Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-02-07
IEjN ORE IMrDKTATION
Why i: Should be Admitted Free.


IEJN ORE IMPORTATION.
Why i: Should be Admitted Free.
Hon. 4. 5. Hewitt, who is detained
from Congress by sickness, has written a
letter to Hon. S. S. Cox, in which liz
says:
eff there be any man in this country
who would be injured by the removal OF
duty from iron ore or from scrap iron,
am that man. | am very largely engaged
| i'll mining iron ore in various parts of the
United States, but more particularly in
New Jersey, where | am interested in
mines Cf magnetic iron ore nearer to the
| seaboaYd than any other in the country. l
am. therefore, moro directly in competi-
ton with foreign iron ore than any one
else, and the removal Of the duty would
injure mo if it would injure anybody. But
the fact is that no foreign iron ore is sold
here at less than Sc !. ton. while | am sell.
| iug my ore, equally rich, for 81 per ton.
The removal of the duty will not, therefore
affect the price of my ore, as there is a
margin OF s. per ton i'll my favor now, and
if ore be made free | shall still have a
margin of 81 so ton.
"The reason why foreign ore comes in is
because We do not produce enough ore low
in phosphorus for the manufacture of pig
iron for the Dcssemer Steel process. Last
year, because the country did not produce
this ore, and did not produce enough BeS-
scnlcr pig, We imported over six hundred
Thousand IONS OF foreign ore and nearly an
equal quantity of foreign pig iron. If the
ore had bccn fee the pig lrcn wnich we
Imported would have b>un manufactured
here out OF foreign Ore. which would have
given large additional opening for Amer
ican labor and wOuld not nave reduced the
output OF American ore one ton. Il is
plain, therefore, that free Gre would be a
benefit to tue Whole cJun5ry as we'll as 10
the iron Industry in whicii | am enga Ied.
SO in regard to scrap iron. It's free in
PRODUCTION Is opposed on the ground that
it will interfere with the manufacture Of
pig iron. Ii this DO So would be greatly
injured. as | am = large producer of pig
iron, but, rs matter oi fact, cheap scrap
and pig iron ;iro iric1dS aid not c;egui.s
lhey can be most advansageously and
chcap!y worked III combination Iith each
other, and the cheaper the scrap can be
had the better price tbs buyer can afford
to pay for pig iron AID the larger will b0
the demauti when :'Ia busiiius, has adjust.
ed itself to the more favorable conditions
thus produced.
81 am aware that The irou mastcis S IS y
body do not agree with me in my views,
but they and the gentleman who represent
them Ill Congress gre making q mistake.
ihey think that we are suffering from
foreign competition, whereas the deprcs =
sion III the iron business is due sorely to
domestic competition. Localities IN
which iron cannot be made cheaply alc
yielding to the superior advantages of
other regions III this country where the
conditions o.! production are more iayora--
bic. No addition 70 the tariff can rvsyeut
this competition or interfere with the i'll
evltaDls result ci Griy!n, inferior concerns
out o! existence. Tbc progress is disagree
able, but 1t Is necessary and healthy
Cheap FOOD, chap fuel ;tad cheap iron are
the essential elements of growth and pres
pcrity in any nation, and without them no
nation can DC great and FREQ. The inter.
est OF the American iron master, therefore,
is not to devise methods by which iron
mag b1 made dear, but to find out how it
may be made cheap, aud if there be anv
where an Unnecessary impeachment to
economy and reduction nf cost it should
bc promptly removed. Tho duties on iron
ore AMI scrap iron are puroiy obstructive
ana unnecessary imp2dinents to the
ca2apeninG OF the cost Of iron, aud they
should be at once abolished.
81 do not think that have any right 10
advocate my personal interests on the
iloor OF Congress except SO far as they are
co!ncdent with Tx, interests of my con.
stituents "nd the whole people. I repre-
sent district teomlng with industries, the
basis and raw material of which is iron in
some form or other Ny constituents
want cheap iron, there fore, and in this re
spect their interests are in harmony with
the wants Of the whole pcopls. The ex.
poriences which | have gained as an iron
master should, therefore, be devoted to |
pointing out how iron may be made CHEAP. |
Ii the people think that there is an honest |
effort On the part OF the iron interest |
to respond to just demands and to |
advocate obvious reforms they will not be
disposed to press for reductions OF Juty |
which would involve embarrassment to |
The business OF cutting down of the
wages of labor. The people understand
that the iron business cannot exist in this
country with wages at their present level
without cjGnteryailing duties sufficient TO
make up for the difference in the wages
paid here and abroad. But they will
ooIect, and very properly, to the imposi-
'ion OF duties which arc simply prohibitory
Ind which have no effect whatever in
outing up the wages of labor, but simply
lod to tic cost of iron to the consumer.
md produce loss to the community for
Hhlch there IS 10 compensation whatever.
therefore urge upon tue repl esentatiyes
y the iron Interests upon the floor of the
iouse not to seek to raise duties, but dill
'entiy 10 find out every item which can be
made free, on np)n which duty may be re-
uced without injury to the business and
%. be deceived by the outcry which pro {
eedS fro!a iron masters aud who have
forks located in unfavorable position and t
nose final extinction from domestic {
ompet'tion IS only q question of time.
II have had to abandon such works nv {
iii aud expect to abandon more of them.
I'd L should be ashamed as an iron master ]
nd as representative to ask the peop,e
TINS country to indemnify me against !:
y folly Or against the inevitable and l
ea!thy progress of the age" /
L.unsnum for Sorrow.
Ii Phillipsburg, +. j., Henry Pvatt =
os !.nia,:un with suiciial intent. He .
as given antifntcs, and it is hoped he l.
Ill recover. He was led to the deed hv u
mi'S Troubles. His wife left him and is s;
}" SAID to be living with another man, y
i 6und&y, through the aid of a friend. a
G wilo secnred her daughter who had 0
hn iIVIn% with the father. This last not 7