New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-06
AMERICAN VOOLENS

We stated recently as n fact which had just
come to our knowledge, that Boston com
mission house had sold TO a Canadian mercan-
tile firm five cases of American Woolens, to be
retailed in Canada in free competition with
the kindred products of British looms. We
presume there are many such instances, but
we spoke of that one of which we had proof.
The World thereupOn says
'Why this is precisely the swndle have shown up
THE salt pirates 20 and sell salt in Canada in competition
with England, while have TO pay them an addition OF
$50 per cent the wooden manufacturers, after
gorgng themselves with the spos o home, secured by
legislation, go 10 Canada and compete with Leeds
wooens We will all be glad 10 pay Canadian prices for
American wooens and American salt, and not grumble'
Commemorative stated expressly that the
WoOlens in question were sold ut precisely
the price at which similar goods are every
day sold to American merchants by the same
house. We will give names and price If de-
sired The World, in its blind hatred of Amer
lean manufactures, INDUCES in imputations
which it cannot know TO be true, and which
we know to he false.
We stated IN reply to \ Seneca Falls CORE
spondent, who asserted that American WoOlcns
are fifty per cent dearer than similar goods
MIR. ID. A. Wells, in his last Report as Special
Revenue Commissioner, had given tabular
exhibit of the prices of WOolens in this country
in 1859 and 1869 respectively, showing that
none of them were anything like fifty per
per cent. dcarer, while some important descrip-
tons were no dearer in currency than such
goods were i'll gold ten years before. Here
upon The World asks:
"Pray whathaye the prices 1859 to do with the prices
Of 1902
AnslDer-This question seems to rebukc Mr.. ID.
A. Wells rather than THE TRIBUNE. Mr.. Wells
evidently thought 1t important TO compare
the prices of Wooens just before we reverted
to the Protective policy with those now paid
under that policy. So he applied to Mr.. A. T.
Stewart for table showing the prices in 1860
INSTEAD of 1851 and those ruling in 1862 and
il was furnished That table showed that,
while Labor and Food had, under the stimulus
of War and an irredeemable Currency, adj
vanced in price some 40 to go per cent,
Woolens had not been enhanced even 20 per
cent. We had no part in bringing out these
facts. Mr.. Wells elected them, and embodied
them in his anti -PrOtectiye Report. We copied
them repeatedly, and called attention TO their
import; but The anti-Protective journals were
as shy of them as the enemy of souls ever was
of holy water. We could not coax one Free
Trade journal to give prominence to this
exhibit by their own prophet of the prices of
W0olens just before and since Protection.
The World proposes discussion concerning
the existing price of Blankets and the price at
which they might be sold if we had no Tariff.
We decline discussion limited to a single
item, and propose instead the following:
Let Messrs. A. T. Stewart, II. b. Claflin and
S. B. Chittenden make out a table of the
prices at which every description of American
Woolens are now selling, with the lowest
prices at which equally good fabrics, whether
American or foreign, were sold by them in
March, 196O-the last year of comparative
Free Trade. Let us have all the facts and
then consider what is their import and bearing.