Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1870-04-23

interest in Tie glory and prosperity of the
nation that here, where every man may |
stand erect in the honest pride of American !
citizenship, and assert his right to refuce
to labor for penny less than he may
honestly believe he is justly entitled to
receive for his daily toll here, where fair
and liberal wages are fixed by contract TO
which both the employer and employed are
parties repeat, 1 would like gentlemen
to tell us how long our producers could !
stand the unequal contest, subject to such
a competition with the manufacturers of
Great Britain aRd Belgium, where labor
is not paid for or compensated, but is
purchased at such miserable rates as are
barely sufficient to furnish scanty supply
Of the most absolute necessities, and none
Of the comforts of life
A few of our furnaces, favorably located,
with their ore at their tunnel-head, with
their coal and limestone in convenient
proximity, and with rolling-mills to work
up their pig metal, within a short distance,
incuTriTig but little if any expense for the
transportation of the raw material, may
possibly struggle on, as they have strug-
gled before but large number would be
obliged to blow out, chilled by the cold
blast ofcongressional of neglect, while 40 new
furnaces would be erected the whole Of
our undeveloped mineral territory, rich
with deposits of the choicest ores, will &c
main untouched and thousands of men
who arc now earninga comfortable living
and are prosperous and happy will be
thrown out of employment or driven into
agricultural or other pursuits.
The value, Mr.. Chairman, Of the raw
material used in the manufacture of PIG
iron, before it is mined or touched by man,
is comparatively so tmall that Il would be
nearly correct to say that almost its whole
manufactured value represents labor, and
hence there is, perhaps, no other item in
the whole list of articles contained in this
bill upon which the price of labor has so
large and controlling an influence. The
expense of its production and the profits
resulting therefrom, whatever they may be,
are difided cGuitahly aud almost fully
among The different classes of skilled and
ordinary operatives, the capitalist, as a
! consequence of the strong domestic COM
/ petition receiving bat a small portion of
! the net profits as q compensation for his
investment, and consequently the protcc
ton of this industry is prceminently the
/ protection of American labor.
! am assured, by letters received within
a ttiF days from gentlemen of the highest
| rcspectability connected with one of the
Oldest and most extensive rolling-mils in
/ Pennsylvania, who are Turchasers and
consumers, not manufacturers ofpig metal,
''that the proposed reduction of 81 per ton
would be very disastrous to the iron inter-
est that they know that, even at present
.'es i Ss q te ny very shst % margins
and that Very many Of them would be
compelled to stop should this reduction be
! made.n
( In the early part Of the session a memo.
rtll was presented to this House, coming
from gentlemen of unqucstioned integrity
and OF the highest character. having charge
OF some of the principal furnaces in my
State; in which they contradict and, in
my Judgment, totally overthrow, the state
ments made by Special Commissioner
/ wells III relation to the average cost of
manufacturing pig iron in PENNSYLVANIA.
which have been so frequently quoted and
confidently, might almost say exclusively
relied rpon by goi.temen advocating re-
duction ofthe taritfup that article unon
this floor. They say
your nemo.ialists, representing thrty-eeven
furnaces IN the Lehigh, Schuylkil, and Susque-
hanna regions, rredneing annually in the agrre-
gate over @1O,OOO tons of pig iron, rcspcctfully
express their Belief, taSed rpon personal know !
ledge, that the above statement of Tho CSm,i..
sioner will be fornd upon critical examination |,
erroneous, and ifacccpted by Congress- most
dangerous guide 20 legislation. Upon the an
thority Of our Personal knowledge We beg leave
TO state that the average cost per ton at the fur
naces We represent, exclusive Of any interest on .
capital and the exrcnsts Of rlavi.g r-cauct f,-s,
the furnaces, in the year 1868 was $50 1917 and .
In the first six months of 1869, $?e 90 ; while we
believe the cot for +he last Six months will not
materially vary therefrom, these prices being the
average cost of the product, embracing the three
qualfirS oIiron, namely, Nos. !, ., and 8.
1--WE respectfully express the conviction that
thc foregoing average cost Of the product of the
furnaces We represent is below the average cost
o' Tie rroduc. of American furnaces collectively;
being our belief that We represent interests
""'"'s important economic advantages"
bnt from this testimony, which would
not be questioned for moment by any one
.''ms an Acquaintance With the gentlemen
Ifo'n whom IT comes, l turn for q moment
10 examine the evidence furnished us by
our adyersaries, and shall show, think to
lIe satisfaction ofany candid mind, that
li'esc figures So often relied upon by the
supporters of iree-trade viii, when proper
" examined, fully support the position we
laF'' Upon. the eighty first page Of his
last report Mr., Commi5aiolcr Wells, in the
llIst paragraph sitter that in which he says
4 IA "A tfsl a