The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1870-01-21

the prov, entering China port, the
natives all crowding round the ship il
mute wonder at Tire benignant head
pointing at it as the representative, the
defender of their rights in the great
republic. These Chinese, might even,
seeing your benevolent face as repre-
sented in the figure-head, have chang
cd their long standing, insulting cry
of Iang-hey against all white men; this
is now lost, thanks to the iron monop-
olies of this country. There is not the
remotest chance of any iron ships that
/ can buy here being named after You.
But let me give you little informa-
ton which ] am sure you will appre-
ciate.
"Sahib, said / tb the treasurer,
''tell me, can Americans build iron
vessels equally as strong and durable
rs the Scotch r.
Sir" said the sahib, American
iron is unquestionably superior to
English in strength, toughness, and
liability 10 oxidation Plates of Brit
ish ship iron, obtained from wrecks, IN
repairs of British hulls on our coast,
have been found SO far inferior tc
American ship plates, that il can be
demonstrated that there would be
greater strength III one-sixtecnth less
thickness of American plating.
In that case, said you would
not use foreign iron for your iron
ships?"
Decidedly and emphatically, Nor
said the sahib: "one-sixteenth less iron
gives us at once an advantage of 6 pei
cent. in that material.
"In that case, said I, 'how does
the tariff on iron iniure you so much 2
"You see" said the sahib, "shiT
plates have to be made from pig-iron
and pig-iron is taxed 50 per ton duty.
This, of course, raises the price oi
American-made iron. Thus, for III.
stance, when the duty ON pig-iron was
only ID per cent. in 1861, we bought
American-made pig-iron for 81 to So
gold. The equivalent gold price now
is from S3I TO So ton. This duty on
the crudest form Of iron, or, in other
words, tho enhanced price that the
American pig-iron is held for now, in.
creases the price of ship-plates cents
a pound currency. But il pig-iron
from abroad was only subject to n 81
dollar duty, we should have ship-piates
at least ] cents pound cheaper.
I'm that case, said /, the iron.
plate roller il not the gamer.
MOI said the sahib, "they are as
bad off rs We are. The iron-rollcrs
the iron foundrios. al the iron work.
ers ere badly OF. All hinges on tho
/ ig-iron."
''Still sahib." said I. there is, if
am not mistaken (for / have seen il
somewhere, J |, roo 900 tons Of pig-iron
consumed in this country annually
Surely that il immense.
'.Hnl" said the aahib. chow little
do you know, can you know of oni
country. If iron we're cheap, We would
consume double the amount. We are
forty millions OF people. We always
did use more iron than any other na.
ton. The nature Of our lands, of oui
great country, of our facilities demand
1t of as. Far from diminishing the
home production Of iron If there were
q duty of - ton, We should actual,
produce more iron here;" tho only diff
ference would be that the pig-iron mer
would earn less money.
''If could think, said the sahib
"that s3 duty @ould close up oui
pig-iron production, / should be the
last man to ask It, Mol / know the
iron industry would be on stronger
more solid basis, and would thrive
flourish and expand much more thar
it does now.
What amount is the price of {
thousand ton ship enhanced by thii
duty" said i?
"The weight of iron in an iror
ship of 1000 tons with her outfit
said the sahib, would be aboutI1 900
900 pounds. Two cents per pound
which is the enhanced price through
the duty, therefore makes differenc,
of$20, 900 currency"
.'You have also, - said "beside
this, to compete with foreign labor.
To this the sahib replied, and hi
i-eply / would particularly impress
upon your mind, o Greeley, sahib
He said:
although the labor of workmen i
noninally much higher in the Unite'
States than in England, it has beel
found that with the greater intelli
gence and industry of American work
men, and our ingenious application 0
labor-saving machinery, American la
Dor is notsomuch more costly as alon
to turn the scale of cost In favor c
Britain. Yours, ever admiring,
A. CUmosIBHoY.
Parsee Merchant of Bombay.