, 1870-06-01

80 - r@<ssentinx IN % -erest Etsnehbees ebe es % a.
meatie industry: inns In the atticie ~
manufactured cottoD, The gold valQs of the
expcrt1tion' his declined from 31Q, 9A, 900 ia
1860 to q, as os in 1882 o. ne:natss.e. m e q
haa hseu reduced down TO 41, ST.. .676 in 1853 !;
while Of manufactures Of copper End bars the
reduction Of export in the same peno9 has
been from 81, ,6&4, ,122 10 s4A5,637. A table Of
detaiA is giren- He shows = = aE change n
our commercial relations With s ths sRantash
Canada, etc Mr.. Wells adds From 1857 to
1860 our exports Of domestic cottons increased
by Is per cont. At ratio OF increase of but
50 Per cent tbeJ should hare amounted in 1863
to over thirty millions, gold valua, instead Of
the comparatively small sun Of 81, 4l6, ,00o."
TIE FAH1B's QUESTION
thoroughly anslyzed. and Ar. Wells defends
himself from the charge Of unfairnesA Ii tax
ing wheat as standard OF ralue for agricnl-
tnIal products generally for the years 1859 and
~. ~: n, ne ftates that il al such discussions
wheat has been generally recognized a. coming
nearer than any other one article to being
universal standard; and. IN relation to this
country, 1t has always been, next to cotton
the great staple Of export and, therefore,
the article which did the most, next to cotton,
towards paying Tor CUR imports; nnd he de-
meGshes entirely, by facta and tables, the
claim Of the majority Of the committee, thst
If other articles had been taken As IN average
standard different result would have been
found; and be concluded Lis statistics By say
tual exports Of the year 1865 OF the leading
a1ticles-wheat, wheat -four, beef, pork. lard,
and butter-4t gold prices was 562, 781, ,S73
only, and the sAne articles, II exported in ls59,
would have yielded 876, Oh, ,925."
BEssEHEH STEEL
On this point Mr.. Wells absolutely annihil-
ates the maioritr report. He sars tho Bes-
semer process Was invented sixteen years ago.
It's great merit Is that it produces steel cheap
IT, It is, in England and in all Europa, Al
well rs in Anerics, M infant industry It has
been very rapidly successful, and the manufac-
turers Of this country have the advantage OF
having saved tho great expense and loss
always incident to an experiment in manufac-
ture. They waited until all that experience
had been gained by others. They started the
mills under what seems to the committee .
sufficiently protective duty for anything, viz:
Is Per cent. But the result Of the process has
rapidly proved to be what ita inventor claimed
for it, It has become possible to produce
steel rails at very small advance on the price
Of iron competition, not with American, bat
with English, French, Belgian, and Cor
man manufactures, has brought the price
down; steel rzi1s are cheap. The Bcssa-
ner process Is SUCCESS, and it is now
subject Of complaint that it is so. Tho
whole value Of the process is in making 1ails
cheap- The committee ask Congress to ad-
vance duty OF IS per cent to almost double
that amount, that rails may be dear, and so
that VIC may enjoy the inestimable advantage
Of using the Bessemer process without dor1Y-
ing from it its only beneft, cheapneas. Sta
t.etlca are shown exhibiting the importance to
the country Of cheap rails. An extract il per-
hnent IN this synopsis 'sThere were moved
On the railroads OF thia country, in 1859.
125, goo, 600 tonssof freight The dnrabilit7 OF
steel rails grea4ly reduces The cost of MOVING
this freight We cannot afford to throw awav
the advantage which tho cheapneas Of Besse-
Mer steel Offers to u.s."
Mr. Wells winds up his letter to the minority
with an article headed "Ta1er On sat Is.
Taxes on Tea, Sugar, and Coffee" 10 which be |
tho majority without gloves. The |
declaration Of the majority that 6ia "an1iety I
N regard to tho heavy tax which be ssss tie
'Alt tarl6 imposes On the people Is ludicrpus.n
.tc., IS made 70 recoil on their own hesds With
rushing force. and he closes his letter thus:
With an e1ptesaion OF thanks to the minor-
y OF the Committee on Manufactures for tIfa
prortunity th7s afforded to me to explain or
nswer the charges OF mistake, carelesmesa.
+ misrepresentation presented in tho report
the majority Of the same committee, re-
lain yours, most respectfully, l..
DAVID A. WELLS,
!nited States SEsoiaI Commissioner Internal
Esyenue."