, 1870-05-05
STEEL RAILS.

In 1864, Congress was asked to increase
the duty on foreign manufactures to COM
1eusate for the domestic taxes imposed
mon American manufactures under The In
ternal Reycnuo Law, i. e., to relieve manu-
factu1ers from the tax which ali other peo-
ple were compelled to pay: But it Was dis
f;nctIy stated by those who advocated this
increase, that it should b. removed When
ever the domestic tax was reduced That
internal tax waz removed IN 1867, but the
tariff of 1864 remains. II that time, st6eI
zailscay bars had not become an article OF
commerce in this country, and, though the
tariffs Of 1861, ca, '63 and '64 were framed
to include every Imaginable form OF aron
and steel manufacture, steel railway bars
were not mentioned and have, therefore,
been classified ns *' manufactures Of steel
not otherwise provided for, upon which the
existing tariff Is Is per cent dd ralorern-
These steel rails are Manufactured BY the
Bessemer, or pneumatic, process, and are
sold in England for $3.50 per ton. The
Committee of Ways and Means recon-
1nended that the duty be increased to
S44.s0 per ton, which is eqaal to 81 per
cent ad ralortm On TuesdnY. the House
voted. on motion of a1r. Bingham to make
the duty 436 per ton, or IS per cent ad ca
loren. On Wednesday, they voted to
mike il two cents per pound, or % per
cent ad rolorena-
= There is not man, woman, OF child in
the United States, who il not Interested IN
having the steel rail come into general use
IN a1l The railroads in the country. Tint
there NAV bs no mistste e to the eha1ac-
ter of this transaction, we repeat the cost OF
the rail, and its cost per ton with the sew
eral rates Of taxntion added:
Original coss OF the kteel railway bars, $3.50 per
Cos, with present tax added. <!a10 per ton.
CoN, With Blnghams Tx added, ss4Sd PEI toa.
Cost. with TAX proposed By Committee o. Ways
and Means, End finally agreed npon' Ssso pe'
An these being exclusive Of cast Of Transports
ton. y.
There are 80, GOO miles of railsray IN tho
Uuited States completed, w1th IN aselaSo
of 1000 miles additional laid every year.
The life of an ordinary iron raA Is about
s.ven vears. That OF steel ral has not
been ACCURATELY determined. but it is Known
to be from s;x to twelve times greater. As
the present rails are destroyed they must be
reniaced with the steel bur. It viii require
an average OF 100 tons per mile OF track, o.
5000, 600 tons of steel railway bars, to- 70
Law ali these roads. The cost Of this con.
sruction, repair, and improvement viii be
borne by the productions moved upon these
RAILWAYS. Consequently, every dollar OF tar
levied upon steel rails is an additional ta1
imposed upon transportation, and
has to be deducted from the
grain and other domestic produce OF the
country. Every dollar OF this ta1 eonhs'
Gates the farmers wheat n the place Of it,
p1oduction. not for purposes OF revenue,
I,ut to be paid rs bouutyto three 1ndivld'
nails. Three men, one of them in Detroit,
one Of them in Troy, New York, and the
other n member of Congress from Pennsyl-
yania, have become the sole owners
rsnustees.- they cau ttemselves,) OF the
richt to manufacture Bessemer nails in tha
United States. The question before Coz
o,ess, therefore, is, whether the people OF
the United States shall be allowed to pur-
chase these rails at $3.50 per ton, OF be
compelled to pay A1essrs. Morrel,
Gasgold ard Ward SOLO per ton,
as the law now stands, or $3.50,
as proposed b5 the Bingham amendment,
or 5000 as proposed by the Committee of
Tays and Means and agreed to by the
House? It is not a question Of taxlng rail
way companies for the benefit Of this
monopoly, hut it is question whether Con
eress will vote m authority to these three
men to collect this tax from the people
who ride on railways or send freight over
them. The duty, as it. now stands of Is
per cent od rdloren on the rails necessary,
during the next ten years, to relay existing
trucks, will amount to 31o5, 900, 600. The
lax. as proposed by the Bingham amend
ment, will amount to S1so, 00o, 600. and, as
proposed by tho Committee Of Ways and
Means, Seaa, 0oo, 600.
The giant proportions Of this monopoly
are, Of course, increased by the active CO
operation Of various railroad officers, who
viii shase in the immense profits. 1t Il
important 10 know whether Congress has
the strength to resist this demand. Ths
dec1nding effects of protective Legislation
were uayor moro fo1cibly shown than in ths
fact that, upon an issue SO plain and 81
clearly presented, whether the transpo1ta
t;ou Of tho eesut1y should be taxed ore
5000 ooo, GOO for tho profit of fow person,
tie House had not the moral courage
project the people of the country by throw
ing the job out of the bill
But, for eli this, we advise Messra No
ren, G1iswo!d and Ward not to be too s1'
of their footing. It happens thnt no Co,
gress can impose tax which another Coz
gress cannot repeal
When Mr.. Lewis WAS Commissioner I
internal Revenue he -mnde a dscision th