Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-01-12

Penn. Avenue NJ, Rui8n, whose Illness / men,
toned in my last letter, out again attending to
bis iegishtise dsitieG sasE's R
REMARKS OF Mr.. CLINGMAN,
Deliccred II The SsnatS Of tie United Stdtss De-
eembsr 20, 1865, on tho duties o. Railrosd iroa.
Mr.. Clingman. Mr.. President in this Aconnec-
ton, & should like to ask the Senator from New
York question. Some years ago the subject was
formed that on the Erie railroad, which was made,
perhaps wholly or in part out Of American iron,
there were found to be some very bad and very
brittle rails know that was admitted in the dis
cussion in the other House. should like to ask
the gentleman from New York whether that is the
fact or not and whether there was not good deal
Of hreakage OF the Erie railsthose that were made
in American furnaces - W -
Mr.. Seward can only answer that / have no
knowledge Of that fact. It did not happen to fall
within the range Of my observation or hearsay.
Mr. Clngman. If it be true, and l have no
doubt it is, it merely proves that in the United
States we can have bad iron made as well as good
l understand there has been some very bad iron
made in this country for railroad purposes. My
object Mr.. President in rising, was to call atten-
ton to this circumstance with reference to the gen,
eral argument Of the Senator from Rhode Island,
who says that it will not do to make bad iron, that
the British manufacturers have sent us bad iron
here, and therefore we ought to regulate it. We
might with as much propriety expect to regulate,
by legislation, the sale of bad shoes. A gentleman
told me the other day that he had bought some
shoes made up in New England perhaps in the
Senator's own State that did not last week. Peo-
pie buy them because they cheap; but they last
very little while. Everybody understands that
Wales and buy the cheapest iron, you will get an
inferior article; if you give higher price, you will
get the best English iron, which is about perhaps
equal to our own iron. The company has the dis
erection to buy the best iron. If it be true there
FORE the Senator from Rhode Island argues, that
American iron will last ten times long English
iron, why not leave this company to find out that
fact?
As we are called upon now to advance money out
of the Treasury to build this road, and as we are
called upon to give public lands to effect that OBJ
ject would it not be cheaper and better for all par
ties to release the company from the tax on iron
which they will have to pay if they bring it from
abroad-the import taxi? 1t is said it will take
three hundred thousand tons to make this road
Well, ten dollars ton On that-and suppose the
present duty is about that; have not inquired
about the price of iron latey-would be s. 600 000
Is it wise policy with us to i'm bose tax of 49,,
600, 600 on this iron and then pay them back sums
of money or give them lands? / an perfectly will
ing if all imports taxed, and you have no free
list that those engaged in making railroads shall
pay their share of the public taxes but if you have
free list and things that are to be used by manu-
featuring companies are to come in Free why not let
those who are manufacturing railroads have the iron
free Of duty, especially road which we are cal
led upon to build in part?
Now, l submit to Senators whether there is any
policy in putting hands into the pockets of these
people, if they find it more advantageous to import
foreign iron, and making them pay heavy tax,
and then drawing the money out of the Treasury
and returning it to them, or giving them lands in
lieu of it. I have been of the opinion for long
WHILE that if there any one article which it was
important to make free, it was railroad iron. 1t is
conceded all hands that the foreign iron is cheap
cr l put the question to members from Pennsyl-
vania, who were making arguments in favor of an
additional tax upon ron and they admitted the fact
at that time-it may have been changed since-that
the railroads which went up directly to their fur.
naces and were employed in transporting their iron
to market. were laid down with foreign iron. Well
if in Pennsylvania, where they are making iron, and
where they always clamorOus for taxes on the
agriculture of the country, they think proper to
use foreign iron, why should not everybody else be
allowed to it? would not advocate this policy
if you proposed to tax everything; but if raw ma
terials used by manufacturers are to be free why
not let the material that is used in making rail
| roads be free? %
The Senator from Connecticut said this morning
that the English had reduced the price of their iron
in order to break down our establishments.
should like to know how much that reduction is
Can the Senator inform me whether it is ten, or
twenty dollars ton, or what amount? Has he
any data on the subject? What reduction in other
words, on English ron has to be made to enable
them to underworld our establishments and break
them down?
Mr.. Foster The English newspaper from which
l read, stated it at two pounds per ton.
Mr.. Clingman That is about ten dollars. Well,
in England they arc making think, about four mil
lion tons at this time. know that three or four
years ago they were making three million TONS and
that branch of industry has increased very rapidly
Ten dollars on four million tons is $500 000-
If these English manufacturers willing to lose
$40 OJO, 0O0 year to break down the few establish
nents in the United States, for we are not making
great many rails in this country, think it shows
that they have very little judgment, and we ought
to be able to compete with such people. But really
does any man believe it? Is it not perfect absur-
dity? Why, sir. some years ago, gentleman made
this argument and upon calculation then found,
taking his own statements from his printed speech,
that to break down three furnaces, or believe at
that time was conceded there were but three fur
naces in the United States that were making rails,
and they were making from eighteen thousand to
twenty thousand tons,) the British manufacturers
were actually spending $50 900 year in losses
on their IRON! Does anybody believe that? Does
any one suppose that business men, common sense
men, would do such thing? You might Just as
well argue that the American cotton-plantefs had
put down the price of cotton in this country to break
down the little establishments in Algeria.
This branch of industry is going on in England.
have no doubt they get the best prices they can.
It is very easy to explain why it is they underworld
u.s. We have got plenty of ore, plenty of COAL
We have advantages in that respect; but labor is
cheaper with them. According to the statements
which the iron conventions have sent us from time
to time, they say that nine tenths of the cost Of
making iron is labor: that there is only about one
tenth in the value Of the materials used If that be
the case, we never work on as cheap. terms as
they do unless we put down the price of labor and
nobody is in favor Of that We have to give in this