Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1860-08-17

an establishment in which he has invested a
large capital. When be is about to make up
an invoice, he goes to his clerks aud workmen,
and ascertains the amount of cost of the raw
mrterial, aud the cost of the labor pu. upon
1t. de sums up these items, and the total IS
the amount of the invoice which enters the
custom house on our shores with the goods IL
comes here ingoiced to partner, aud is sold
for two or three times the invoice price. Take
the article of horse shoe nails La GernIanY,
the country blacksmith is the manufacturer -
lie goes to the country storekeeper for bis iron
takes 1t to his shop, and makes it into nails, at
three cents per pound. He can make eight
/ pounds per day, and on this pittancc of twenty
1 four cents he lives, supports his family, and
F., finds his own fuel The nails are sent here
inyoiced at SIX cents pound, and sold at
price just low enough to command the Ameri-
can market
These, sir. are but few of the articles up-
on which frauds arc committed against the
revenue laws, but they are fair samples of the
working of the system. One OF the great
benefits We shall derive from the passage Of
the bill now before US, will be the destruction
of the system of false invoices and public
warehouses, by which the foreign manufactures
is entitled to control our capital--that is. be
sends goods here aud stores them in Covers
caent warehouses at no expense TO himself.-
There they are suffered to remain until PRICES
rule to suit bis interest. In this way he saves
the interest on the duties, not paying them until
the goods are taken from the warehouses. and
is always ready to glut the market with the
surplus of unsaleahle aud uufasbicnahle pre.
duets of Europe, whenever our own manu-
facturcs are prostrated by an alteration of our
ever changing revenue laws.
Among other things, the Senator from Viz
glola produced letter from some foreign inn
porters of iron 10 New York in opposition to
this bill. Their argument Is based upon
false statement, made for their own purposes,
6y which they make 1t appear that the duty,
charges, and commissions are an actual protec-
ton OF htty-thFee per cent 10 toe American
manufactured. An American statesman should
not go abroad for arguments to build ma
revenue system. The foreigner, coming hafe
only 10 make a fortune out of the depressi sion Of
our trade aud business; to return home 10 en-
JOY 1t, eau have no sympathy with the prosper
lty OF our country, and ought not to be per-
United to legislate for US, nor, 10 fact, to ex,
ercise any control whatever over our legisls.
tion. The statement purports to be the cost
of importing railroad and common bar iron
from Wales at the present time. In opposition
to that statement, desire to present another
from one of the most intelligent iron masters
IN Pennsylvania, as thoroughly educated an
iron manufacturer, perhaps, as there is in the |
world. de is, besides, mau Of learning and
Veracity, and is more extensively engaged 10
the business at this time than any man 10 the I
country. His statement is in reply to a letter
| addressed to him the other day, after the
Senator from Virginia bad exhibited bis state.
.nent from foreign importer = New York
He says:
1'The Object of presenting such statement is /
papable on its face. 1T is to make it appear that
certain expenses in the purchase of Iron are pe- /
cular to importations from foreign countries from
which American iror is free also, in quoting the !
lowest priced common bars at the period of great.
est depression In value and at the highest rate of
insurance and freight, with exhorbitant commissions
for buying, shipping and inspecting, and another
throw-in of bankers commission and fnferest-
(Why did they not also add charge for profit n
All these items produce loc value high per-
centage. viz: 29a per cent. This added to the "a
per cent. duty, the present tariff he argues is So
per cent protection to the American manufacturer
''I wish il were true that we American manufau
urers had none of these charges to pay but let us
see now we stand IN relation to the Welsh iron
masters.
f'The Welsh works deliver rail and bars at
Cardiff at cost of 5s. and 3D., are at Cardiff not
exceeding Is per ton, or Is cents making total
on shipboard Of 81 so per ton