New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-12
TIE MOST ENLIGHTENED PERFORMER"

MI w. ". T. BrecklnrluBc IL pronounced ny
free-trade journals the ablest member of the
Committee on Ways and Means. and his de-
fence of the Dark Lantern tariff bill those
journals are just now printing with much JOY.
Therein he explains the process of elaborate
and painstaking investigation saying that tho
Democratic members lest they should be con-
taminated by the information possessed by Re
publican associates, or lest the native hue Of
resolution should be "sicklied DER with the
pale cast Of thought" II they heard any state
ments unfhvorable to Democratic theories went
into secret session by themselves. and privately
listened only to such persons as were invited to
inform them from Democratic point Of view.
II is to be hoped that even this proceeding gave
moro light to other members than to MIR. Breck-
inridge, for he solemnly afiirms that eve now
manufacture in seven months what America
cannot use for twelve months, so that it is
absolutely necessary for our factories to shut
down for five months. or to run twelve months
at an expense that would be required to keep
them in operation seven months" If this is
the ablcst and most enlightened of the Demo-
cratic members, what must be the mental con-
ditiOn of the rest? Yet the statement of Mr..
Breckenridge is but an uNera2ce Of the notions
which shaped President Cleyelands entire an
nual message.
The statement is so flagrantly false that most
readers would not have patience with recital
of the well-known facts which dis. rove it. To
begin with the largest manufacture. this coun-
try actually consumed last year more than
5000, 900 tons Of iron in various forms. but all
the American furnaces and mills have never
produced in any twelve months as much as
6 100000 tons. nor in any seven months as
much as 100000 tons, Last year we pro-
duced 14,374 100000 pounds of iron. but con-
samed about l9.349OOO,OOO pounds. Mr..
Breckenridge does not know what he is talking
about
Possibly he meant to refer only to the textile
manufactures, the next in magnitude. If he
did. he spoke ignorantly and without truth.
Tho woolcn manufacture has never worked
up more than about 40O,OOO,OO0 pounds of
wool into goods of all kinds in any year work
ing full time and to the utmost, unless Mr..
ynch's statement be preferred. which is
100000 pounds larger than the official
statement for the year of maximum production.
But the country has consumed every year for
eign goods representing from 100000 to
100000 pounds of foreign wool. The
manufacture has not in any recent year for any
cause fallen short Of its maximum production
as much as five months work out OF twelve.
but it has been cut down between one and two
months work out Of twelve by the ignorant
mcddling of Democratic free traders in Con-
gross. The manufacture never has worked up
into goods the equivalent of 25O,OOOOOo
pounds of wool in any seven months; last year
the country consumed the equivalent of $685.
100000 American and lO7 100000 pounds of
foreign wool. besides imported goods repre-
scntng 81 100000 pounds.
Mr. Breckenridge is at least equally ignorant
about the cotton manufacture. "Thc Finan-
cial Chronicle" Democratic authority which
he would recognize as too good to be disputed
il he knew anything of the matter. shows that
The country has never worked up more cotton
in any twelve months than it did last year. with
all mills at work and some of them running
over time. and yet it represents that stocks Of
goods on hand arc mcagrc, and within the past
year have been reduced, while the official
Treasury report shows that there were imported
lest year 2S,OOOOOO yards of cotton goods,
besides nearly eight times as much in value Of
other cotton goods, in all worth S29.1O0,OCO
Mr.. Breckenridge has heard the story about
five months idIeness and seven months work
in regard to ono small branch Of industry the
manufacture of window glass, and has been so
ignorant that he supposed it was true of all
manufactures generally. II is not strictly true
Of The window glass manufacture; it is not
approximately true of the glass manufacture as
a whole, and is absurdly false regarding The
Of this country