New-York tribune., 1869-03-03
PROTECTION.
HENRY C. CAREY ON Mr.. wuLLSs REPORT

before described. we come now 10 tho DrN""n'
Of recent protective years 20 well e1hiote' -
In the passage OF your Report which here Is si'''
lows: -..rrf.. d. [.I. a.. r.i,,a
SEA- pbcf bas besn made the first time dnink ..
past year presents with results WIZ mni6n' coT
Tbus The ratio Of the gross earnings 10 the eos -
railroads OF the whole country lot VIC ye aiout %
- CEN, Ths railroads Of the country therefore d ais
cost In little more tsan aiT dGTr rgSTrsng with
t6e Increase OF the railway system ana u@'H0 -
country.
aTbe total amount Of tunnnge transported On an 'nS bS
roads OF the country for the year lod n ~ f rom
& We deduct 30OOOO for coal aud Stnel @ He Jeff
ersls and 10000 tuns FOR & in is5 agoinst
% sSsaI1si ne ga fn In i The rate IN this period
therefore, has been equal 70 & LC tnated value of $50
@ tie increase In the value Of the railway mereha-
8 ~ the country in 1C years has beon S6s'S 100000 OF
" rte ~ glO IgOO per aunuin. And II should also
be noted that One.half Of this total increase nSS ~
,isc mn The seven years that have closed since lS6O
Sod movement on the railways Of the United
stas which i'm the main represents increased product
also affords indication OF the pTogress oI ne % zen
priuop pal railway uos OF the West e1hiot II vac t' 10
len months o; 1865 with decrease rater thah an IN
grease of freight rates. gain Of eight per cent as COM
Iaret with earnings OF the corresponding ioI ZIG
and canals of ts state OF NewYork which are known 10
be accurate aud at the same time aeeessiDe "a az d bst
ure Of comparison, for the whole country we nlu tnat a.
tie total annual uunage Increased IRON IlJsl tun ~ 10
1883 to I6o33G In 1855 an increase on ~ !eL 6
he dlitd pGiHe 0f the h1qge hilt plooea 'ei e % 9st
O5l65c5. IN lS5S, to tl,72SSSOlO' ~ leo gum ~
p S examination of the railroad statistics Of the whole
rouufrv fOr the above period further hIlcStes IHat
ring tae yen s SsSIS ,e noyed on the railways OF the
United States has been at rate s1Ieef 'HeS gee' wan
ne rah0 Of ne increase Of population
The railroad corpse Of ls66the Lasar OF Its day.
mass OF offensive soreshas thus, as we see' been not
only galvanized luto life but has been endowed with
life so vigorous as tO DO generating children at
rate soraIid, that. we learn from you
"siuee and ncluug the year 1865 the year OF tae tSr
been constructed in the United States, and tho prest
ratio II increase more than double the average VI I
road history prior 20 1850, viz; ll66 miles -
"On the other hand," as you continue, the avereEe
annual increase OF railroads n Great Braln ron lo ~
I5 was only miles, and IN France during the same
period 500 miles "
The change thus presented ia the most marvellous OF
any elsewhere presented in the annals OF the world TO
what IL may now be asked must these marvels be at
trbuted To any increase in the quantity OF our exports
Of those raw products with which, aud at constantly
diminishing prices whether measured in gold lead, cop
per- or iron We before tho war had been accusOed 10
deuge the little and contemplate market OF LYerpooli
Certainly not, that having on the contrary nneh alnlh
ised Where else. then shall the oause be sOuRhtt for
answer to this question let me- you please, again pre-
sent another passage from your report being almost tue
only one ~ far as recoeot for the entire accuracy OF
which should he disposed to make myself responsible
before the world. 40 follows:
Withn the last nve years more cotton Spinses have
put operation more IRON furnaces srectSo nOro @
coal aud copper mined more lumber sawed ana theTh
81 fieTept kinds started and more petroleum collected
rennrd aud exported, than during any equal peVl IN
tho history OF the country and this increase has been
greater both rs regards quality and quantity and greater
inau the legitimate increase TO be expected from the hO
nal increase Of wealth and p0puiau0n'"
Compare this pray you with the facts. that ne Thos
tpece Years Of that British free trade period TO which we
stand indebted for the OF the great rebellion
had an increase of cotton consumption OF less
than 600 bales per annum that the iron production OF
the closing years Of that unhappy period gave an aver
age scarcely II ALL exceeding that OF lsl7S that the
iron consumption for purposes OF prodacton IN thOSe
years had been actually less in quantity than In the cor
responding years Of It's protective predecessors that
population had in the time increased nearly forty
per cent that the demand for labor had much dmin-
Ished that streets were thrOnged with
man who begged because not permitted to labor
that Immigration had, as necessary eonse
quence, almost died awayi that in those year.
of profound peace because Of the inability Of our people
TO purchase sugar Coffee ea cloth. iron, and other com
moditles the treasury had been obliged totally to ex
haust its credit by borrowing no less than NOoOOOOO
that the export Of gold in those closing years ha
amounted to less than $lso.OOoOoO; compare, say
these results of policy looking to the building up Of
little foreign on the ruins OF domestic on
that should before that time have become the grandes
the most magnificent the world had ever known and III
have little difficulty in understanding why it lad bee
that at the close Of that dreay period the great raroa
interest OF the country should have been
the state Of utter ruin presented TO view in tn
closing extract given in my last ...
g. Such having been. and such being the real fact
you might ms IL seems mo- with great proprety hay
placed before the railroad and railroad makers
the country that remarkable parliamentary documeI
an extract from which was given in former letter, e.
bibing the immense losses" incurred by British ire
masters in order 10 destroy foreign competition. al
to gain and keep possession Of foreign markets. fooV
ing up by comments such as those that follow, to wit
The wealthy British Capitalists" my feliowcitizen
who are thus engaged in taxing" the world for maint
nance Of great monopoly have their agents eyerywher
and always prepared for combination with every little pl
vate or local interest for the removal Of fanced gre
Ances OF which they nOg Themselves to be The cause VIII
ntey DESIRE as they full well. is that food may
cheap aud iron high in price, What you have reason
desire and what by means Of prOtectie
our farmers are seeking TO obtain, is, tni
these latter may be enabled to obtal
more spades and plows, and better means Of tran
portatiOn IN exchange for less and less Of food Whe
however the farmer complains OF tho price Of corn,
fnds the agent close at haud, ,Mephstophileshke,
whisper IN hs that but for protection, spades an
plows would be cheaper, while food would command
higher price, When the railroad manager needs iron
points the low price which foreign rails may be pur
chased wholly omittng 20 call his attention to the fact
that British prices dite0ys Oo Whes American peOpl
bttid Furnaces, and t0hsH AmerieGn rGaroad eompanie
make good di1dsdS; aud Arrays high t5he American
furnaces hare been boed o Of eSstence When their
ers haoe been made bankrupt and hen American railroa
stocks ofe poyh Ia proof OF this, now give yoI
the following facts In reference this important subject
as they present themselves In the several Reports
Commerce aud Navigation 20 wit:
AT the OF the protective period. Is2s33that on'
IN which for the first time iron manufacture mado
grea orward movement and therefore the most prosper
ous the country had knOwnthe price at which