The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-12-06
Beginning Of the Harvest.

| viii ueny bnat In6 rear OF tne ADVENT
of that party into power has caused
the stagnation in the manufacture of
steel rails. Indeed, il would not be
surprising to find the Inauguration of
an absolute free trade policy followed
by stout assertion that the resultant
destruction of the iron interest had
nothing whatever to do with it. The
Pittsburgh Dispatch which labored so
efficiently in the Pattison vineyard,
has published several interviews with
manufacturers of steel rails, for the
purpose of explaining away the reduc-
tion of prices in that branch of indus.
try. Mr.. E. f. fairfield, president
of the Lackawana Iron and Coal com.
pany, says: "The question of tariff
has nothing whatever to do with it,"
The same gentleman in the same In
terview when asked: "Has an antic.
ipated reduction of the tariff on steel
rails anything to do with the present
low priees?" replied: "Only so far as
causing railroad companies to hold
back from buying, in the hope of get.
ting lower prices if the tariff is re.
daced."
Here we have the whole truth con.
firmed by one who is trying his best
to hide it. How could a democratic
success affect the price of q protected
product except to induce buyers to
hold off for lower prices in the hope
that the tariff on that product would
be reduced by the successi The pro.
fessions of democratic sympathy with
a tariff for protection are not believed
by anybody. That complete demo-
cratic control of all branches of the
national government wonld be followed
by such an adjustment of the duties
on imports as would beggar every
home industry which needs protection,
is firmly believed by every intelligent
American citizen. as well as by free
trade Europe. 1t is because of this
that democratic campaigns have been
supplied by British gold,-a plan
considered by them to be so much
more honorable than contributions by
American Office holders. We fel.
this in the Tilden campaign, and the
plethoric pockets OF the democratic
bosses, in the late campaign in this
State, makes it reasonable supposi-
tion that the hand of the Free Trade
League scattered its British gold even
within the limits of Crawford county.
The Philadelphia North american,
one of whose owners, as the indepen-
dent candidate for Congressman-a
Large, helped elect a democrat to
that office, gives the following frank
opinion Of the result of democratic
success
"Should the worst happen, the
misfortune will be largely attributable
to the success which the democrats
achieved at the late election. Of
course the fact that the democrats
have been placed in power is not the
only reason why the companies men,
toned are thinking about stopping
work. Several causes have combined
to lay upon them the necessity of
suspension. What alarms manufac.
turers more than the skrinkage of the
demand and the decrease of prices is
the fact that Congress has just been
elected which is hostile to the mainte-
nance of the tariff, and that the as
cendancy Of the Democratic party is
the signal for an assault upon the sys-
tenn whose protection alone the manu-
facture OF steel rails in the United
States can be carried on"
In this connection it will be of in.
terest to the laboring man, irrespect-
i've of politics, to know that the presi.
dent of the Lackowana Iron and Coal
Co., in the interview from which we
have quoted above, says of the cheap
ening of steel rails: at is true that
the present cost of production to us is
over $40 per ton, but we hope to get
lower by some reduction in wages and
the cheapening of materials" We do
uot know that the wages of steel work.
ers is excessively high just now, but
rather incline to the opinion that it
, is already too low. .Ebut. as the manu-.