National Republican., 1883-01-29

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full price Of c6ttOnl THIS oNcucadhMa dilld
Nuut5rs by the uuthcmcrs in the way of
trade isa promising evidence that ycconsruc-
tion is working, But ibis cotton tie business
should be rcadiustcd. ..ta U..r..
10" r"d sir,sry ia NiHhnn".
."n Friday a,nScnaror suEWr,N,of upio,
nud BeuW y oi 'JSor.ijD we're taken 1ouask
by senator AiqgGAN,Qf Alabuma, lorcoppoin-
ing Of the low duty On pig iron. He said that
Tie and his uoll6auugrclucscnt ctla stuc MAJ
bama) which had alargcrc existing iron iuier-l
est than either Ohio or Georgia, and IL pres
pcctiyo Interest," very much larger than that
| in both those stttcs together Hcrcgardod
The So Il ton duty on pig iron MS a bonus paid
70 capital for engaging in that industrym
preference 10 others, The iron producers of
Alabamawerc content with tlat ratcof bonus,
apa If producers elsewhere found 1t insulli-
| cicnt let them remove to Alabama.
1t seemed strange that senator from the
iron-producing state of Alabama should be so
much at variance with the representatives
from other iron-mining states. The question
was naturally suggested Why can Alabama
iron mines do so much better than those of
other states that the protection they
| desire is matter of indifference to
| her2 Why should SO low duty as SO
1 ton on pig iron cause rs wcll-niorned an
4 economist as Senator SHERMAN to demonstrate
I against il as " the grosscst injustice to 10000
| workingmen," whilean Alabama senator de-
clares that tho iron-produccrs Of Alabama
are content with that rate Of bonusW Are
A., the miners content, or only the mine o,cncrs?
/ Arc the laborers in Alabama the subjects Of
| her senator's solictudo2 or does he think
only, of the owners of the capital 10
whom ho says the six-dolar duty is "
bonus?" If that ratc'of duty is good for the
capitalist Of Alabama is II good also for the
laborcIs?
D., lVho prp The ldJorc,s there ? Arc they such Ms
mine the iron in the other states? Are they
free men, no matter how humble, or with how
few wants Or are they Siares, competition
with whom would be ruinOus to free labor 2
l.ct us see. ... .....
FRANZ WILKEsoN, writing 10 the New
York Sa,, from Birmingham Alabama, undor
date of the eleventh instant said:
Can coal lands be purchased and other mines
opened2 Yes. But do not think an enterprise
Of that character would be advisable. J oiore the
war-this is tho new date in the South; every
thing is before or after the war-T doubt If the
negroes were ever sent to prison in Alabama. A
negro was q valuable piece Of property, aud he
was not shut up in unproductivo idloness; nor
was he chased with wide-mouthed bloodhounds
that tore him saVagely Men who owned slaves
took good care Of their health. They did notsenI
them into damp, ill.vcntilated coal mines tO work.
The abolition Of slavery has created class Of
black cOnuiCts in the South. In the old days these
men would have been soundy whipped and set to
work in the cotton fields. Now hcy are tried and
sentenced to long tsras Of hard tabor. The policy
of the state is TO make the prison sys tcm selt-sup
porting. To do this the t9nuiCtS both white and
black, in Alabama, iedsedto the highest bidder
The highest bidders are he trorktTs Of NE Pratt and
E,y,on coal mines, near Bhmipghdm 1 under
stand that the state penal institution of
Alabama is to be transferred TO the Plat
coal mines. The price paid for this convict
labor is about $40 per month. The state slaves
are forced to cut an average of from sis TO eight
tons of coal per day. II they work over time they
arc pCid the snhlc rates per ton Iorty-nVe conts)
that the free miners receive Their food Is slinpley
consisting of bacon, cOrnmcal, uiId q few vegeta-
bcs that they raise under the eyes Of their guards
Judge that twelve cents per day would cover the
pcnse OF the contractors, who have asJ to pay for
the guards necessary to watch them The total
outlay for food, medical attendance, clothing,
guards, and fires cannot be over twenty-five cents
per day. 10 this add forty cents per day paid to
the state for the use Of the convics, and the total
cost is siXy-iiyo cents rer day. For the siNty-ive
cents the convict must cutsiX or eignttDn OF coal,
Thus he cuts coal ut cost his employer Of light
or ten cents per ton. With al he courts Qt 4aJama
sending eonpiCs TO The coal mines see chance for
any mine employing free mhcyS to compete with a
cOlUict minc. The man who controls the sldres Of
he state Of Aidbdmd can at any time break the mar
ket and utterly ruin his competitors who use tree
labor. - $50 B." .''. 10. ...5 .." e. T.
Tbe above is from yesterday S,m 1t fur.
nishcs very reasonable explanation Of the
attitude of Senator MORGAN on the pig.iron
question. The cOurict aidcs of Alabama OF
course pay their owners we'll, at n duty which
protects them but which does not protect the
, miners elsewhere who have TO feed wives and
children. "The slaves of the state of Ala,
bama," who delve in her mines, are not the
kind Of lahorcrs to protect whom the rcpubli.
can party !avOrs protective tarih.