The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-20
mB mon TRADE IN FRASoE AND AUSTRIA
prom the \. y. Evening Posi-, J

tFrom the n Y. Evening POST
The ironmastcrs In Austria and France have been in
state of violent agitation for the last few months They
demand that the Austrian government revert to the sys
tenn OF protective duties and set asde the liberal com
uerca policy introduced with such brilliant success by
the present enlightened Minister OF Commerce Inc
French manufactures have made similar demand Tor
protection from the Emperor and are pleased TO hnd
that in the recent speech Of Count Persigny at 81
Eiennc OF the ccf seats OF the hardware industry
Of France lac has spoken out plainly and shown the
ronnasers OF France that their permanent and highest
interests lie not in protection
The ironnasers from all the Provinces of Austria have
been holding sort Of congsess In Vienna, ana they 10
solved 10 prevail the government 10 rescind the or
ders lately given for the importation OF railroad IRON rec
OF daty. The president, in his address, said DurnS
the last two years and half the different railway com
panes in Austria have imported from abroad no less han
one thousand tons Of iron rails besides other iron Tor
their TO the value of two millions POUNDS stcr
ling These thousand tons of rails and other articles
worth millions pounds sos from the Austrian
producers Of IRON This verdict met with hearty re-
sponse from the assembled irouluasters.
The ironmaster and workmen of ayors (iihonc) have
had meeting, and petitioned the EnPcyor, aiismns
that the different decrees which have reduced She import
duty on foreign iron have resulted in deporabc conse-
quences the metaugical industry of France and es
pcciay TO that town This is the cry and complaint OF
the whole iron interest in France which persists in
most remarkable manner, in demanding more and more
protection and every occasion is sought and improved 10
put forth their claims and demands
The ironmascrs of France DO not appear TO the inn
kind which dear iron infcts. For what industry caIs
thrive where the three man elements Of commcycal In
dusryron timber aud coalare DEAR as is the cnse in
Francef Indeed its commercial politicians appear W
study how 10 stop up and osuct the main OF
iron, coal and wood are the main objects OF
protection in France The additional cost to the agricul
interest alone has been computed to be over
900 year.
Give protection to given thing, and the evil imposes
itself necessity upon all interests which have to use
it. The consequences become accumulatve; they Dcgn
4 .xt:.x, t.t t,ft,o tIasy WI ~
series of things with which that starting point Is com
mercally connected Protected iron, coal, and wooG
must necessarily make dear produces for protccton 70
ironmasters is the same as prohibition for manncsoFers
1t forces necessities upon other interests which 90 NOT
| belong to them Ii was we'll remarked by an English
writer at the system is best expressed in the nursery
story of fIltis is the house that Jack built Every
new fact is saddlcd with the main and leading one Whilst
the last fact carries tic whole story overtoppcd by the
eyer-recung theme, This the house that Jack built
| SO with the history of first impost. duty IL put
upon iron; it is felt by the machnis then by the man
uiacturer ard merchant and lastly by the consumer
Because one protected all must be. The printer WORKS
highpriced calico, and must have prohoitory dles
to protect his interest The calico weaver must DO pro-
tected because he must high priced twist Inc
spinner of twist bc protected, because he must use
high priced machinery and coal. The machnist must
be protected because he must high priced iron ana
fuel pay exorbant duties upon the ntroducton u
! foreign iron and fuel
privilege has been secured 20 leading interest, and
from this first point of departure system OF compensa
ons made necessary, with view To remove from escn
successive interest the disabilities which have been I'M
posed upon them by the protective duties and privileges
enjoyed by the fst who stands at the very threshold OF
the system
AS consequence OF this hghprced policy, more capi-
tai necessarily required to sustain the working OF each
interest which accmuates at each stage so that the
merchant who has render the accumulated produce OF
all the intervening industries between the production OF
raw material and consumption has to lose much IN the
interest and profits Of his additional capital When the
commerce of any country is vtated at its source the IN
auence must be carried into all its channels and depen-
dc,cie false prosperity is created the industries OF
thc cities and towns stimulated to excess the aglcni
tra interests neglected. then laid prosate hnaly
reaction begins The producers in the country have d
mnshe and the i'll towns have increased; and
the productions OF town and country have been changed IN
the same ratio. Capital and snew are taken from the
soil the cities are overstocked with workers, and the
markets arc glutted with goods Protection must neccs
sary break down all the industries OF nation more or
less eecualy and to the extent OF its application 70 te
interests standing at the very threshold OF commerce IL
therefore defeats its purposes Artificial hgn prices
are thctirs effect these limit consumption and stm-
late production at an increased cost In plain terms the
commercial nations of the world which adopt the protec
tive policy are forever suffering under the effects OF three
nndeniale concomitants inseparable from this system
extended production high cost and narrow market
made narrower continually BY the limited consumption
which results from the system