Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-18
The Coming Great Issue.

great issue between the parlles before
the late campaign, the Republicans
standing forth as the acknowledged
champions of high protection and the
present iniquitOus internal revenue sys-
TEN, while the Democrats, both by their
past record and the position they assumed
during the last session of Congress, had
boldly arrayed themselves on the side of
lessening the burdens of popular taxa
ton.
1t is really amusing 10 note the
changes of front which the Radical press
are endeavOring to make on this
subject since the popular verdict against
them on the 9TH inst. Journals which
before that date were vehement in their
sneers against any such doctrines as "a
tariff for revenue only" and abolition
of internal revenue taxation" are now
lOudest in calling upon the majority in
the present Congress TO make as good use
of the short time yet allowed them, be
fore they are retired into a minority pO-
sition, to effect reforms which they have
heretofore refused to countenance,
and to make what political capital
they may by bowling to the will of the
people, which will they, in their pride
of place and plentitude of power, ar
rogantly despised. In other words it
is clearly foreshadowed that if the De
mOcrats permit it, the Keifer-RObesOn
combination of the Forty seventh Con
gress is to steal all the Democratic thun-
der possible, and by turning a complete
political sOmersault. endeavOr to out
herod HerOd as the opponents and
champions of reform.
While it is, evident, however, that the
hopes of political capital are, at present,
the main incentive to Radicalism to effect
reforms which they have heretofore
sneered at, there is a great change in
popular sentiment in favor of anti-pro-
tective legislation in those sections where
such legislation has been in the past
most warmly supported. In New Eng
land, for instance, this change has been
particularly marked, and the result of a
comparison of conditions in this country
and in England is leading to more or
less general conclusion that the only
thing wanting to put our manufacturers
upon an equality of advantage with those
of England is that very freedom of trade
which has hitherto been rejected in order
to protect our industries. The grow tn
of manufactures is producing large
surplus of manufactured goods, and the
New England manufacturer is at length
awaking to the necessity of being allowed
fair competition with the markets of the
world
The New York Commercial Bulletin
notes that the September Consular Re
port, issued by the State Department
relating to the cotton and wooden mills
OF Europe, is replete with facts showing
the disadvantages under which American
manufacturers indirectly suffer in con-
sequence of the present system of duties.
For instance, a part of the report of
Consul Albert D. Shaw, of Manchester,
on the cotton goods industry of Lanca-
shire is devoted to the comparative cost
of English and American cotton manu-
lures, and he selects printing cloths as
the article most staple in its nature, and
therefore best adapted for the purposes
of the comparison AS respects the
item of wages in this branch of manu-
features, his figures show that in New
England and Pennsylvania the average
cost of making a piece (59 yards) 64x64
cloth is 229 cents, and in Lancashire
2S. SO cents. Thus it is seen the Lam
cashire wages are 80 per cent higher
than the American, fact which puts in
a ridiculous aspect the plea that it is
English pauper labor" with which we
are unable to compete; and which, con-
sidering how much more a given amount
will procure for the English operative
than for the American, strikingly shows
h0T much better the operative fares
under free trade than under protection.
Mr.. Shaw's figures further show that,
Notwithstanding this important adj
vantage in wages, the American manu-
facturer is, on the whole, unable to
produce a piece of printing cloth at as
low cost as the Lancashire. Taking
an average of the leading mills of Fall
River, Lowell, Rhode Island and Penn.
sylvania, it costs Gncluding every posi-
be item) 1886 cents, on an average, ia
produce one pound of this fabric. The
average cost in Lancashire he shows to
be 1916 cents per pound. or 10 cents
less than in America. So that while the
American mill has an advantage of 80
per cent. on the item of wages, the
English mill has, putting all the items OF
cost together, an advantage of IA per
cent. MulCu, VI CUuloCB 10 dlupAO W
enable the latter to exclude the American
from the worlds markets.
These are the true reasons why the
New England manufacturers are now
changing front so radically on the sub
| iect of revenue reform, and doubtless il
is because the people Throughout the
country are being awakened to a realizl-
ton of the same facts that they spoke
so decidedly against the protective policy
of Radicalism on Tuesday week. The
duty of the Democracy is therefore plain.
| They should be careful of two things
first, to do their duty, and, second, tC
circumvent the Radicals in the Forty
seventh Congress in their efforts to de
ceive the people by assuming the garb Of
the Democracy.
The Hon. Andrew d. White, Presi
dent of Cornell University, and who il