Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-04-09
DEFENSE Of THE DUTY ON SALT.
Hon. John J.. Hayes in Goo Bulletin of ths
National Association of Wool N.fuiac-
lures.

| q D Afh'fff fAN'hN 900 f|NNN
serves the purpose which thc sail
cellar did at the table, iu i,uaa
/ times, of defining the line hetuee
the noble and ieuobic. thc Amen
can and un.imcrcln advocate, Oh
"a tariff policy. Upon $50 singh
subject in the taril has 80 niue
been said or written, upon none an
there such contradictory opinions
and upon one side, in our view, 81
much false statement or stubborn
Ignorance. For our part We ar
willing to take up the gage whicI
the Free Traders throw down, an'
accept salt as the test OF a tart
policy.
OF all inorganic substances sal
is the one of the most suprcm,
necessity to man. II has been san
to be "a necessary Of life which nl
economy can avoid. no POVERTY
shun, no privatlOn escape, no cum
ming elude, no deNiclity avoid.
Hence Free Traders say It Shout,
he free as air. Hence, on the Other
hand, we would say, every nation
should have the means OF supply
lug itself with this supreme ucccs
sary within It's own borders AND
from its own resources. As lndi
vlduals can not, each for himself
produce his needed supply of alt
such production becomes "a srplrat,
and distinct employment, requiring
capital, mechanical accesSOi les
skill, and experience; in short, an
industry deserving national regard
IN proportion to the necessity Of it,
product to the people.
1t IS asserted that our salt in
dustry is a monopoly and ON
duties are a virtual prohibition
Statistics show that in eleven wear.
from 1863, inclusive, under the
comparatively high duty of that
period, the annual average impor
tatlons were 100000 bushels
and in ten years from 1877, under
a reduced duty, the annualavcragC
lmpOrtatiOns were l6,000,000 bush
els; and that the importalions in
1881 were only q million bushel,
short Of all that was requisite loI
the entire home supply thirty-twC
years before. This does not look
like monopoly or prohibition. In
fact, a monopoly Of the salt manu-
tacture would not be possible, a.
no considerable portion of ON
territory is destitute Of the raw
material. In the South, where the
sophistry Of monopoly has fonnj
most favor, this industry might
flourish as well as at the North
The Grand Saline of Texas EN-
plOyed three thousand men in
making this essential articls when
blockades compelled the South to
seek salt within her own territory
The industry would revive in the
South, and the salines Ol TeXa,
and the immense salt beds OF
Louisiana would he utilized, if the
reduced duty, the apprehension oil
losing even this, and the access
bility Of the South to the imported
article borne by ships carrying sail
in ballast did not deter skilled
manufacturers from cmbarkinl
capital in an industry exposed tc
such risk.
1t Is said that the cost Of salt {,
the consumer will be diminishcC
by Free Trade or reduction. Thn
is contradicled bv American ex
perlence. In 1907 the duty Of Y
cents a bushel which had beior,
been imposed was repealed, ano
salt was admitted free OF duty fol
six years. Consequently our HON,
works were abandoned, or great,
reduced in production. Domcst',
competition being Withdrawn. IN,
prices OF foreign salt which thcl
flooded the markets advanced
beng as high As s. per bu>hel
When the war Of lSi2 arrived Nh,
foreign supply from England anC
her colonies was cut of. We ha,
to depend upon the icW establish
ments Of our own which had uo
been driven ont OF business by for
elgn rivalry and it is recorded "a
a historical tact that "salt was solo
III quantities in more than one o
our States at toUr dollars pc.
bushel.' While writing this ar
tlcle we were informed by a mcr
chant Of Portsmouth, y. H., that ;
cargo Of salt was held in that tow
during the war Of 1872 by spccu
latOrs though not actually sold, al
SIS per bushel.
In 1872 Congress reduced tn,
duty on salt in bags from II cent
per hundred pounds to T. cents
and on salt in bulk from Is cents
per hundred pounds to s cents
that is reduced the duty more than
One.half. What was the result
The foreign producers put up lh,
price Immediately, and in f. month,
after the reduction Of the duty took
effect the average increase in tine
foreign invoice value amounted t.
over 8 cents per hundred pounds OF
to more than twO.thirds of the duty
taken of; and the expected benefit
OF reduction, instead Of lnuring To
our consumers, went into thepock
cts of the foreign manufacturers of
salt. The rise of prices attracted
attention everywhere in this cOun-
try; and the New York Chamber Of
OOuuIIlbN' III ~ i'llpib Nl''i Atio
subject in 1873, declared "Ihe re.
duclion of duty on foreign salt has
not had that effect upon the price
of salt that was anticipated by
those who advocated the passage.
The cost Of both ground and fine
salt is higher than it was before
the duty was reduced"
These facts establish what the
American salt producers maintain,
that any legislation which would
break the growing force OF the
American competition against the
foreigner would be sure to strength
ell the foreigner, and enable him to
exact higher prices, and that the
tendency to cheaper salt, now IN
operation, can be sustained only by
maintaining those circumstances
which strengthen the power OF
American competition.
II IL urppd that our dairy IN