New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-22
sENpING OUT 10000 CARDS.
rAE pEorEcT0S or GGEAT MDUsrr1Es


LII To 1ad @eans su9Siea BY general Ganaeid Hoy
S1,eraI items both on the free list aud in the
second sect on meet cordial concurrence; but
the bill contains provisions winch, ia our judgment,
cannot bc defended on aay rational principle etnrf
ot protection lTr trade. Ia all our tarH ieslSIa
lion from tie foundation OF the boNefhin'ht,
whether based upon the doctrines OF Tree trade Oi
tariff for revenue alone, or Tor the protection 0l
American industry, one principle mas been main
taihcd with scarcely IN exception namely tnat
given dntv being placed upon the raw ln.ierial, q
higher duiy elould be placed ON all manufactured
articles into which said raw material enters anu
The further any article of manufacture IL al
yanced, the higher rate of duty 1t snail bear In
All free trade or revenue taTliis. where an al
yalorrm duty has prev dileG. tins prncIple II
rGdN preserved. For example. an al valofrm
dnty oi one rate on all manufactures of IRON Womb
levy a much higher tax upon a ton OF bariroh
than upon ton Of pIg-lron. ,
as if to exhibit 10y IN eNtreme example the
ahsnrdity of the pending biz. inc comm ttee nave
placed on the free list cast-iron butts and hinges
probably the most advanced form OF cast-iron
manufacture-and have mad no cbahge OF duly on
any other article of that group. OF course this
provision makes II impossible Tor an American
manufacturer to produce these articles. Asaln III
the wrOught-iIOn group the existing law provides
that haT-rOn shall pay duties from one cent 10 one
anG a half cents a pound. proporiCned 10 ITS ad-
vancemeut in manufacture Bdt the blIi OF the
committee places cut nails and spikes upon the free
list and leaves the duty unchanged on all tue
cru Ter forms through which wrought-lron passes
pref 5ratory to the Manufacture Oh mains anu
I'm the rroup of" Steel manufactures We note the
f9qY E al RE d ntT Of h Ian mcr scSgds saws
files o blanks. ra>ps and u"3is. needles, ana CUT
irry except peAknl' IS. JachkhlVts' ahu 20, NJ,
knivcsl L. reduced TO- - per cent al valoIeln
while the dutv on steel from which these articles
are manufactured Is allowed to remain a. III inc
existing law. at a considerably higher rate. Inc
~ 'ct OF this provision can be best illustrated ~
sir gle example: Until about eight years ago MES
rouid he mad" onl, Us hand. ana were consequently
among the most expensive articles OF steel manu-,
facturr: hut American skill has M last succeeded
i'm producng machinery for the successful pIoduc-
lion OF these articles. Nunrrous mauhla, tories
nave been established which have n rated 10 tins
country MANY skilled fe-makcrs from ahro; l. as
4 result. tnr cost of files 10 American CONSUMES
las been forced down 10 point far lower than ever
before known ia ms country. FROM 'ir hI1t' our
people nave coltended against the surplus proGuct
If England. where the manufacturer enjoys the
double advantages OF cheap labor ana cheap
material.
The American manrfacturer pays duty of :
,ents pcr Mound on the steel from which nine
tenths OF the lilies are made and II cents per
pound upon that hch encr~ INTO the best class oil
yools. he is however. enabled To competr sue
.uli with ms foreign UNal, under the existing
law which ieyies dqlS cqulN ai'ht To ABOUT - iI
cert al Nulort m on he huishcd product Inc hilI
Of the committee Will compel him t. Pay an average
of IS per cent nd valorem on see. while II reduces
che duty o. ms finished product to - per cent al
valOrcn. thus again making htaFF DISCRIMINATION
against our own people.
The same incongruity appears in that prov sion
of tn bill which reduces 10 . per cent al 'alorcm
the duty upon "ploughs. haTows. spades, snovels.
maftOckS ~. ks, axes, sCythes hat"hcts and other
light articles OF which non ana steei are Inc com
poneats used for agricultural. mining, and mcchan,
zeal puipOst-." Thus IT IS proposed 10 make all
these ertlces pa less duty tnan Is charged upon
the material IRON which they are manufactured.
In view Of the provisions above rti'rIed TO- IL
must have been arCIdcnt or temporary toIEtlIul-
ness which led the committee, m their report. 10
say of this bill =" It's general aim may Le Indicated
as follows: !. 70 puI upon the free list articles
which were needed Uy manufacturers Tor thcir pur-
poses. the freedom from ddiy on winch would
,hcapen tine domestic product, all thus benefit the
great CONSUMING classes OF the country HE I'M
deTsgned. are wholly unable 10 discover any
rational principle Ipon which these provisions are
founded unless it il designed rs an appeal % one
class of the community 10 FAVOR "a, urSlluttoh Oh
the great manu- 'acturng interests 81 our country,
by holding ont the dr.us,e prospect that The I'M
Elements above named c.l be purchased, IN Ior-
rign markets at a lower price. ii this appeal IS
designed 10 affect American farmers, u "hI 10" wen
tor them Ia consider the effect OF a'othci provision
of tins bll. relating 10 woods and wOoicus. The
undersigned agree that in many rtspe, 5 the tailH
system should bee amended. " her" latrS are cNor-
btant they should be reduced ~ rapidly ana rs
far as the wants of the revenue and tle prosperity
of our 1rrat national industries viii permit mere
are articles in the tarih Oh woods ana W"olIcAs
that NAV De reduced and perhaps the whole group
can SAT siy bear some reduction Int Ola the Die,
no part OF our taIih system has been more amply
vindcated by experience than mat when relates
IT, woods and WOollcns. The foundations cl. thrse
proyi,inu. were Lard in 1861; bgt IN 1867 the
existing rates WEI, established after a long aud
exhaustive IuYeetigalon ana WIN thc Concurrence
OF hr two interests when hdd thciclplJ'e D''u III
ihe ba.is OF that legislation was this: that upon
the rveTdl grades Of imported wool duty hhould
he imposed sufficient 10 promote the growth Oh
sheen hg,handry IN the United states. hltclhc
duty WA. then imposed or woolen Ruons. a0 near
as possble equal 10 the du.y put upon the wool
which entered into o g Manufacture. ms was not
protection. but simply n equivalent duty, which
placed the wOnllcu manufacturer on The free tiad"
level To this specific duty was then added duty
If ~ peT cent al valuirW an wopllcn goods ~
a protection v the manufacture again'' foreign
competition. ms adjustment OF the law mas rc-
Ii fort TfI. %
ana during the SIX years % crul-R IIr dulu'liheh
the law contained similar though less complete
provisions. WITH this preliminary statement me
undersigned invite attention - the results OF this
In 1896 the wool product of The United States
was estimated at ~, 0OO. 900 pom s~cr duuum; "a
I-6g. according 10 The census II had u>cn 10
go 600 Oun pounds per aHuuu; under the opera
lions OF the Morrill, tarih the product had rscu m
1867 20 1l7.OuopOd pounds per ahhumi hl lh''lt
had rise" to ZOo., Jp,uOo pounds pcI hlhNm' ahd
is is now estimated 10 be 2Jo,OOo,oGO pounds per
annum. Ina the twenty .i"li yepi7 'le1 i ilR lh9
war the wool product ~ TINS counJ, nan Increased
mn 30 pcr cent wh.la the pr scui annual product
al wool il 100 per cent geaterfh nal OF twenty
re9rs AGO No attentive observer who
yis,tcd f,r Centennial Exposition failed 10 UOtice
the astoni ,Amcht NJth Wnch t.1 Ilcn'A Hnd
English manufacturers examined the IN" tlothS
produced hy American looms; ANA no feature "l
dat great c>h inhibition reflected more cream upon
America enterprise ana shIIl. A. rev ,iiNO
measure the tlr,h oi l@b1 on WOODS anu W"nli'hs
has been very effective hafiif pI"du'ru
$3.50 600 600 of revenue IA the last thirtecu years
an average 81 "2~ OOO.COO per annum. Tho bill
of the committee destroys the adjustments ol the
existing tarin on wool and wooilruS. ana wholly
Gisrrlafls the relations which these Two tIdncl
al industry sustain o. carh other. Shonld a. be-
cone a law IT viii bc Imp1 alhlc Tor our farmers 10
compete In the market with the intiiHl 1ola OF
Soulh America; aud II VIII ho equally impossible
Tor our Manufacturers To compete With those 81
France and England. OF coursc. any legislation
tLat DESTROYS lhc wOOlIrn manufactures ~
epuully destructive to sheep hunhandly for tho
farmer would no longer have market for his
wool That natlrn can hardly DO called indo-
pen.ent which does not possess the materials aud