The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-02-22
NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 1858.
Hon. S. s. Cox, House of Representa-

the IOlIOWlnS leCLor EecOlFeU from GnaG
gentleman -----
NEW YORK, Feb. S, 1858.
Hon. S. s. Cox, House of Representa-
tives, Washington, D c.:
DEAR SIR-Your favor of the 4th
inst. is received. From some furtive
inquiries which have come to my no.
tice I infer that an attempt will be
made in the House TO assail the posi-
ton which [ took before the Tariff
Commission in favor of free iron ore
and free scrap iron, on the ground that
1 am looking out for my own personal
interests in advocating the removal of
duties upon these articles. [ observe
in the Senators. who ought to have
known better in view of what [ dis
tinctly stated to the Tariff Commission
as to my personal interests, made this
charge against me, and they haYe not
since had the manliness to retract it:
Let me say then that if there be any
man in this country who would be in
jured by the removal of the duty from
iron ore or from scrap iron, am that
man. 1 am very largely engaged in
mining iron ore i'll various parts OF the
United States, but more particularly in
New Jersey, where 1 am interested in
seaboard than any other i'll the country
I am, therefore, more directly in COM
petition with foreign iron ore than any
one else, and the removal of the duty
would injure me if it would injure
nybody. But the fact Is that no for
eign iron is sold here for less than $6 a
ton, while am selling my ore, equal :
ly rich, for $4 per ton. The removal of
the duty will not, therefore, affect the
price of my ore, as there is margin
of 81 ton ia my favor now. aud if
ore be made free I shall still have a
margin of ST. 80 ton.
WHY FOREIGN ORE COMES IN.
The reason why foreign ore comes in
is because we do not produce enough
ore low in phOsphates for the manu-
facture of pig iron required by the
BessaIner steel process. Last year, be-
cause the country did not produce this,
ore, and did not produce enough Bes-
samer pig, we imported over six hun
dred thousand tonsof foreign ore, and
nearly an equal amount of folelSn pig
iron. If the ore had been free the pig
iron which we imported would have
been manufactured here out of foreign
ore, which would have given a large
additional opening for American labor
ard would not have reduced the out
put of American ore one ton. 1t is
plain, therefore, that free ore would be
| y benefit to the whole country as well
as to the iron industry in which l am
engaged. SO in regard to scrap iron.
Its free introduction is opposed on the
ground that it will interfere with the
manufacture of pig iron. II this be SO
1 I ha " aR |
large producer of pig iron, but as q
matter of fact cheap scrap iron and pig
iron are friends and not enemies. They
can be most tadvantageously and cheap
| ly worked in combination with each
other, and the cheaper the scrap can bs
had the better price the buyer can af
ford to pay for pig iron and the largel
will be the demand when the busines:
has adjusted itself to the more favora
BILE conditions thus produced.
VIEW OF IRON MASTERS.
I am aware that the iron master
as body do not agree with me in m,
views, but they and the gentlemen
who represent them in Congress ar
making mistake. They think tina
we are suffering from foreign compe
tition, whereas the depression in tn
iron business is due solely to domesti
competition. Localities in which irol
cannot be produced cheaply are yield
ing to the superior advantages OF othe
regions in this country where the con
ditions of production are more favora
BILE. No addition to the tariff can pre-
veHt this competition or interfere will
the inevitable result of driving inferi
or concerns out of existence. TIL,
process is disagreeable, but is necessar,
and healthy. Cheap food, cheap fue
and cheap iron are the essential ele
ments of growth and prosperity in an,
nation, and without them no nation
can be great and free. The interest O
the American iron master, therefore
is not to devise methods by whicl
iron may be made dear, but to find ou
how it may be made cheap, and
there be anywhere an unnecessar.
impediment to economy and reduction
of cost it should be promptly removes
The duties on iron ore and scrap irol
y are purely obstructive and unneces
sary impeachment to the cheapeninj
of the cost of iron, and they shoul
be at once abolished.
PERSONAL INTERESTS.
I do not think that 1 have any righ
to advocate my personal interests Oh
the floor of Congress except so far a
they are coincident with the interest
of my constituents and the Who'll
people. [ represent district teemin;
with industries, the basis and raw ma
terial of which is iron in some form o
other. My constituents want chea
iron, therefore, and in this respect thei
interests are in harmony with the in
terests OF the whole people. The ex
periences which [ have gained as al
iron master should, therefore, be de
voted to pointing out how iron may b
made cheap If the people think tha