The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-04-30
THE TARIFF.

l.
ment pro forma in order to get the opper-
tunity to make some remarks. Gentlemen
complain that while lion has hal the pro-
lection Of tariff for many years that the
domestic producers are not yet able to un-
dersell their foreign competitors. They
infer from this that the claim set up that
home competition will ultimately reduce
the price of the manufacture is not well
founded. Such complaints have not prop
erly considered how much preparation and
how large expenditures are needed before
this or any other great manufacture can
be successfully started. Iron ore and coal
are not usually found in the same locality,
and neither in the neighborhood of great
central market. These treasures are usu-
ally deposited in the mountains aud waste
places Of the earth. They must first be
connected with each other aud then with
some great market by railroads or canals
This single interest, solitary aud alone, can
not afford to construct great public high
ways. You must wait until other enter
prSes and other local interests can be com
bined with it before these expensive works
can be begun, to say nothing of the time
required in their construction. 1t is true
single season anG a small amount
of capital will suffice for the furnace, but
many years must elapse and millions be ex-
pended before anything at all can be under
taken iu the manufacture itself. My own
district furnishes au apt illustration Of this
explanation.
Within hundred miles from the south
ern shore Of Lake Eric are large deposites
of bituminous coal, of excellent quality and
exhaustiess 10 amount. Within less dis
tancc from the shore of Lake Superior are
deposits Of iron ore, yielding 66 per cent
Of pure iron, and as exhaustlcss as the coal.
This coal and ore are row brought together
along the shores of the lakes. Many fur
naces have been built, the first one at Erie,
only last year They ale just beginning
to throw their manufactures upon the mar
ket, and thus cheaper it by the additional
supply. Why did they not develop this
trade twenty years ago under the tariff OF
1872 Because it then cost too much il
Transportation to bring the ore and coal to-
gether, as well as 10 take the product to
market. Expensive lines Of railway had
TO be constructed from the coal to Lake
Erie and from the iron ore to Lake Supe-
riOr Larbors had to be made or improved
q ship-canal must be constructed around
the rapids of St. Marie, and the St. Clair
fats had to be scoopeG out. Such great
enterprise must needs have time. But at
last, after many years Of effort, of partial
failures and partial success, the work is in
a measure completed. The coal and iron
have been brought together, and both con-
connected with the centers of the iron trade
Development and enlargement is now left
TO be done. The erection OF furnaces and
rolIing-mills, the construction of lateral
roads to unopened beds of ore and new
fields of coal, and the enlargement of ship
ping on the lakes is the work now in hahd
But it is said you have been very slow
about this. That is true aud why Cap
ital is cautious, and every year you threat
it with new rate OF duty. 1t enters into
these enterprises thus tardily because it
breads the uncertainties Of politics. |
asked an enterprising capitalist oft the Dem,
ocratic party why he did not build a rolling
mill. "Because," said he, "if We elect
Seymour 1 may have to carry transpa-
ren cy in a Democratic procession, Inscribed
"Down with monopoly" That would not
be pleasant if / owned the monopoly En-
terprise, capital, and labor have always
been in doubt as to what the politicians
would do. Hence they move very slowly,
hesitate and stop They do not know what
day they may be crushed by half line of
tariff, put through Congress under the cry
of "Down with monopoly" This cry means
down with home competition and up with
foreign monopoly. lfyou want the Iron
interest to prosper and the country to pros
per with it let the tariff alone. The up
and down policy is the worst Of all pclicies.
Better to be either "up" or "down" than
to be both by turns. Business needs
certainty, uniformity, steadiness. Then en-
terprise, labor, and capital can tell in what
field of effort they may oe most proftably
employed. If you decide upon the low
tariff policy, and thus give to the foreign