The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-02-27
ANOTHER, AND WE HOPE TIE
.9.i.f LAST. ON TIE TARIFF. f

LAST, ON THE TARIFF. &
TO the Editor OF The lEorristown Gazette:
Your correspondent has declared thai
we are not an economist. If by thai
he means theorlst, we plead guilty. Wa
claim to be practical, and care more foI
the truth that is in facts and figures si
actual experience, than the impractica-
bic theories of learned men.
III | have mistaken his meaning, il
was because he did not mean What he
said. / have not attempted to seek any
hidden meaning in his words.
In his last article he takes up my IL
lustration of the cutlery products and
attempts to show that it costs IT Peo-
pie One-third more because of the duty.
We produced in 1880 twelve million del
lars worth which he thinks would have
sold for niue without the tariff. Dur
ing that year cutlery makers paid 81
Az, $40 in wages to 10000 workmen.
Over n million dollars on our side Of the
ledger on that one item. On the money
actually invested in that year the man
ufacturer received q profit Of less than
eight per cent, therefore were the duty
taken of they must go out of the bust
ness, and their army Of wOrkmen seek
employment elsewhere.
Again, take our iron and steel indus
tries. Those establishments that turn
out exclusively metal products, during
the census year, gave employment to
1886, s45 workmen, paying them in wages
S14S ,549, 625. At low estimate each
worker represents a family Of three
persons making over million souls de-
pendent on our iron manufactures alone.
This does not include those industries
In which iron il the main n aterial used,
as agricultural implements, fire arms
aud products of that class. Neither
does it include the mining and other
industries directly dependent on the
iron works. These weuld mere than
double the totals given. Then there
are the farmers who produce food for
host, the tradesmen who supply them
aud the thousand and one professions
that are interlOcked with them in the
daily pursuits of life. Yet the men
who employ them made 3 profit of less
than ten per cent. during that year.
Your correspondent gives the out put
during 1888 of our Bessemer steel rail
mills at over twelve hundred thousand
tons. Where he can get such figures
cannot imagine unless from some unre-
liable commercial estimate. In 1880 it
was only 741, 900 tons, and it has hardly
doubled in three dull years. Such 8
wonderful increase would be very graf
flying to me as a pretectionist, but as
these figures are not official and hardly
reliable, let us examine those of the
census. Ours is the greatest metal
consuming country in the werld. In
that year our workers turned out 1927, :
O00, 900 worth Of exclusively iron and
steel products. Is it desirable that this
immense sum be sent abroad yearly to
ill British and German Golfers How
lOMB COuLO VIC Slonu SuSh q NA0An9 Ooi
agricultural exports would not pay, for
they now take all they need.
A great cry of revenue refsrmers is
that manufacturers are making immense
profits. An easy thing to say but hard
to show. By the census the total out
put was over five billion dollars, the
amount paid in wages and material was
nearly four and half billion, leaving
an apparent profit of less than one bill
lion dollars. From this must be taken
the large amount necessary to compen-
aate for the time Of those who are moi
borne on the wage roll, superintendents
who have an interest in the business
and the proprietors Of the thousands Of
small establishments who do as much
work as any of their workmen. Yet in
the census computation are neither
counted as hands employed, or as hav'
ing wages paid them. This element
with the wear and tear Of old, and The
constant putting ia Of improved ma
chinery, and other necessary expenses
of which no note has been taken, will
certainly reduce the net profit to ter
per cent. or lower.
Now, Mr.. Editor, let my excuse fol
| length, be the desire that this. the lead
| ing question, should be fairly presented
| TO the people who are to decide 1t.
1 CUTN-CUIS