New-York tribune., 1869-03-22
THE COPPER TARIFF BILL.


SIR: The finance report of the Secretary Oh
the Treasury for tho fiscal year Of 1853 shows total I'M
port Of copper from other countries to the amoun. OF
s51ss5, while the export of copper from the Unted
States for the same period amounted to s6S7a a 70
Europe) The conclusions to bo drawn from tms
circumstance arei First, That We had more oop
per in the country than we wanted; and' Seco''"'
That the price hero must have been cheaper tnan
States Mil certainly not decrease, but rather in
crease, under the now regulations, and the price
0us o CORNER we viii have to export also the future
But what does that matter DO we not export uats
large qSSntsss ans doe, mot our present tariff impose
duty on wheat OF per bushe on hour ~ por centi o
Saupd S1 WSst difference s there in principle between
levy of duties on these articles ana on Gopper ,tin
against duty not higher than othor raw articiest
there anything more raw than oxen hogs and asses
in bis late speech at the FreeTrade meeting pleased 10
call it, duty Of three cents per pound on nS dutas
on on metals ne in the present tariff are:
On speer IS per cent lead 80 per cent on iron ana
mart Of the copperproducers to claim duty Of 20 per
cent while other metals double the rate In the tarn
other metals IN tho market labor and supplies Can
even tho editors of The Ereng Post get their material
and labor at former prcesi Would any sensible man
call IL nfamy or robbery cheating that these editors
charge &C. for their paper III let Oh 80 % 9 u
wari Gentlemen, who live In glass houses' shouu ho'
The Copper tariff bin was before the House long
time and after long examination by the Comntsee OF
WAYS and Means this Committee reported tho Ol Daek
TO the House unanimously In favor or IT, where u then
passed with twOthlrds majority In the COMMITTEE OF
Finance in Senate, also, strong nVestRaton OF Ihe
bill was made aud after the falso statements ana msrc
resentations OF the opponents were shown Dy Iul eF
dance the bill passed the Senate by vote OF - against
H. such majority in both Houses could not De hade
artifciay nor did IL happen by chance. lWas INC rear
exprpsslon Of the majority OF the people. 80.
The reason why the copper mines want tnls D Is very
simple BY the steady OF tho production OF COP
ner on AXE Superior and by the establishments OF sne
nr works nj the IN Tennessee and vermont III pc
came evident that domestic mines were fuy eoe
10 provide all the copper needed IN this country ana InA
the coppersmelting works on tho Atlantic cOasb were
losing tLelr occupation In smelling foreign ores marc
compeOn was carried on between these euleters anu
the domestic mines during the last two years. deriinen
tai TO both. But IL found In this competition tnht
tho chances were The high duties ana taxes
ON everything consumed In this country lcausinK
high prices of labor and supplied were working lke
protection favor OF the importer against tne hoD9
producer therefore duty OF three cents per pouhu
Of coppcr In the required as an equalization OF
the higher duties aud taxes paid Indirectly IhS Is NOS
more than just aud right ,..o
I'm conclusion IL may be remarked that the copper pro
dncers as SUCH do not generally believe that II W0nd
make great difference TO thom whether free-trade, low
Tariff OF high Tariff principles govern What they
claim and ask, with full propriey, that copper De
classified I'm tho Tariff In the same range WIN Otner
metals With all their energy they do not feel strength
enough establish freetrade III their product alone
Mr.. yort NJ rcb IL 1909 JUSTICE EQUITY.