The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-06-06
FRIDAY EVEN'G. JUNE 6, 1878.
England Importing American Iron.


Had any person predicted five years ago
that within the next half decade the man
uiacturers of Northampton, or any
other important manufacturing locality in
England, would find it to their pecuniary
advantage to import iron from The United
States, in consequence of the exorbitant
rates charged by English manufacturers,
or, more probably, in consequence of the
greater cheapness Of the American product,
he would have been set down as first
class enthusiast in reference to our
speedy ascendency over England in the
greatest of all her domestic staples-that
Of iron. Nay, his enthusiasm would have
been regarded as species of lunacy bor-
dering on the super-insane, especially if
the additional fact were to have transpired
that the price of IRON in this country would
be, at the end of the half decade, a third
greater than at the time of the very absurd
prediction. And yet the fact has been tele-
graphed from London, within the past
week, that the manufacturers at Wolver-
hampton have been compelled to resort to
the American market for a cheaper supply
of, iron than could be procured at home.
This is most encouraging sign OF the
times, and would seem to be one of the
most conclusive answers to the advocates
of free trade, who have all along insisted
that the American duty on iron was the
chiefcause of the high price paid by our own
consumers, and that the only parties beae-
fitted by it were the iron producers, whose
profits were increased at the expense of
other and more numerous classes. But
notwithstanding the high prices of iron
in this country, said to have been
Unfortunately advanced by the tariff,
we are actually exporting iron to England,
and undersellng the British manufacture
rer, although there is no lack of demand
for the same product in this country. In
fact, the demand for iron in the United
States still greatly exceeds the actual sup
ply in the home product, and is likely to
to do so for several years to come. We
shall probably produce this year some.
thing over three hundred million tons of
iron, which is an increase of over two
millions in consequence of the duties laid
upon the foreign import. The imposition
of these duties has not only stimulated
this great Anglo.American industry, but
as the facts demonstrably show, has actu-
ally brought down the price that is, it
has so reduced the present market value of
iron, that we cannot only successfully
compete with the English producer in our
own markets, but can add the cost of
transportation and actually undersell him
In his own market.
What, we would ask, would be the pre-
sent condition of things in this country had
not our own iron industries been thus
stimulated by protective tariff? We
should have been at the mercy of the Eng
lish producer, and the price of iron to-day
would have been a third higher than we
can sell it, at q handsome profit, in Eng
land. Was there ever theory so COM
pletely pinned through by its own pointed
argument as that of free trade in respect to
American iron? We have shown our ca
pacity, Notwithstanding the higher prices
paid by us for labor, to successfully cope
with our greatest free-trade rival in the COM
modify ofiron, and what can be successfully
done in respect to this great staple, can be
accomplished with equal facility in respect
to other and less commanding products.
The fact is, the best class Of English labor
ers are coming to this country in conse-
quence Of higher wages, free schools and
cheap lands, and we are enabled not only
to bring the best Of skilled labor to this
department Of our material industry, but
enlist the highest inventive talent in the
work Of actually cheapening the product
below the additional cost of the skilled
labor employed.
We clip the very telegram upon which
these comments are made from the New
York World, of the 30th ultimo, and what
is not little remarkable that that powerful
free-trade organ should venture no reference
to this extraordinary bit of news by the
Atlantic cable. The time was when no
fact so pregnant with argument on the
subject of the American tariff could have
escaped that wary journal in its
vigilant inspection of the news vouchsafed
it by the combined lree-trade interests of
Great Britain. Had any one ventured so
improbable statement as that telegraphed
from London, at any time during the
last presidential campaign, The World
would have promptly snapped him up with
Is the self-eyident proposition" that so long
as the demand for iron was in excess
Of its productions inie this conn-
try, we must depend absolutely upon the
free-trade policy of England for the def
cheney in supply, without the power to
ship dollars worth Of the American,
product abroad. But even this statement
would have been no looser than many of
those put forward by the free-trade Jour-
nails Of the country, which are being dali
ly controVerted by the facts developed un-
der our system of protective duties.
Before The World shall again seek to
rally new party on the frec-trade issue,
itsshould rise and explain, either in person
or by its +" Parsee Merchant why it is
that fhic tariff dda, co,,y,trx, 10 ohla ~