The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-12-24

use gold and silver as money, ana tn0y
will recognize no other money for effectlng
exchanges. II Mr.. stsvens
bill could become q law, all our foreign
commerce must cease; our citizens, If they
obey it, must violate their foreign con-
tracts, and the nation itself, by rendering
Il unlawful for foreign creditors TO collect
and remit their gold interest on its bonds,
Rvows its purpose openly to enter on thai
career of Reputation which has hitherto |
Mr.. Jefferson Davis and bis Mississippi as
The eminent French economist, |
says truly, that, IF there be
confirmed by history, it is that |
the efforts Of governments are pOwerless |
10 regulate the value Of gold and silver in |
relation to other commodities, or to one an |
other, and that they are equally 50 70 COM
pei the precious metals to remain in any
should commerce give the inn
pulse to their exportatiOn." 5.if stss WI
TEE MOVEMENT AGAINST THE paper
DuTY.-.Thereis q new and combined move
ment of the newspapers for the reduction
Of the customs duty on imported white
paper, from 20 to 3 or per cent. The wes-
tern press starts it, and that of New York
city heads it. the east, and all the news.
papers are apparently joining in the petit
ton to Congress. Thetheory of the move
mont is. that the price Of white paper for
having advanced even more than gold. and
more than almost any other article Of man.
ufacture; that with the duty off It can be
imported and sold here, even at the pres
ent rate Of exchange, for Is or zoe pound.
and that it liz necessary to have paper as
low as that, fer the public journals general
~ to maintain themselves, even at their
present advanced rates of subscription
The present price OF white newspaper 10 70
cents; it has been as high $50 cents during
the last six months; whereas the old rate
was 8alOc. The duty of 20 per cent oper-
ates 10 sustain the paper makers in de-
handing about o5c, and is in fact, . protec-
ton TO the extent OF about 90 q pound, in
addition to exchange, at twice and 9 half
nearly the old rates. As good, indeed
better paper than our journals now pay Csc
for here, can be bought abroad for 7a8c in
gold; and the newspaper people ask the
privilege of importing it free Of duty, as a
means OF preventing another advance in
their prices, and 80 of keeping up their cir
culation. for every advance has been mark
ga Dy decrease IN .ne hnm1er OF
cd ~ the American manufacturers.
The paper manufacturers OF course pro-
fess that they have made no exorbitant
advance In their prices; that all their ad.
vances have been justified by the Increased
cost; and particularly by the scarcity and
price OF rags. But 1t is certainly true that
the paper manufacturers Lever we've as
prosperous as during the last two or three
years; we believe their prohts as q class
have been and are greater than those OF
any other one class OF manufacturers IN the
country; and we think we are warranted
in asserting that there IS and has been no
real occasion Tor putting print paper
above 2Oc pound. But Tor STUDIED monop-
oily and speculation In rags, and combina-
tons among the manufacturers, the price
could not have been carried, and could not
oe held, above that ngure, when ls more
than the real advance in the cost OF pro-
duction.
These are the substantial facts IN the case
on the one side. On the other, that OF the
newspapers, no business has been more
precarious and doubtful during the war
Many papers have been obliged to sue
cumb and perish; many others are con-
Quoted at a lose, and the strongest and best
have, with only an occasional exception,
capital, risk and expense than in the years
before the war Their advance in prices
has been slow and irregular. and only as
forced upon them by MISREPRESENTATION,
while. as we have stated, IL has had the
ever lamentable effect in q republican
country. and in q country like this, of
changing newspapers into q luxury, and
obliCing MANY to stop their subscriptions
ana limit their 1eaOAOQ.
Whether the proposed reduction or abro-
CATION Of the duty ON foreign paper would
work the benefit desired and believed in
by those prominent in advocatingit, we re-
card as doubtful. Rut we believe now. as
we did before when it was sought and
failed. that it can do no real harm to any
class and may work benefit TO the whole
people. It will take away no revenue from
the Government, but rather add to il /; and
the only effect OF the loss Of the protection
to the paper manufacturers would be To
steady their business, put clog on specu.
la:ion. and forbid an undue and injurious
stimulus of home competition, always
heretofore the great evil Of the business in
this country. We believe the experiment,
is worth trying and so we Join, not with
great faith OF success from Congress, o,
large expectation Of beneficial results at:
forwards. in the appeal that our cotempo
ries Of the large cities east and west are
making for it's trial.
$50
| A New UsE. FOR CoRS.-Professor Goes.
ling. Of Cincinnati, German chemist
there, claims the merit of discovering q
process by which sugar as nice as the incest