The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-11
porous, and those industries which have

enjoyed the greatest measure of protection
are the most depressed. Silk, which has
its raw material free and 60 per cent. pro-
lection, is now petitioning congress to in
crease therates. Wool and woolens, which
in 1867 met by their representatives In
convention, and deliberately framed rates
varying from so to $50 per cent. which
rates, as expressed by their committees,
congress adopted without any altera-
ton, have suffered to such an extent
that it looks almost as if the
whole business Of wool manufacturing
in the United States was to be swept out
of existence, eight of the largest wooden
mills of the country having changed hands
since 1868 at less than SO per cent on the
dollar of their cost, the last sale of an ex-
tensive mill within SO miles Of New York
city in May, 1875, having realized but
$780,, 900 for 81, 100000 paid in. The pro-
duct of wool east of the Mississippi has
greatly decreased, while the price of the
fine Ohio and Pennsylvania woods is Is cts.
per pound less to-day than the average
market price paid from 1858 to 1860, under
tariff that admitted wool free of all i'm.
port duties.
Iron, paper, fax, and other great in.
dustries are in like, though, with the ex'
ception of iron, in not quite SO bad a con-
dition. Probably one half of the iron
furnaces of the country and one-quarter Of
the paper mills have suspended production.
In the manufacture of boots and shoes one
man will now, with the aid of machinery,
do as much work as three could in 1860
and yet boots and shoes are much higher
to-day in gold than they were in 1860. And
our export of them to other countries is
less than it was under low duties.
In New England, where protection has
been especially taught, many persons
trained to manufacturing pursuits are re-
duced almost to the point of starvation
In New York city petition has recently
been presented to the common council, by
which the Bricklayers' and Laborers' As.
ISOLATION, numbering some five thousand
members, asking for work, and averring
that their only alternative is the poor house
or the work house.
Our commerce has been swept from the
ocean and shows no sign of resuscitation
and our export Of cotton goods, Of which
you speak as an asserted indication of oul
industrial prosperity, is really an indicatior
to the contrary. For the export has be
come possible only through a reduction o.
cost, effected by reduction of the price
of labor, which the laborers have beer
compelled to assent to for the reason i
was that or starvation. 1t is in no sense
healthy or legitimate transaction, and as i
is, we are not exporting more than fourth
in value of what we were in 1860.
| The explanation of all this is just this
We have protected everything, with the
result OF increasing the cost of all domestic
productions. This has annexed US to oul
own markets and smothered us in oul
own grease; for, abundant as are oul
products, no one will buy of us if he car
elsewhere buy cheaper. All prices having
advanced, the different protected manu-.
features have acquired no special advan-
tages or protection. Advancing, for ex
ample. the cost of iron and copper as raw
materials has neutralized the protection or
the manufactures of iron and copper, anC
inability to sell at high prices has, in turn
arrested production. Starting with this
proposition, that we won't buy of foreign
nations, we have teen naturally unable tC
sell, for he who won't buy can't sell any
more than he who won't sell can't buy.
Finally, we have encouraged our people
to do improbable work. If the Italian
can bring marble to New Orleans for one
dollar per ton because he has got natural
water-course all the way, and it cost the
Vermont quarrymen ten dollars to carry
his marble to the same place because he
has got mountains to overcome in getting
there, we have set to work to fight anC
overcome nature by putting a duty OIL
Italian marble which represents the cos
Continued on third page.