Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-03-07
k UrLAND HERALD.
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1861.
American w. Foreign usnusss'
lures.

tures.
The Importance Of the United States
becoming ,ntirely independent Of for
eign sountgitS Tor manufactured goods
o. 50 descriptions Is a subject which has
alwa = 70 q greater or lesser extent CO.
gage, The att lion of a large proper
ZION our peul.e; but never, perhaps
has II received A. much calm considera-
ton as is being bestowed upon 1t at the
present time. SO much infinite mischief
has resulted 10 our interests from de-
pending solely upon European manufac-
lures for our daily uses, that our capt.
talists are justly awaking 70 the import
snce OF supplying our own markets and
an riching our land by having the
treasure which is annually sent TO
Europe fer manufactures remain at home
and circulate among our own people for
their especial benefit.
To show the injury which our de-
pendence upon foreign manufactures has
worked in this country, and will con.
time to work, until We asser, our inde-
pea deuce in the matter, we could cite
masy striking instances OF the pcrhdy
o. European capitalists, but the one
which Is freshest in our memory is that
q. the case Of the iron monopoly in
1880, when British merchants, in
order 70 break down American iron
furnaces and FORCES, threw two hundred
thousand tons of the ERgllsh material
into eur markets, which they sold for
forty dollars per ton or ten dollars per ton
less than an equally good article could
be afforded by American manufacturers,
and so the latter were Frustrated and
Fuined while thousands OF helpless
operatives were sent adrift tn seek pre-
carious work in other employmontS. The
losses ana miseries of these poor people
ere they found profitable employment in
other vacations can be better imagined
than described, aud the loss of capital
TO the iron men in establishments which
were closed aud unproductiye must
likewise be counted at fearful aggre-
gate OF national loss.
But did the consumers who cucoRr-
aged tLis wholesale monopoly make
anything pecuniarlly by lending them
selves TO the scheme ? Let as sec When
in 1850, the two hundred thousand tons
sr the British metal was sent into our
markets, it was furnished at forty dol
lars per ton, and had it been continued
at that price, we could not, perhaps, so
loudly complain, as it would benefit q
portion at least OF our capitalists and
business men. But when the importers
found that they had broken down the
American manufactures, the price of
the article was steadily increased until
in 1854, we found our consumers paying
eisrb ~ <j1,iIa,4s f., me. arcfOiC which
was afforded to them at Just half the
price Ave years previously During that
time upwards of II million tons were
brought into the United States, and we
were losers to the amount of at least
thirty millions of dollars by the schemes
q these philauthropic Englishmen who
were at first so willing TO drug our mar
kets with iron at prices such as it
could be manufactured for in 4 country
where labor is cheup and the cost OF
living trieiag AZ compared with Amer.
lea.
And this j~ the natural aud uuavoid-
able result OF depending upon foreigners
FOR necessary commodities. The great
foreige capitalists combine against other
countries, and If unchecked by no well
established domestic industries, the great
weight OF hostile capital suflioes to
dictate priees TO auy community which,
like he United States, is largely agri-
cultura. America has natural resources
enough 70 supply herself and large
portion OF the world with manufactured
goods, and with tariff which will
afford the enterprise Sufficient protection.
we see no reason why il should not be
speedily embarked in as afiOrling
source OF wealth and profit.