopted policy
of the country, they have been compelled to
look elsewhere for that stimulus which consti-
tutes their life; and happily they have found
that there exist other and more permanent
means of encouragement than are to be met
with in high tariffs and an exclusive policy.
This lies in the creation of a more permanent
demand than has hitherto existed for the yield
of their furnaces. While railroad iron con-
tinues to constitute the chief item Of their mar
ket they must be exposed to the fluctuations
which inevitably attend that speculative inter-
est But new uses for iron are daily coming
into vogue, and so largely is il beginning to
enter into the construction Of our buildings,
ships. and every article of domestic use. that
this may with great propriety be called the iron
age.
But these new applications of iron necessarily
require much study, experiment and expendi-
.ture to bring them into general use. and these
are things that are not altogether within the
ability of private enterprise to bear. Happily
the government has awakened to a knowledge
of the fact that il can construct many
of the public buildings of iron at a
much cheaper cost than when built of other
materials, besides making them more secure
against fire and more durable az whole. I'm
view of this fact, iron has been largely adopted
in the construction of the new Capitol at Wash
ineton, the Custom House at New Orleans, aud
many other of our public works, while the
marine hospital at the latter city, is to bc built
entirely of this material. In adopting this
course, purely for its own advantage, the gov
eminent has perceived that ii can give an
Incidental and indirect protection to our iron
production without violating the adopted policy
of the country by assisting to create perma-
nent demand for it, product
Accordingly. in August last, the Secretary Of
the Treasury. under direction of the President.
issued the very important circular, published in
another column. addressed to those engaged in
the production of iron. stating that !" the large
extent TO which this material is superseding the
use of wood and stone in the public buildings.
erecting at a cost of many millions of dollars
annually. under his department renders IL of
the greatest Importance TO know what iron
resis,s, for the longest period the action
Of oxygen, and requesting that all
would send TO the department samples
Of their iron and of the ores from which
il is made. In this circular the admins
tration vnnounces that the policy OF aiording
encouragement to this great interest has been
commenced by the government = and IL this
policy DC properly adhered to and followed by
the several departments at Washington using
exclusively American iron. 40 FAR a. practicable
as II Il now doing, il will not only aid in
creating q permanent demand for the produc
tions Of our ironmasters equal to the foreign
suuply-thus giving them protection con
sonant with our policy and with the spirit of
the agc-but IL will give our industry in this
branch stimulus that will soon make us the
first iron producing nation Of the world ~ we
arc now first in the production of cotton.
The idea of discrimination in favor Of domcs
tic products by the federal government, in it,
capacity az consumer, is not only legitimatcly
within IL powers, but is part of it, duty and
OF is practice. a. in the case Of hemp for the
navy. and many other articles and under such
q policy there Is no reason why the manufacture
Of iron should not become one Of our greatest
branches Of national industry, for is elements
are found in every section Of the Union.
Furnaces are already blazing on the
sides Of Mount Khatadin in Maine,
throughout the Alleghanies OF Pennsylvania,
virginia and Tennessee, along both banks Of
the Hudson and Ohio rivers, on the borders of
the gres, lakes, and at the iron mountain in the