, 1873-05-21

] ~
certain specially manufacturers, and can
bo very comfortably avoided by scnBiblo per-
aons. Certain gentlemen Of this stripe unlor-
took to avoid It tho other day ut st. Louis, and,
to thoir disgust, discovered TINT tho shntlea of
our strangfod industries, liko tho ghost OF
Danqpo, would not down at their bidding, but
persisted In obtruding thoir unwoloomo aud
Aorrid forms ut tho festivities In honor Of
visiting Congressman.
Tho people Of tho Wost domand cheaper traus-
portatfon for the products Of tho Mississippi
Valley, and the 6t. Louis people called q con-
vcntion to consider tho nlethods by which a
result % desirable could bo attained. They
chose Committee Of Arrangements, and it
proved that certain Fossils OF tho old Whig
variety, and sundry gontlou,en who havo tasto
| for lodging everything llko controversy became
members thereof. Wherefore they votod thnt
tho tariff was not queation pertinent to tho
subject, and should not be considered. That
| ghost hnving been ordered out Of sight, the Or
| rangomonts for tho performance went on uuob-
| Btruotod.
| But It WAS desirable to submit to tue Conyon-
tion resolutions md Bpenchcs setting forth Bomo
idoa OF existing OWLS and noeded remedies, mud,
by chance, it lappened tint there was chosen as
Chairman OF tho Committee to propose resol,,-
tions man Of practical aud scientific knowl-
edge, distinguished engineer, who haH not the
habit Of trying to put inconvonient facts out
Of the way by trying to be ignorant Of them. Tor
necessity, therefore, tho inquiry Of this gentlo-
null into tho ronl causos Of difficulty led him
straight to the tariff, and tho unhappy Commit
| toe Of Arrangements in due time VAS forced.
with dismay which VIC can roadly imagine, to
listen to- and to unanimously adopt, resolutions
declaring that the trade in ships should be FREQ,
that Legislation had somehow prevented that uHo
Of iron in ships and barges to which every other
civilized nation had rosortod, and that remedy
should bo sought. Had that distinguished cn-
-a1naor pushed Ills inquiries step farther, ho
| might have boon compelled to offer resolutions
somewhat as follows:
Resofued, That ~ railroad iron requires removal on
tho average once In thirteen yours whilo eyory mile
OF road built within tho last twelyo years haa been
compelled to use in truck and rolling stock iron III.
creased In cost by tho tariff from 40 per cent In 1861 to
40 pnr cent III 1872 the necessary cost of transporta
ton by all railroads now In thu United satcs has beon
thus greatly s~elled, and heavy burden imposed ut-
on nil producers and consumers.
ReSo{red, That the iron monoponsts rho soil tho
greaor part Of tho iron produced ut st. Louis for $40
sso pol on at tho same time actually shipping some
there ouoht tn bo can,,,o,ad 1. =, na4o
duties aud for competition to ae their iron at such
rates that the building Of iron bargoa on the MsaIssp
~ Hue ~ 'teno,e iof tno out"nta shipneht from
aud tho cost Of transportation by the river bo thus ma
tor1ally reduced.
a,tnshn1,nn and @ .,1 soS.saoa o1 tno American
tarin Which aB mover yet filc to 1niuro teso irtor
csts, has put tho commerce Of New Orleans wholly at
o en -, ono oa reduced tue impors
the number Of American vesua1a ontorn .hos" au
100 to 800, and siuco tho lack Of inwar-bound car
goes forces outward chrsoes often to pay larger
rendered TIM eonmcrco NJ Ne r,oaua Iun s, nss
any nateria relief of tho West by tho transportation
OF Its products. both for wan Of sufficient number
anc.1 cnats ~ sro;o,t "Aa " 1eoDon u Gu
Resolved, That no plan of river tmprovemcnt or m,
nn construction will provo ADEQUATE for the roliof of
o"uo,v tar,~ u,ta, anes "oss' enemy tue
p0rtAt1Qu, drives Our 8hiDDfnR from TIM anna nrd
checka our natural growth of e1ports shall have been
@ aaa ioroyee pus away INTO sne same charne-
barsm, ''' '''-> '@>" - 'AA'
Whether Cant. Eads would be inclined tn ac.
copt tho phrasooogy of tl,oso resolutions or mt
If lie is as c1oar-hoaded man n lis wor],a an mn
engineer show him to be- ho could not fail to
reach conclusions substantially in accord with
them.
In 1860, tic tonnage Of American shf,a nm.
ploycd in foreign trade was a.5a0, 297. and II,
1872 1t had fallen to 1,410.C4B tons. In 1sCo IT
was sl-thousandths Of d ton per capita In 1870,
only 30 In 1871, only SO, and in 1879. only 81
thousandths Of ton per capita. Never before,
sinco We achieved freedom on the soas by the
War OF 1872, has our tonnage been 80 small in
proportion to population. In 1916 1t was 1o1
ln 1920, G4; In 1880, 45; IN 1910, 60: and i'll