Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1865-06-22

uefStanul IL 10 De CLAIMED tnat OH tne opening
of the, current year, tall the various branclic
of this department-whc for the two prece-
ding years had been SO conspcuously prosper-
Gus have from certain causes declined in the
successful operation Of business, until from
one.third to one-half of its mills and furnaces
have been compelled to cease operation,
whereby thousands Of employees have been
thrown out of business, the families of whom
must more or less suffer, and the commerce
of the country in this behalf become prostra-
| ted and pass into the hands of the foreign Ia
borer and capitalist which is ascribel to
improper legislation on the part of the late
3Sth Congress, which were derilcct in the dis
charge ofthe momcntous duties devolving up
on it inthis instance A
One of the highest and most import
ant duties devolving on Congress, is that Of
providing means for the support of the Gov
eminent which until the Inauguration of the
rebellion was derived from duties on imports,
down to which period the Government has
been literally supported, and the debts of two
wars.liquidated. In the exercise of this pow
er by Congress subsequently to the close of
the administration of Mr. Monroe two parties
have more or less contended for the suprama-
cy, and sought to engraft their respective
views on their Legislative proceedings, which
are known as the Free Trade Party, and
those who deemed it polite in the regulation
ofdutes on importations, to discriminate in fa-
vor ofartiicles comingin contact with the indus
try of the country, sufficiently to secure them
against foreign competition; " hich latter princi
pie prevailed in the legislative councils of the
nation more or less, till the time Of the REBEL
ion, and in the meantime laid the foundation
ofthe manufacture of both wool and cotton on
a basis, which if not yet capable. of successful
competition with those of foreign countries, at
least has reached such degree of perfection, as
not to be readily impaired by unfortunate legis-
lation
The parties who contested pro and con in the
halls of legislation the subject of incidental
protection to home industry, were the Demo-
cratic party on the one haud-always as now
the advocates of free trade-and those who
followed the lead of Henry Clay, who has glv-
en- all the potency to American industry which
it now possesses; although the great iron in
tercsts Of the country down to the present
time have failed to command that attention
and protection which it should have received
long ere this.
On this subject persons may reason from
what hypothesis they please, but it finally
resolves itself into one of the two following
propositions: Das- that Of protecting the for
eign capitalist labor and produce or the la
Dor producer and capitalist of our own coun-
try! and if i'll the exercise of this power it
became matter of moment that there should
be- sufficient ntdiscrimination to foster American
industry, in providing revenue of some sew
enty-fve millions Of dollars, how much more
so does i: become the duty of the American
people now that we have millions of revenue
to realize where VIC had only thousands to
provide for under the old system of public af:
fairs, to see to ito insist and demand all
that discrimination in realizing on importn-
tons which the industry of the country re.
quires, whether it be in the manufacturing Of
cotton or WOODEN fabrics, or.of iron in all its
departments 1t appears to us from an ex
animation of the proceedings Of the "Amer
ican Iron Co" that down to the action of the
late Congress, which increased the excise du
ty on Iron one-tifth or twenty per cent, they
were entirely satisfied with the action,of Gov
ernment, and were III RECEIPT, of satisfactory
compensation, though by no means as grca
in proportion as that received by wool
en- and cotton manufacturers But the dsas
trous effects of late legislation is telling fear
fully on this branch of American industry az
is seen by the cessation of labor in a great
number of their workshops.
Strange as it may appear, it is nevertheless.
true, that political parties will imperil trade
E and the best interests of their country, in
order to advance a political association, though
it not only destroys the industrial pursuits o.
f our country but in the same ratio builds ur
and perpetuates like pursuits and the revenues
of foreign countries, whose only sympathy
with us is to make money. Such, we claim
has been the policy of party in this country
for long course Of years, particularly in en-
acting laws for the realization of revenue fo,
the Government But when we take int
consideration the political prejudices and par
tialities of large portion of the members o
the 3Sth Congress, who were elected undel
pledges they were careful never to perform
never casting q vote to sustain the Govern
, ment in the most perilous days of the Repub
/ lie, and when they did vote in favor of reve
! nue., purposely saddling its burthen on tn,
industry of the country rather than on foreign
capital and labor, it is not matter of sur
prise that the dissatisfaction they created il
e the public mind led to their speedy deposition
Had the 3Sth Congress, however, been true t,
: the country, it would have been Just as cas-,