The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-11-10
AMERICAN INGENUITY.
Baltimore Sun.

The politicians and manufacturers who
persist that high tariff duties are necessary
for the ''protection" of American industry
and the American artizan, pay but very
poor compliment to the genius of our peo-
pie and their power of adjusting means to
ends in unusual circumstances. This great
power of promptly adapting Themselves
and their efforts to changed conditions,
which distinguish Americans above all
other people, has been strikingly exempli
fed in the past ten years, during which
our manufactures and industries, after
having been stimulated by every sort of
unhealthy excitement since 1861, have
lacked the market necessary relieve
them from being gtutted with 1nsold pro-
ducts. 10 this strai ght our workmen have
sought to get fair share in the worlds
markets, and, in spite of the obstacles in
the way, deficient transportation, high
interest and ineurarce, wGStefui processes,
and ignOrauce of the character aud quality
Of foreign demands, they are on the high
road to success.
Since 1870 the increase in manufactured
goods has been very marked, but the most
important feature of II, the extension of
the lines of goods exported and of the
| markets to which they are supplied, does
not come out so plainly on the face of the
| statistical returns. 1t is, of course, gener-
ally known that We have an unrivaled
| superiority in the character and abundance
| OF our raw DALcTlAle. OuT COLCOD nOIO6
| the looms and spindles of the world in
spite of all vicssitudes. Our iron has
greater tenacity than any other manufac-
| tured except that of Russia and Sweden.
Oar coal is cheaper and more abundant
than elsewhere, and in petroleum, copper,
lead, leather, wood for saving and for
turning, etc, we have unequalled natural
| supplies.
| We have only just begun to turn these
to account as factors in our competition
for the control of foreign markets, but
what we have already done has startled
Europe. For an instance of American
| ingenuity in this regard take the case of
the manufacture of beef for Great Britain.
That country cannot supply the quantity
| of beef necessary for her many mouths,
and the Tinderpests and murrains which
infest cattle brought from Eastern Europe
| have checked importations from those
regions. Hence beef rose in price in Lon
| don and became scarce, whereupon our
cattle dealers undertook to supply the new
| demand. They took well. grown steers
from the pastures of Texas, fed them some
months on cultivated grasses in Missouri,
fattened and tanned them on cheap Illinois
corn, and then, driving them to New York
or Baltimore, either butchered them and
shipped the carcass, or shipped them alive
for delivery in London and Liverpool,
cheaper than the British butchers could
afford to hang up their own meat. So
| with American cheese. Forty years ago
we exported 100000 pounds of American
cheese-now the expectation is l07 364 ,666
pounds, and we have driven both the
inferior and superior grades of English
cheese out of their own markets, our
dairymen being able to initiate the size
and appearance and surpRss the flavor of
the best Cheshires and double Gloucesters.
Our cheeses now go into Germany, aud
are preferred to the tough cheese there in
use, and it is said that old American chceses
are served to Americans on the Cunard
(steamers, and are eaten by them with
great relsh-for Stilton.
We have made 30 many improvements
in labor saving machinery that our manu-
factuTers are able to overcome the differ
ence in wages that used to hamper on
competition with "the pauper labor oi
Eorope." With improved tools and the
intelligence necessary to their use our
me chanics are said to be able to do double