New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-04-28
ONONDAGA SAIL.

-ratifcdr when we seek dlscusslon anu 'n'i'
feel encouraged TO ask again small space III ''-'
columns ,
And first. we thank you very much for puDii ,ns
our letter to you of March is. True you u.."ye
49, weeks after We sent il to you, but we louiu
other means eff getting It before the pun. 5o,.v
therefore we did not suffer greatly by your u.lAy
~ olso von prefaced it with fresh S''"cA
three columns loaS but we End 0OnPenoa
Iion in your pleasant and gentleniAN go
of cornnosition. On tho whole, we ~
Zoo, inclined TO take your advice ana 'iVSo up 'ui
business. and we wish we could reis .S,
think better both of eur business anu =,
" - - oftan called NJ "swindIers' OF used
a., +.yrps of that import that we sup
,,ose Won must by this time pehe'e "n"' you say ~
ems useless therefore, so far AZ you sre concerheu
- nIoa5 ~ ebe indictment. Indeed We nave sach
o,n6danee in your Judgment that eur own impress
Sons as TO WHO and what we arc arc peooine soine
80. oontn-ed You viii therefore please to take
oaraI confession Of gait and we will content
on-seIves with urging some extenuating circum-
st.noas mon your compassionate consideration.
Yon say we are nonopolists land Of course swind-
ferA. fist because on the coast Of California there
IS an island Garment where salt can be shoreled up
free GRATIS" and you add that the tariff on salt
prevents this from being done. We confess
our guilt in respect to this island, but urge m
mitigation that heard Of ii before.
We moreover deferehtay suggest that inasmuch ss IL
ould cost us about $40 barrel produce and send
salt across the continent and nssTnuoh the article
Se had on this island FOX nothing, no reason why
che people Of California should net supply them
eeyes The duty would be precisely 80 cents and four
mills for each barrel Of go pounds The people would have
cheap salt and each person consuming il would have
Az addition the patriotic satisfaction ooontriDunG about
zen cents per annum Of Government.
Being are, culprits to this Island, make the
suggestion with df1dence
Your next charge against and you prove by letter
from Michigan salt producer, that we have competed
for the markets in the States lying the Great Lakes
and the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers BY selling at lsv
prices and have thereby caused loss to other satproduc
Sngnteress This is 20 very unusual fer Individuals and
companies engaged In the kind Of business that we
suppose it must Involve some great moral eePrayty.
Bat we Plead in extenustiOs Of guilt that in the
very markets where this competition has taken place our
prices have BEEN with great uniformity, Just shade
Better than those charged by rivals, II We have
competed with them thoy have competed with u.s. and
would be very hard 10 tel who has suffered most No
doubt we are all swndlers and pirates because did
not combine for protection against enc another.
Bat you make It still more ground of accusation
Chat do not any longer continue nis destructive COM
CDetoH, but have actually come to friendly under
eAnding with the Western satproducmg interests for
The purpose Of avoiding the mutual losses TO which you
refer. OF guilty Of this ofense also but
a. OF customers complain, VIC think you ought
be mercfu. We suggest moreover, that this count
Sn your indictment Is totally Inconsistent with the
other that you the prosecutor, ought TO elect upon
which you VIII stand You not pleased we COM
pete and reduce prices If mite and raise them
We wish We could conduct affairs TO your salts
faction.
We a.e greatly perplexed with doubt
whether we have Enned most In charging high
% sa1f In
sninds the latter oense the gravest for we are
accused by You OF furnishing cheap salt also In the
NewYork market and TO the fishermen Of New-Engand
very much to the prejudice Of the trade in the foreign
article We humby confess the fact that we have been
selling vas quantities Of salt in these markets at very
sow rates But is that have always tried
20 get better prices and could not We suppose We
ought 20 have kept salt at home rather we shond
not Ia We made ALL Such is msHestly your opinion,
and only plead that the trading ana business por
sion OF mankind have generally acted on a different
theory.
But here is your Indictment in regard to the Canada
market You say; again IN Canada where no duty Is
imposed on the import Of salt the Onondasa company
eel cheaper salt than they viii sell from their Own works
IN Syracuse and cheaper han foreign salt ear De 'nPorted
An attempt made to produce salt In Goderlch' Can
ada West but the Syracuse Company at once INVADED
Canada established agency, and sold salt at u CO.
thus dsposng of that infant industry Ih is perhaps
the worst OF all sins We have not only as you
chow been selling salt cheap all over the UhIeu oVas
Except in the territory Immediately around u.s. but we
have actually crossed the Great Lakes with home pro
uction and taken possession Of foreign market And
for ths oense you think ought TO receive condign
punishment 1t may be that your Judgment is slightly
influenced by your unconcealed reference OF foreign
over domestic interests.
But before your final sentence Is pronounced, we ask
your leave 10 state the facts There time when we
dtake the large market Of Upper Canada and we Kept
IN
waters of Goderieh discovered and developed So
far from our ~dsposins Of tia! infant industry" 1t
fectuay disposed Of by driving US ont Of that mar
ket We we're compelled to close our agency and We
now send no salt TO Canada The knowledge Of this fact
will be TO you the occasion Of pleasant thoughts and
emotions and viii, hope, engeRder more kindly iesE
1ngs toward US.
We confess the truth OF the charge that we have oen
aold salt in the country around our works AT mgner
ros than We have got at the more distant markets OF
the West the seaboard and Canada 1t is an exenuating
circumstance that small population near TO US nave
paid more the great populations at distance nave
paid less the few do not indct us for this onense
Why should you who profess IL speak for the many Inc
grievance Of which you complain is not that we sell at
home for too much but that sell away from Dome io
TOO little. For this reason, you wish TO crush us You
plead not for the people for foreign salt interests
We compete with them, you persist in saying with
our prices and therefore you denounee US ana de-
Dounoe the tariff which enables 70 do Again, 1t
may seem to you strange and anomalous that We should
sell the cheaper the further carry our salt But we
respectfully suggest that the laws of trade have some
thing TO & with this carry barrel OF salt loo
miles and find there other barrels of salt produced near
by and competing with low rates, we must sell for
what We can get or withdraw from the market. What
can do m distant from other salt interests
can do and have the right 10 do, In markets distant rom
them The law Of trade is the great