New-York tribune., 1870-04-29

the price or cost of Blankets to our consumers
has been enhanced in proportion. Free-Trade
essays and harangucs continually assume this
as inevitable. We have labored to dissipate
this delusion, and not without success, as the
above extract proves.
III. II is not THE TRIBUNE's "theOry" that
high duties on an imported fabric insure hlsh
prices for its domestic rival. Ihat Is 'hc
"theory" of our opponents-ours Is quite uh-
like it. What we seek for our manufacturers
il eularged markets and a steady demdnd-not
high prices. If ,re could be assured ready
market for all THE TRIBUNEs we could PRINT
, xe should be thankful, and would not wish 10
increase our prices. Il,
III. The TRIBUNE has made no "sta'emeh,
of the current prices of Woolens. III mas Ie-
peatedly copied the statement furhlsheu ny
our great Free-Trade merchant, A. L. stewart
TO Commissioner ID. A. Wells, and by the lat-
fer given in his last Annual Report on tne
Finances and Industry OF our country. we
have nrinted that Statement verbatim not
less than thrice, and given it the greatest pos
sible emphasis. We have also printed more
| complete statement" of the prices Oh
homemade Woolens, furnished us by Mr'
Fay, of one of the largest commission
houses in our City, and never lmpeacned nor
| questioned. SO far as we know. These state
" mentsn unite in demonstrating that Amer
lean Uoolens are cheaper in gold to-day under
! b;oh duties than the foreign fabrics tchich hey
hare largely supplanted were sold here under
| lo,c duties tea gears ago. And meantime IL Is
very certain that the wages of our own work
ers in factories have been increased, while the
manufacture and use of American WOOens
have been immensely expanded. Such are the
results of Protection, as demonstrated by the
&" statement" of A. T. Stewart and ID. A. wells.
". As to the present duties on Wool and
Woolens, they are such as were agreed upon
by representatives of the WoOl-growlng ana
Wool-manufacturing interests, enacted by Con-
gress in 1867, and we trust are to be upheld
We had no voice in making them, and did not
desire any. If experience has shown any
defect in their working, we hope 1t may be
remedied but We are sure they are based on
the right principle and are having an excellent
effect. We are growing more Wool and making
more Woolens than we should or could do in
the absence of this Tariff, or under any such
as The Bulletin and its promptcrs would sub
stitute for it.
" That some manufacturers have lost money
under this Tariff, is true. So have some
| WOOl-growers So have a good many others.
We have been working under an unstable but
generally appreciating Currency; and this inevi-
tably exposes manufacturers and merchants
to losses. Suppose. for illustration, that a
maker of Woolens bought 100000 worth of
stock when Gold was at a premium OF 40
per cent, worked up that stock into goods,
and sold those goods when the premium on
Gold had fallen to 10G13, who does not know
that he probably sold them at a loss ;! Mer-
chants have suffered from the same cause.
We have steadfastly insisted that the true
way to avoid such losses and put business on
a firm basis lay through an early return to
Specie Payments.
VI. Woolen manufacturers, like other folks,
are often selfish and short-sightcd. We can
not doubt, therefore, that some of them would
like to have the duties on Wool taken off and
those on WOOlens kept on; but we do not
| think that would be best for the country, nor
(in the long rum for themselves. If there be
one emanufacturer-even one-who would like to
have all duties removed from both Wool and
| Woolens, or to have both alike subjected to a
low Revenue duty (say 20 per cent? we do not
| know where to find him.
| VII The Bulletin asserts that "a very im-
"portant class of fine [WOolcnl goods" which
eve were beginning to make very sue
cessfully," we are prohibited " from max
ing by the present Tariff. We happen not to
| be acquainted with that class
1