Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-26
NASHVILLE. TENN. WEDNESDAY, MAY &c, 1876.

dividusls, who had taken an active part on
| opposite sides, it viii speedily yanish'
Capital and knowledge, from the Northern
States and elsewhere, viii find their way 10
the South; and railways, which. are now
laBguishing for want Of traffic, viii, b7
greater activity on their existing lines, be
able to afford increased accommodation
toward the development Of the districts
they serve.
aWages in the Southern States are still
low in comparison with those paid in Penn
sylvania, Ohio, etc, but the means of
making iron at the command of the former
will enable them TO compete in more than
equal terms for labor. While on this sub
iect may remark that, at the charcoal fur
naces, watched with much interest the
negroes, who had worked as slaves where
they are now engaged as free men. l was
by no means satisfied by my observations,
as we'll Is by frequent conversations, that
there is any impediment TO this race being
intrusted, so Far as IFS numbers will allow,
with the performance of the necessary du-
ties about an iron work"
MIR. Bell concludes his report with dis
cussion of the protective system, with the
policy Of which he takes issue. He con-
fines himself, however, to noting what, in
his mind, have been some Of the results Of
protective duties in our manufacture Of
iron. Il says:
"Admitting for amOment the expedieney
Of encouraging the introduction Of = new
manufacture, or even Of discOuraging ex-
ternal competition. by the levying Of import
duties, so as 10 place both on a position Of
cquality, is flle iron trade of The United
efna1 20 mail fNrllH fIiNnsa
mineral resources Of that country lare Of
unquestiOnable extent, but so are our own,
and they will remain 50 for centuries 10
come. With labor on anything like equal
terms, it is a physical impOssibility that
iron can be made more cheaply in the
United States than it can in England. For
this labor the ironmakeTs there
can and will bid with ourselves, but
they may pursue this course TO
their own disadvantage. l would ask
those who are disposed to deny the justice
of this statement, to reconcile the position
Of the irOnmaster there Of dozen years
ago, who carried ou-at all events a mode
rately successful trade, with pigs at not
much above half the price Of the present
day. Since that time the science Of iron
making has made considerable progress,
and, notwithstanding, the cost of prOduc-
tion has more than doubled, owing either
10 the immense increase in the price Of
labor or to these artificial barriers to COM
mercial progress to which allusiOn has al
ready been made.
$50 far, l am taking no account Of the
comparatively uudeveloped resources Of
Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, which
will, as | have already indicated, prove a
match for any part of the world in the pro-
ductiOn of cheap iron, and this brings me
to considering upon what principle pro-
tective duty on the importation of iron into
America has 10 be levied. Has it TO be III
amount sufficient to protect the puddler,
who received, in 1860, 12s Sd per ton for bis
work, or must il be raised so that he may
continue in receipt Of nearly three times
this price. Or, has il to be regulated by
the inability of the furnice-Owner to meet
competition with pig iron under
Is a ton, although be himself, dozen
years ago, could make it for 5Os,
there being nothing in the powers Of sup
ply Of coal or ore to account for the change
We are not, indeed, compelled, for the
purposes Of this argument, to compare the
present with former times, for there seems
every reason for believing that pig iron can
ROW be laid down i'm the Southern States
mentioned above, at little above One-half
the cost Of that made in the North. Has
the consumer in Alabama or Tennessee to
pay for his metal made at sos, Ej or tG a
ton, because the SmelteT, elsewhere, owing,
as | think, TO artificial reasons, cannot
afford to sell il without loss AZ a lower
price,