The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-04-04
PrOsectien | Of AuerIcan wasclI'
ALhklhK. -

We csnnot coneelvs Of Z more efeetuel
puzzle fdFs the pelitlcsl economistsaof the
prolectionlsts school than for them to bo eel
TO explain the success Of the American
Watch Company at Wsltham. The duty
on watches 10 eight per cent, and on mate
rails and parts OF watches II is four per cent.
Yet, with only this amount ot protection,
and asking for no more, nor even caring for
this, or taking il into the calculation, the
projectors Of that enterprise undertook to
establish what has been regarded hs one oI
the most delicate and difficult branches oi
manufacture, and one which. was supposed
to depend upon the combInation Of the
cheapest labor with the! most experienced
skill. And the attempt has been 90 com
pletely successfufss to command the market
to the extent Of the company's sbility tC
produce, dt satisfactory prices, driving ou
the descriptions of foreign watches whick
come In competition with the American A.
ticle. q TO-. ..,.. ........ .,
The secret Of this success 10 very simple
They went into business 90 a trade, to worl
at II for their living, not as q scheme to en-
able certain wealthy cspitalists, or their lsxy
sons, to make dividends on their stocks, ,C
Hence oil their arrangements contemplated
the strictest economy, every man working
for wages and receiving what he earned
, without any provision Of honorary sslsriei
10 drcnes or non-producers. Moreover, in
stesd Of copying the soundabout and cum
brous methods, end tying themselves up ID
red tape to the expensive routine Of Europe
an manufactures, they set their wits to worl
to find out the best and cheapest ways Of do
ing things. By their success they have
pointed out the road for Americsn enter
terprise to follow, in one branch after an
other, as fast as the genius and skill and 70
sources Of the county she II render manu-
featuring enterprises practically desirable.
! What do they care about q protective to
rift They do not even seek the projections
Of patent rights for their most ingenious ma
chinery. but rely upon the advantages o
possession and success TO keep them in ad
vance Of any competitors at home. Th'
only competition they fear is that Of thei
own countrymen, as Yankee wit is not sub
ject to any monopoly /; and this they expec
to meet, whenever they must encounter il
as "Greek meets Creek" the best way the,
cun.
Surely, If Yankee ingenuity, without pro
tective tsriffs, cen compete with European
capital, and skill, and cheap labor, in 60 dill
icult business as that Of making watches
it 10 not easy to believe that the reason VIII
we cannot make our own iron is the want @
a higher duty then the present. Wheneve
the course OF fina ncial ductUation shall huv
broken the hold Of monopoIists and specuIa
tors upon the mines of iron and coal, whic
the Almighty made for the common use q
man, and whenever there shall be men 9
skill and enterprise to spare to 60 into th
business Of iron making for a living, and &c
on speculation, who shall set their wits at
to find out the best way and the cheape'
processes, it must be that such an abundanc
both of ore and fuel can be made to vel
plenty Of iron, in spite Of the competition {
European iron. who have to brin
their products three thousand miles to find
market.-N. Y. Evsning Post.