Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-08
VOLUME LVU.-NUMBER 81.


GDd If Virginia live stock tind their way tc
Cincinnati TO be packed they probably s.
thence, in the shape of salt meat, to South
crn market.
come, uow, to our mineral productions
salt, iron end coal. Snail subject them in par:
to Tie enquiry already pursued with reference
TO tho products Of agriculture. am unable
&c say how the prices of these articles have
been affected by our revenue system, but
think that the effect Of the systeia upon 0u,
production Of iron and coal will he apparent.
SALr-l find, from the census OF 1850, that
the domestic production Of salt for the pre-.
ceding year vas - s22,222, 222 745, OF which amount
Sl,+52,5 was produced at the North,
SToo,n00 in Virginia, and $50, ,725 at the South.
This clearly shows where the domestic compe.
tifion lies. From the larger consumption Of
salt meat, ard the greater proportionatc num-
Der of live stock at the South than Mt the
North, end from the further fact that portion
of our salt region is in Southwestern Virginia,
in juxtapostion with the South and separated
from the North, and that the remaining por.
ton Of the salt region is in the valley Of the
Kanawha, which possesses water conmunca.
t!nn ,ritIi the South and Southwest, in the
cheap form Of untaxed naYigable rivers, infer
that our market also lies at the South. Nor
would It at all affect this conclusion to show,
if such be the fact, that most of the Kama.
wha salt goes 10 Cincinnati, unless it be also
sioTn that Cincinnati is not point fo7 the
distribution Of salt or salt meat to tte South.
From the fact that Cincinnati is packing
point, and is contiguous to the South and
Southwest, should suppose that much Of the
kanawha salt consumed in the latter region
would reach it through Cincinnati If, there
fore, this course Of trade we're broken up by n
dissolution of the Union, tha effect would only
be 10 transfer the distributing point to Coving-
ton, OF some other place South Of the Ohio
river.
may be told, however, that foreign salt
conpetes with our own product to greater
extent than Northern salt, and that, under the
revenue system of the South, foreign compe.
tit:Cn would be more destructive 10 our nte.
rests than the competition CT the North
The foreign salt consumed in the country is
less than third OF the whole consumption,
and is relatively diminishing. The table sub
m!tcd to the Convention shows that in 1850
the salt consumed in the country was in value
50, 450.2G3, Of which amount Sl,s27,5lS
WAS imported. The same rate of con.
sumption Per head Of the population,
would give the consumption OF 1850 at
St379,086, Of which amount $l,43l, lao
VAS imported, lraTing $2,947,94s as the do
:nestic production Our domestic product,
therefore, increased $725,20l in ten years,
while the importation increased in the same
time only $685. thus showing gain O!
S52 ,5T3 on the part Of cur own salt makers
over their foreign competitors. And this gain,
il must be borne in mind. is in the face Of n
reduction Of tie duty on salt in 1857 from 90
TO 10 per cent. at ral0rem. If this Is per cent
,!uty, or even less rate Of duty, were imposed
ON Northern as well as foreign salt, the result
would DC greater protection to Our
salt interest than it now enjoys. II, on
the other hand, that interest be separated by a
tariff, from the South, and exposed to Northern
competition without protection it will inevita-
bly, occupy worse condition than it now does.
am net able to say whether the very conside-
raolc development. Ct domestic production has
been participated in b Virginia, if not, it will
&c another illustration Ct what abundantly ap-
pears from the iron and coal trade. In this
trade the benefits of the protective system
have fallen exclusively to the North, and have
not been at all shared by Virginia, as shall
new proceed to show.
IgoH-The table shows that under the high
protection Afforded by the tariff Of 1912,
amounting 10 1898 per cert. per ton, if reduc
ed to an nj ral0rem duty, the average annual
production Of AmcEican pig iron was
Sl2,c9t, Isl and the average annual increase
Of production was $3,0S9.l06 while the ave-
rage annual importation WIS S5, G03, ,79G and
the average annual decrease of importation
was $l5+.sS5. The average price during this
period was S28 10 per ton in New York.
From 1916 TO 1857, under duty Of 80 per
cent, the average annual production of Amcri.
can pig iron was $24, o45, ,939, and the annual
average increase was Sl,S39, COG. The annual
average importation was $lS,S7G, 1G3 and the
annual average increase was 81, ,252, 1877. The
average price in New York was $2S % per ton.
Tins, notwithstanding the revival of the TO-
reign trade, consequent upon reduction Of
duty, the domestic production gained up
on it during the ten yearsat an annual average
rate Of more than $500 900. Until the year
1853 the foreign trade gained upon the domcs
tic production, but since that time the gain has
been heavily the other way And it must be
also remarked that in the face of this immense
development Of production the prices were not
cnly maintained, but advanced The Secreta
rvs tables do not come lower than 1857.
Let us now enquire what share Virginia had
in this prosperous condition Of the iron intc
rest, and what benefit protection conferred up
on her while it was increasing Northern pro
duct!on st the rate Of ten per cent. per annum
Our only means Of answering this question is
By reference TO the trade Of Richmond which
mag fairly be considered as representing tina
Of the State.
The table shows an annual average decrease
Of 979 tons in the Virginia iron brought tt
Richmond since the lst Of July, 1857, and or
ANIMAL average increase OF 1857 tons in the
Northern iron brought to that city during The
Same period. Thus it appears that while thu
Northern iron masters maintained their suprc
macy over the foreign importer and gained or
him steadily, without however, diminishing his
tradc, they were absolutely exterrninating the
production ofiron in Virginia. And yet we have
heard on this floor lamentations from gentle
men flvo:iug union with tie North over The
supposed losses OF the Pennsylvania iror
masters, although that union requires us t.
purchase its supposed advantages by surren
dering our miners and manufacturers to tn,
overwhelming competition of their Northern
adverSaries
CnAL-The table shows the same state 0
things with regard to tho coal trade The gair
Of Northern production over foreign importa
ton, and the gradual extinction Of our own pro
'luction. The anthracite coal sent eastward from
Pennsylvania in 1916 was hSl3 ,S37, ,Sl+
while the foreign importation Of both bitum
mons and anthracite coal in the whole country
during that year WAS worth only 1896, ,Gyl. II
1886 tho Pennsylvania coal had trebed in va
lue. having increased to s39, s34, OPS, and in
creasng annually at an average rate o
g, 2,G+", 739, while the importation Of foreign
coal was only S597,O?t, showing an annua
average increase of but $26, 049. While thi:
enormous increase Of Northern production va:
progressing the coal trade Of Virginia va;
steadily declining. From the lst OF Jny
1856, to the end of 1859 the amount of Goa
brought to Richmond from tho interior dirnl
nIshed at m average annual rate Of e,S07 tons
while the importation Of Northern coal in
creased annually on an average 4,o33 tons
The foreigner seems to be merely retarded by