New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-16

Maintenance OF 600 miles OF second tracK. oo'OVV
Total. g0OOO
Giving an annual average Of 22sSSS for railroad pur
poses alone'
In the first OF these the tunnage Of our navigation
somewhat exceeded 100000 In the second 1t about as
much exceeded 100000 the ooto exceeding that OF the
by about 10000 OF the increase in the quantity OF
canal boats, barges, &C., &C., have no record but
probably counted by hundreds of thousands OF tuns
For all this work. for the ereess substitution
Of new for DID, whether by the building OF new ooas anu
ships OF repair of old ones the quantity Of iron required
must have been fully double that OF the first PERIOD and
may very moderately set down at $4,000 tuns per an
num- by adding which the $4,000 required Tor rali
road purposes we obtain Joint consumption ior uu
p0rtaton Of 353 600 tuns Deducting this now from
total consumption Of uns, we have remaining 1or
"tenpenny nails boilers and other machinery OF pro
dUeon 747OOO being eevc per cent less than In the lot
PERIOD population having meantime become almost
oryper cent greater How all this is to be made 10 accoru
with the assurance given by you to the naton Iha o
matter what had the character OF the iegsaon'
whether the tariff high or low, whether inc cohuo
of the country was OF peace tho increase OF
the production had been at the average rate OF ABOUT
eight per cent per annum than double the rao
OF the increase Of population" tits for you TO SHOW
q OF all the tests of advancing recedng civilization
there Is mona 40 perfect as which presents Itself In
the growing or declining consumption OF iron. sach
being the case an increase of 200 per cent in The popular
consumption in the short period from 1912 10 1885, woua
seem to furnish explanation OF tho rapid advance In tha'
prosperous period toward peace and harmony; the
diminished popular consumption Of the revenue tariff
period which closed In S6O in its turn we'll accounting
for that growing dscord which led at length to rebel
ou the cost OF which in lives counts by hundreds OF
thousands, and in property by thousands OF millions
the Legislation" Of 1912 been maintained through
out the twenty years that followed should have had
no civil war; and total production Of iron would this
dov, - hat ~ Rrft
the facts thus presented it perhaps be well that
you read once again the following passage from your
Report:
"AsrespeCts the relation Of legislation by the National
Government 10 the results under consideration we e1
cept the adoption Of liberal policy in the disposition OF
the public lands is difficult at least for the period
is positive unless in conformity with the maxim, that
that government best which governs east absence OF
Hesitation is to De REGARDED IN Iae s sn Ul o
California results certainly neither foreseen
review OF all the facts cannot fail to suggest doubt
whether the evils which have resulted from instability
have not far than counerbaanced any advantage
that may have proceeded from the experience OF nuctu
atiDg policy"
What is 1t that may be positively affirmed In reference
to that eiaon Of policy which struck down the great
iron manufacture at the moment at which 1t had
Just beguno exhibit its power for good. would seem to
be this that in the British monopoly period which there
after followed we added somewhat less than forty per
cent to population serenity to our machinery for
water transportation; and pe hundred to that required
for transportation by land meantime materially dfn-
isno the quantity OF iron applied to works OF produo
tion When you shall have carefully studied all this,
you may perhaps find yourself enabled 10 account for
the facts that In the closing year Of the free trade
period railroad property which had cost more than
could not have been sold for s35OOO that
ships had become ruinous to nearly all their owners;
that factories furnaces mills mines, and workshops had
everywhere been deserted that hundreds of thousands
Of working men had been everywhere seeking and
yainly seeking TO sell their labor that immigration had
heavily declined that paupersm had existed to an ex
tent wholly unknown since the great free trade crisis OF
1872 that bankruptcies had become general throughout
the Union that power TO contribute to the public rev.
enue had greatly diminished and finally, that the slave
power had felt itself TO have become 30 greatly
strengthened warrant it in entering the great
Rebellion.
L. The movement since 1860 under protection Is pre-
sented following diagram, side by side with that OF
the latter years of the tariff by which the former
had preceded the heavy line before represent
ing the comparative figures given by yourself: