New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-26

Thirty years ago thcre WAS pi"''''"J u"
linen manufacture and no silk manufacture IN
this country. In the framing OF war tarlif
silks were taxed 80 per cent as Injuries, ilaA
about per cent and tow IL per cent Tor
revenue. and the linen manufactures 30 30
and 80 per cent. The duties on linen GOODS
proved insufficient, and the manufacture has
never been so developed as TO use the material
produced so that thousands Of tons OF flax go
10 waste every year while the country pald
last wear S257O5.5 53 10 foreigners for prod
net, almost wholly of the manufacture OF flax
For want of adequate nduccment very little OF
the flax produced in the country is properly
rct,cd or dressed. ard the thread crash and
other works depend largely upon the importa-
ton of 1896 tons of flax last year, costing
50 O7O72 Thus we pay TO foreigners near
" SIS. 600 600 for products while the straw
capable OF producing a much larger value OF
goods goes to waste, and American labor
crowds into other cmployments.
Under a steady and unvarying 80 per cent
duty the silk manufacture has meanwhile adj
vanced wonderfully. II consumed 2oO'ooo
mounds of raw silk in 1860. about 1898
mounds in 1861 and no less than 1000. 600
rounds in 1850 when 81 900 hands were ON
ployod in the manufacture and goods worth
~3451g.727 were produced. Even this was
lat "A beginning. The imports OF raw SILK
during the last fiscal year were o.329, b+b
rounds. or more than double the quantity con-
sumed ten years ago, and for eight months oil
the current year the increase in quantity I'M
ported has been 20 per cent over last year IN
dicating-i consumption within the present fiscal
wear Of $500. 900 pounds. Against $1,000
hands in 1850 there must now be employed
AT least 1900 in working up silk into goods
worth $4,000. 600 or more
These are the results of protection, contrast
I'd with the results OF timId and picayuno
policy which fails to protect. II is now the
time for the farmers of the West 20 insist upon
hotter defence for their industries and larger
markets for thcir products. Nothing else could
do moro for them than a steady and growing
market for flax AT fair prices. which can be
secured only by the encouragement of the man
ufacturc as The pending House bill proposes.
Indeed. the only question n 70 that part of the
bill is whether the duties on linen goods, now
- per cent. which il i proposed TO make 30
per cent with specific duties for goods Of less
than 100 threads 70 the square inch. have been
raised quite enough in Wow of the duties pro-
posed on the material. which are raised from
: and 10 per cent on flax not dressed and
dressed TO II and Ii per cent. Congress
should al least take care that the measure of
encouragement offered this industry. which has
meyer been sufficiently protected 10 live, should
hv no means be lcSScncd. On the contrary,
no duty on flax will be high enough 10 be Of
any benefit 10 the farmers unless accompanied
by duties on goods high enough to insure Il
vigorous development of the manufacture.
Naturally some linen importers object but
il is not exactly fitting if they have raised aS
some state. a large subscription for the pur-
rose of defeating the change proposed. They
have made good thing ont Of the American
market for thirty years. and have proiitcd 10
the extent of some millions every year. be
cause of the stupidity Of Il >cf-goyerning
country which has failed in that respect to de
fcnd its own industry. or TO prefer employment
for its own workers to employment for work.
crs in Europe. Importers have no right to ex-
pect that such remarkable folly would continue
forever. The tim" has come to secure Amcri-
can agriculture a better market for flax. and
that can be done only by hiring American
workers instead OF foreigners to make linens
for this country TO consume.