New-York tribune., 1872-04-11
OUR STEEL INDUSTRY.
FORCIBLE REPLY TO MR.. ATKINSON'S
ASSERTIONS.

should at least be accurate L commend 'ulS och'A-
ment to your special observance in your future lucu
brations on Political Economy with the additional
suggestion that il would be well to be more exact in
your PROMISES or you must continue 10 impair
The force and correctness of your conclusions
From the frequency of your published opinions in
themagazines pamphlets and other publications OF
the day. il is obvious that You are ambitious to
establish for yourself some reputation as teacher
in Economic Science and especially on your favor
i,e hobby of Revenue Reform-a term of very doubt
ful and uncertain meaning. but which serves rs
convenient substitute for that other impractioabie
because impossible, theory familiarly known as FREQ
Trade 1t is not my purpose to enter upon the discus
zion OF your most contributions to The AdGRdc
NoRthlg directed against the industries of your
country in the interest Of foreign labor That duty
has been so skillfuily and ofectuauy performed by
Mr.. ID. Ii. Mason, in The Chicago Bureau Ill ms
scathng review If your article entitled Free Trade
-Reyenue Reform" in The AHaRijc Monthly Tor
October that il would be sn act of superluons cru
city 10 inAict further dissection of its sophistrles
after they had been subjected to the meroiiess scaip
OF this able ard acoomplsbet winter
What now propose, Sir, is to point out another
rroceedng Of yours. of such questionable propnety
that make TO apology for arIaisning you at the
lar NJ pphc opinion TO answer i0r an outrage upona
lrce ard respectable body Of ur feowctzens, whose
only ocnse il may tc in your estimation Is IN
the fact LAT within dozen years they have achleVeda
Great success in the manufacture OF what you gnoranty
call Raw steel in tho United States My charge
against you consists II this: That having been
invited by the Executive Council Of the National
Eoard Of Trade TO act as substitute for an absent
member in their interview VIZ. the Committee on Com
1nercc q the House of Representatives, in Washington
n few weeks ago. upon subject Of free ships in our
foreign commerce. you ayaicd yourself OF that oppor
tnpity TO vcYtiatc your opinions before the Con-
rcs Conn ee by cratuitous assault upon one OF the
most meiioiious industries of country IN the fol
l,wiu- words as reported by Gen Negey, member OF
tEc .'umaicc:
.,o.l.., ~fio-s huv their goods Of England and We
may as va so IL t0o andnot enrich SET OF mohOpolss
ara few men who live at the eNporse OF others ~
i the faCturc OF steel in tbs country tlan 10 lld-
Iose the dutts We now do OH that article"
In Your leterto TIE Pittsburgh Commercial, you as
sc,t that "Wfat you did say and what You do say Is
that would bc decidedly better and cheaper for the
country pension the little force OF labo ers engaged IN
tlo fact rrc Of Steel" &c.
Now ~ is simply 10 transfer tie insult from tho
manufacturers TO the a5orers-from the employers 10
tbe employees and think you should be obhsedto
Con Medley or lis version of your remarks, as the least
g nve aud likely 10 be correct, because his reco-
lection Is probably fortified by the report Of the clerk OF
TIC Committee at the mc while yours is subsequent
81 ~ Il your memory. In either case 1t was gross
perfncnce to injcct your opinions the steel trade
into subject with which it had no connection, thus
Che honorable DCoE, Oh WHOSE
were member by courtesy, responsible for an atroclous
seuii,ocuf not only devoid of truth, but exposing
a dccrce Of ignorance which wholly untitled you
10 speak m;eigcntly on the SUBJECT Inc Ma
tional Eoaid Of Trade conferred no authority
upon yOu or upon il Executive Council TO give forth
srch AZ utterancc their behalf On the contrary they
Iossoa The following amended resolution on the Tariff
far which, had been member as was the year be-
fJfc. thould have CEeerully Vol d, as you did:
.Rrso'rcG. That we earnestly recommend to Congress
fuci IcyiNcn % our tariff on imports as may nj 70
promote economy IN the expenditures Of the Govern
lo. TO chc, I0aOpoy and encourage heaitny CON
Icii'A - lie ana nann'+oSu ,, :, 10 saGs,o tT3
uuf Other ms. 10 diminish the growing anita soniTm
Ietwetn capital and labor and above al 10 protect IA
i've inars.sy. ~ chcapcnng the necessares ana CON-
ic O.. X - Inc G i1 tai reysion Of the Tariff
flc cc, Of oGuoOn il this country is proper subject
To- Co-.iieT1t'on. $500 wi, =, 49,, o,.o - .,,
Borrd Ia any revision o. the Torh, which Congress N
sdOia iy devise, stability should he an essential
T7,c resolution as amended, unanimously adopted;
and submit that your venOmOus attack upon the steel
faciuro you call it. when representing the National
Board ~ Trade before Committee of Congress, with
out any warrant rom that body and in opposition TO the
sr, Of tor declared opinions upon the Tariff question
In your Jealous advocacy of British steel for cOnsum
tion in this country. you sgmatze the American steel
makers monopolists This argument Is rather stale
and entirely destitute Of any foundation in fact for tie
reason there prevails continually among ourselves
Eyeiy competition in tie business which il alike open
70 yourself AID the rest Of mankind, and We wholly
unconscious OF enjoying any excusiyepriveges, except
such as capital always must and will command. You
sn-or the American steel trade as an infant manuiac
lre Wc IL only little twelve years since the
Oldest OF cur c1st steel establishments started. II is
a vigorous ci, however; for in that brief period
have succeeded in securing twothrds Of the American
uailc:. rs / shall presently demonstrate. Like
tie m.1nt Hercules, it has grapped successfully
with tie foreign serpent, which sought to onfold il its
imy coils anG TO stange il in its cradle while disn-
tercs,cd patriots like yourself looked approyngy at
the unnatural ste. Thanks 20 the wisdom and foster
INC care Congress- better cOunses than yours have
rrsyacc and the result is that we are now liberated
from .o an thralcOn in this particular and wholly in
depsnGe OF III the world for this most essential OF all
the materials national defense. use the figures OF
an eminent Southern statesman slightly paraphrased,
upon n Kindred subject in saying that the willy serpent
Of Free IraGeid oSt Revenue Reform-whch had crept
into EAcn has been touched by the spear Of ihure
Al mas received an immedicabIe wound; heebore can
cure it,
From the inposts statements Of Mr.. Edward Young,
the able Chief Clerk Of the Bureau OF Statistics, 1t
appea that there imported into the United States,
for the eal year ended June So 1871, OF all kinds OF
Steel except Bessemer and other steel rails and small
auapti,y in forms otherwise specified, weight not
reported just 9sO7 pounds; little less than 200O
tuus Til, steel was valued per foreign invoice and
entered for duty Custonhouses at $29O232O and
paid duty amounting to s14c2 or about Sos per cent
ad yalorem The very notable fact also appears from
Mr. Young's statistics, that 2G323ln pounds, or more
than nyeeighths OF the whole importation, was
passed through the American CustomhOuse at
an average cost Of ~ cents per pound. The
average prce Of the entire importation of Steel.
and on which the duties paid. was bat 9lo cents
pr pound-a ptice low TO excite surprise, If not
erounded suspicion OF undervaluaons, for the pur