New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-05

their minds without hearing the testimony
against the claimant; now they have heard
part of it, and want to give their verdict and
20 home about their business. The natural
inference is that the jury have formed opln-
ions which the testimony for those who resist
the claimant is not needed to fortify.
-------
SILK.
The sill-wOrm is indigenous to China and
Japan, where it doubtless fed and spun Tor
ages, unhelped and uncared for by man,
though his protection and supervision OF Its
breeding and its industry is known to be Mt
least four thousand years old. Europe long
knew no other silken fabrics than those OF the
far East; though the long and difficult route over
which they were transported by land, MADE thclr
cost many times what it need or would have
been had they been produced this side
of the Euphrates. At length, the production
of Silk was transferred to Europe some four
teen centuries SINCE and, from feeble begin
nings it slowly, ftfuly grew, until 1t out
ranks in excellence, and we presume IN I'M
portance also, its older but rudcr Asiatc
rival
Though China and Japan have been
Italy. nine-tenths if not nineteen-twentieths
of the Silks imported into this country are
woven in the looms of Europe, mostly those
of France and England.
Feeble and ltful efforts TO naturalize the
production and manufacture of Silk IN THIS
country were made from an early day, and
this industry was rapidly gaining strength and
importance when our Revolutionary struggle
deranged and crushed it, Efforts to revive III
were made soon after our independence was
secured. but with limited success. Though sew
eral of our native mulberries offered the SILK
worm q satisfactory sustenance, the harsh,
capricious climate of our Northern States
is not well adapted to his requirements. Our
warm. bright Summer days are all we could
desire but a damp, chilly north-easter sickenS
and nearly kills him. The wild speculation Of
1884 in Df0rus Multicaulis and its disastrous
result made the very name of silk-worm hate
full to our duped, disguised people. Hence,
down to 1861 our annual product OF cocoons
ranged from few pounds to few hundreds
of bounds, while oup manufacture was mainly
restricted to Thread, Twist, and at times few
Ribbons and cheap Handkerchiefs.
The stern necessity of raising large Rev
cnue led to the imposition of high duties on
every form of manufactured silk in 1868
and those duties have since been rather in
creased than diminished. Raw Silk is admitted
free: while on most fabrics the duty is 60
per cent. on the value of the import
Under the stimulus of such duties, the growth
of our Silk manufacture has been rapid be-
yond precedent. We now make nearly every
silken fabric known to commerce-the best
of them barely exceeded in lustre by the
choicest products of French looms, while in
durability and every servceable quality our
American Silks are uneQualed.
Congress is now urged to reduce the duty
on Silks, under which this important industry
has 80 rapidly grown up-a duty which has
drawn to our shores some of the most in
genious and capable artists and wOrkmen of
Europe, who are here earning thrice the wages
and enjoying twice the comforts they could
command in their native lands. We
trust no reduction of duty will be made.
We are still buying excessively of Europe
and the duty on Silk contributes largely to
that Revenue which every ore seems intent on
destroying, but which value as atfording
the means of reducing the interest as well as
the principal of our National Debt. This duty
is rapidly creating a new and important home
industry, which promises signally to increase
our National wealth.
Instead of reducing the duty on Silken
Fabrics, Congress might wisely, we think, i'm
pose one of ten per cent. on Raw Silk. We
are beginning afresh the production of Raw
Silk, and under fairer auspices than ever be-
fore. California, Arizona, New-MexicO, and
southern Utah. are better adapted to this in
dustry than China herself. Their long, bright,
cloudless, rainless Summers, are just what
the silk-wOrm thrives and spins best in.
Every community has large proportion
of children, who can best be trained to
systematic industry in some light, easy, out
door work like gathering the leaves of the
mulberry and feeding them to the silk-worms.
Then there are enfeebled, decrepit old men and
women, to whom the production of Raw Silk
affords very agreeable employment. Any
community of ten thousand persons might add
100000 to the value of its annual product by
this industry, without subtracting a penny's
worth from its production of other ministrants
to human sustenance and comfort.
"
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