New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-18

NM ~ distsnce between ourselves and Britain.
until at length the American half tba world OF this
usefal OF afeommodItles au d ". Oi,Iinno ~
ocre obonndng i'm coal and ore are waiting that appca
ton of capital which will so surely come when us owes
can feel assured that they are not fued 10 see repeated
lie cenes of ruin which had marked the closing years OF
tbe revenue tariffs OF 1917 1888, and 1916.
srcb as II seems me, would have been the American
the taesmanke the honest presentation OF this great
opestop In its place told that profits are too
large that "boer plates and tenpenpy nails" are too
high and that the way lower them to make such
changes Legislation" always In the past nave
PRODUCED and must produce. the effect OF so dimn
ishing faith the future to stop further building OF
furnaces arrest increase Of supply as TO place
British iron masters again in tho position in which
they had stood in tho calamitous years by which the
rebellion had been preceded and to which, more than
any other cause the rebellion itself had been due.
g. COnquerOrs todrare waged IN the early years
OF the revenue tariff Of 1885, British ronmasers Us mas
been shown sold few years later at higher price
than they had been then content to accept Tor railroad
bars thereby tarin9 the country In two years alone
$4,000 OOOO not even SlO0OOOO What may be proper
here to ask the application Of the proceeds OF mar
taxatoni Were they applied to add to the value OF
our land our labor, the produce Of our farnsI were
they SO applied to add to our public revenuet Diu
they not on the contrary to adding 10 the Vauo Vi
lands furnaces houses owned by men OF whom "o "ro
now claiming that they shall render satisfaction Tor out
That they did 60 you know as well as l.
Conquered in the strife our producers Of iron had,
I'm the unhappy closing years OF that tariff been nearly
ruined Protection having been largely increased tho
general power OF consumption they are found thence 10
profit in common with the farmer the miner the laDore
the tradesman and the owner Of houses and oa IN our
towns and cities. What, however. becomes OF their
prohts Do they 80 abroad to spend in Paris and IN Lon
don the contributions Of tenants left at homer DO mey
contribute to the resources of people and OF governments
that had gladly hailed the Rebellion percurfor OF final
dissolution Of the Unonf DO they not, on tho contrary,
exnepd their profits In enlargement OF their operations
thereby adding millions upon millions to the value OF
mineral lands that much abound in nearly every quar-
ter of the Union Do they not thus make large additions
TO the demand for human labori DO henot thus con-
tribute largely to promotion Of immigraonf DO they not
thus SO add the demand for farm products as greatly
to promote improvement Of cultiyatoni DO thty NOT
thus greatly aid in enabling oil 10 purchase moro freely
Of tea coffee sugar. and thus TO contribute more largely
to the public revenuei DO they not in all these ways
contribute toward the growth OF DOlh nuNuu anu ~
hticRl independence
Answering these questions, as You certainly must In
the affirmative how you to account for the total sup
preston facts and ideas Important Were you not
as Commissioner Of the Public Revenue, bouno 10 p8oc
the British and American taraO and their effects SIDE
by side thereby enabling constituents 10 SEQ LOT
themselves that whereas the whole proceeds Oh the Tor
mer had been so applied to promote the perpotuauon
OF American dependence those Of the latter had gone ana
must continue to co. in the direction OF promoting the
growth Of American wealth and Independence! Why has
this not been donei Why is 1t that your report mas
throughout been made entirely in the Interest OF men
who as you know, are flooding the country with
money to be used In promoting such deception OF our
people as shall enable them reaqure the power that
had been secured the free trade prior to the Re-
belion and then applied almost to have maze OF
that Rebellion a revolutions To this important question
now invite your serious attention.
The general answer to your suggestionsfs asitseems
10 me- TO be found the simple fact that he porer 10 con-
sumo iron is alrays greatest when The price is highest and
al,cdys smallest tohen the price iotces Seeking evidence
Of this you will do well 70 compare the prices and con-
sumption of the protective year 1888, and the revenue
tariff ono Of lei2 Of this latter with the protective year
OF Sl7 Of this again with the free trade yearls'O OF th
in Its turn with the great California year 1854 OF 1854
with the latter years Of free trade period which closed
in 1867 and finally Of the latter with those OF the
present hour when consumption is advancing despite OF
prices rapidly TO have excited in your MIND Tears
that with all our efforts, production cannot DO made 10
meet IT,
The disease with which row, as you think, af-
niCted. Ia thus precisely A4-L
we had been troubled in the closing years OF the potec
tive tariff Of Such being the allow me TO sug
gest the remedy then adopted might now provo as
effective as then found be. Let have again
strictly tariff let us have iron admitted at low
ratio OF duty stop the building offurnaces let the
Government in this give aid in Its power
to British iron masters and the day will then be near al
hand when the disease will have changed It's character
supply then going far ahead Of demand that the latter
will then as was the case in 1851 be reduced far below
| the point'at which 1t had stood years before
The road, and the only road TO freedom OF external
commerce leads through protection The more thorough
that protection the larger will be the public and private
revenues and the rapid the advance toward ndas
trial and political independence
Leaving you now to reflect on this suggestion, pre-
pose TO proceed to an examination OF the Lumber Tes
ton Yours respectfully, HENRY o. SAkEr.
| The Hon. ID. A. Wells.
Philadelphia, Feb o. 1869.