Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-04-27
lcoANrSicArEDI
Does Tennessee Need Protective Tariff to
Develop her Iron Interests,


vocates Free Trade, ostensibly in the inter-
est of the people of Tennessee Processing
great desire for the advancement of all
home industries, and especially for the de-
velopment of the abundant beds of rich iron
ore In this State, he would, nevertheless,
have the Government strike off the present
duty on iron and put us in direct COMPETE
ton with the cheap labor and capital of
England.
Pig iron Is almost entirely the product of
labor. 1t is the converting by labor of beds
of ore, limestone, coal and standing timber
articles in themselves of no value-into
an article of Notwithstanding of
great value and universal necessity. If Eng
land can control labor at half the price that
it costs in Tennessee, she can produce iron
at half price. Saying nothing about the
disadvantages Of the want of skill, expert
enee and long established business, the
manufacturer in Tennessee must be able to
get his labor at the same price, or Protec-
tive Tariff must make up the difference in
order to successfully compete in market
with his iron.
One thing or the other is true, and we
would like TO have the editor of the Times
say which he tavors. 1t is for the best in
terests of Tennessee to have the current
price of iron so high as will induce capital
lists to engage in the busness-start the
furnaces now idle, develop new mines,
build new furnaces, and make the supply
of iron so abundant as to start rail mills,
until every rail used in the country shall
be from the product of our native, soil and
home ndustry-trusting to competition
and the ordinary laws of supply and de-
mand to settle what that price shall be; or
else it is, on the contrary, for her best in
terests TO so depress the price of iron-by
admitting the foreign article free of duty
as will not only prevent all attempts in new
enterprises, but also kill off those now en-
gagged in the business. If he favors the lat
ter, let him be consistent, and, like the
Knoxville Wig and other Free Trade
journals, openly denounce the iron manu-
facturers as a set of monopolists who seek
to oppress and swindle the people by sell
ing iron at $40 90 per ton that costs less
than $50 90 to make it. Go in for stopping
all our iron productions, unless the manu-
facturers will promise to sell as low as they
can be bought for I'M England,
The Times says: "Tast Tennessee does
not need Tariff for the benefit of iron
manufactures any more than for her corn
and bacon" This il a mistake, for the
reason that no importation of provisions
comes in competition with that which our
farmers send to market. But not so with
iron. Ifthe metal could all be marketed
at the nearest railroad station there might
be some plausibility in the statement But
iron must go abroad to find market. 1t
must enter into manufactures that go to
avery part of the country To contend
that the high freight from New York to
Tennessee is protection against foreign
importations is an absurdity. Iron, manu-
featured in Tennessee, Georgia and Ala
bama, has been largely shipped to the North
within the past year, at a much greater
cost for freight than foreign iron pays sent
to the same market. Iron cannot be sent
to some parts of Georgia from Tennessee
without paying more freight than it costs
the foreigner to the same point.
The fact that we are now using largely
of English rail ON our Southern roads, not
withstanding the eXtortionate duties"
proves the falsity of the assertion that we
do not need protection for iron more than
corn and bacon. England is prepared to
produce 5,0O0 900 tons of iron per annum.
Her manufacturers look to this country to
find market for large portion of this
iron, in various shape, and they will con-
tinue to ship and pay the duty rather than
stop business, even at little or no profit. If
the duty should be taken off, instead of at
once sinking the price $500 per ton in our
market, the effect would be to advance its
value in English markets, say, $500, while
lowering il in ours but S4.00 The United
States gets little or no benefit, England re-
alizes ALL for this reason That while the
price to the consumer may be S4.00 per ton
less, the Government has lost this amount
of duty. Then, as soon as the manufac-
turers in this country can be compelled to
suspend business and driven from the mar
ket, the price will be advanced a. nearly to
the Protective Tariff rate as il is possible |
for the English manufacturers to hold it, |
To fulfill our destiny as a great and indie |
pendent nation, we must rely upon our
own resources. We ought to be ashamed !
q. "a. 4 4