The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-28


The South needs proterfioa more
than ant other section. The Eos1fh-
ern men who visited and talked with
Gen. Harrison on TUESDAY uuder-
stand this. but neither at the south
nor in other parts Of the coanfr, il The
fact generally appreciated. Men hear
i said. for instance, that southern iron
furnaces can produce good pig iron A.
lower cost than any furnaces r, the
Northern states. The common infer
eDee i that. whether Northern far
nacss need protection or not, il i Al All
events DOT needed 70 insure the e1te-
cess OF Southern producer. NJ they
can cell iron cheaper than producers
at afhe North. men coaslade. they
wonid be able % survive foreign cIous-
petition, though nearly all Northern
furnaces might he closed. The infer.
eice Il not unnatural. and set i Is en-
tirely erroneous.
Pig iron i not wante,i BY anrbodx
except for the manufacture Of some
thing else II there were in the coqn-
try no manufacture of rails and ether
raiirszd iron and STEEL, OF beams
angles and other agricultural iron and
steel, o. wire, sheets. bands. nails. cot
ton ties. and other forms OF uannfAc-
tured iron, there would he no market
Tor Pig iron whatever To illustrate.
more than 30 .0e0 tons Of iron manu-
featured into tin plates are used every
year in this country. Yet not a single
ton Of American iron l. ever bought or
used for that manufacture, because
tin plates are not produced in the Uni
ted states. 1t would be precisely the
same with other forms OF demand fer
pig iron, II the other branches of man
sfacture should be- prevented here.
Any change of tariff which diminishes
the production ia this country in 9th
er branches OF manufacture. through
renewal OF checks TO foreign competi-
ten, would necessarily cut OFF cor
responding American demand for pig
iron.
The more advanced products re-
quire protection By higher duties than
those which suffice for the protection
OF producers OF pig. because in the
manufactured forms the proportion Of
labor Is greater, and the difference be-
tween this and other countries In rate
OF wages paid, has greater effect on
the price. Here il il necessary again
10 notice the fraudulent assertion. made
and refuted a thousand times. and vet
made once more in the senate on Tues
day. that the proportion Of labor cost
in some forms of manufactured iron il
but 10 per cent This can never be
true, unless the labor cost cousid-
cred Is only that OF the last process. to
the exclusion of all labor previously
expended in preparing the iron or
steel pig, bar, rod plate or ingot for
that last process. 1t is. therefore, al
ways and necessarily q false and de-
cepiive assertion, which implies either
very low degree of intelligence or a
very high degree OF dishonesty.
Take away all duties on steel rails
and there probably could not be made
a single rail in the country unless the
wages of labor IN ayocaiions generally
should be much lowered. At about
$50 per ton rails can be placed on ship
board in England The freight.
hardly ever more than s.. l. often
much less when vessels coming hither
for bulky careoes can better afford 90
take rails for nothing than TO load and
unload ballast But II there were no
manufacture of rails there would be
no demand whatever for several mil
lion tons Of pig iron now u.ei in rail-
making. So Of other branches of
manufacture. The prostration OF each
OF these would absolutely destroy
part OF the only possible market for
American pig iron. Entire removal of
duty would not be nece sary 10 effect
| this in most eases 4 reduction below
the protecting point would put an end
| TO part Of the demand for pig iron,
no matter what the duty on pig iron
might be.
The same principle applies TO other
manufactures But the new works in
the South. in which many millions
have been invested, and upon which
the prosperity Of large regions has
GENE to depend. stand in far greater
need OF defense through the develop
Inent of the various forms of manu-
facture than the older works Of the
North ! any pro~tration of the iron
industry. they would be likely % sui
fer most severely, because their pro-
| ducts have to be transported 20 distant
markets for consumption.