New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-25

today, end b sim growing ct the rate o. hos ~
nom average Of nearly half million year. snee sno
installation Of our war tariff thirty years ago. M.n
her gradual loss Of our markets for steel ana arsoV
for IRON aha haa rsneA enough In the markets OF the
world-vhfch means. mainly, in her own colonies
to Keep up hor progress though with greatly nuctua"
Ing, and to that extent unsatisfactory. business
Tho United states, in 1910. was largely ut the mercy
Of the European iron-makes and pfoouoeo Dus "
quarter or . fifth much Is Great br's.n e
latter continued to grow, the United states 70 suuer
without growth, until the installation OF INC 49,
tariff" when an astonishing change took paco' NoA
Ut the chart Progress began, ana u ooh'nao "
o steadily increasing rate Of growth. ana VIVA y
stcadier market than had Great Britain, even t'uen
she had the "arkets Of the world open 70 nei' enu
II has never yet fallen OF In either amount VI pV
duction or extent OF scoclefatlon OK tls sfo"su.
spite Of falling prices, country has ocen cone.
acquiring this vitality essential element OF ponu0A
Independence; until now iron and steel are eheapv'
in markets than are the same metals IN .no w
sh markets each being gaugcd by the value OF iaoo'
the state Of the general Market In it, own proSuo
We are independent Of the world OUT saieV -,
nation Il BY thus much made absolute. ana thls
particular bit Of fortune Il gained NOW let us Wy
keep It'll
In fifteen years from tho date Of tho inauguration
OF our tarif-wlich hos now been seen to nave ooho
not only much to bring rs safely through .h"'
troubous period Of internal strife, but nnsuspec'eu
probably by either its friends It's enemies VINO sun
attack It, 50 much to insure that no less Necessary
Industrial victory this tariff has been seen I'd nav
given us q atc Of production increase equal 10 sa'
of Great Britain In o generation-n small peroo AZ
the life Of q nation or of q great industiy-it mas
given MS equality of production with and even, D.
last, an excess over. that once king ana tyr"h' "
the worlds industries and to-day we arc making more
iron and steel than Britain while the prosperity
Of our country, gagged BY its rate OF increase
greater than even that Of the great na'ion Whch VIC
have so good reason to envy and to accept as n'ai
though we may we'll hope always rrenoiy one
Our progress since the imposition Of the war 1aFih
has been moro satisfactory IN growth more free from
dangerous and costly fluctuations: 1t has insured an
element of safety against all possible enemies, ana OF
inderendence in making treaties ana exchanges wiz"
our friends and 1t has insured greater ability to help
the less favored among them and US. we e"oeu'S
have much to be thankful for in this aspect OF tne
e1ects ~ the war tariff" and even the airy veilder
OF abstract economical maxms may feel that, ater
all ue can afford TO let well enough Mone' II ne
cannot 90 ouite to the length Of indorsng the new
tariff.
craft by scrutinizing the German line OF producton I
the Same period. In earlier days the GERMAN hsuoh
"was not; but Germany, as an industrial unit was
subject as was our own country, TO the dominauon Oh
Great britain. in spite Of the fact that she had Iron
oas incl, all the requisites for industrial independence
as An element always Of political independence
under her own soil, and was only, In any serious 10
eree at q disadvantage through the cartier no
velopment OF the business In Great Brltain anu
through the earlier development IN bri'ain VI
the work OF the great inventors. Germany Do
80. nation and nut on q mild tariff. Her
nrooress from that time up to about 1880 was such
as 70 give us line parallel to that OF the Uniteo
states for similar series OF years butt unfortunaey
there then came into play, as Mr. North mas sa'o' e
preponderant influence OF the German professors "o
AZ the time OF the tariff revision, insisting on "hat
they called untaxed raw material. secured ou'y y
onlv 40 As tom Look at the chart ana see no" inc
Inn a. once swings of from the direction previously
taken Contrast with that for the United states ana
observe how promptly Germany loses her independence
for all this growth is but the gradual gain OF hef own
market to her own producers, and insuring tat In war
time she shall DO able to make her own iron AIN s'e'
tho bread Of NE to tho nation.
BLESSING IN DISGUISE.
Now what are the lessonsi Are they not that our
war tariff was blessing in disguise; that VIC nave
hem enabled to gain while friends over the water
have not suffered that tariff. once Imposed. snouia
he held until independence Is not only assured, but
until Wa can safely open gates to the world that
tho Laws Of finance hold Just exactly and indis-
nutabv in this realm Of industry and commerce. that
our proper and only safe Is to adhere TO 1t until
VIC shall have become able to supply our own people
in all the essentials Of both political ana industrial
tndependence; until natural industries are maze
permanently safe and diversified to the NH OF their
natural extent7 We have become independent OF the
uo-,d ve are making all the iron substantially that
we need We have begun to make the most OF our
natural advantages we are In . position from WHICH
We can at least look upon the world with more So
curity than 1T any other period OF our history TINS
wear we are making about 10 900 900 tons OF ron VIC
have passed the record Of Great Britain with the
a
creasnR our production and consumption-for none
OF this tremendous mass OF manufactured Iron goes
ont od our own msrkets-and are gaining at rato
vastly exceeding that Of other nation, and enor
mousy greater than that OF Britain greater and lesser
combined. This means that our people can use q
larger proportion OF these most precious OF metals
that consequently using 800 and more pounds OF iron
per CAPITA they are most prosperous people the
plobe that they are increasing In wealth, In pros
perity in comfort in power, and In safety and inde
pendence faster than any nation In the world; that
they are where 1t only depends upon themselves,
through wise and prudent and safe legislation to make
their independence and safety permanent.
Hereafter the growth Of our iron and steel indus
tries will presumably be somewhat moro than in pro-
portion to our increase in population. Great Britain
has taken tho second place, but she leads the rest
of tho world in all these particulars. We may well
ourselves on both counts, for It Is the
assurance of the prosperity Of the race and that the
world shall be led constantly In an onward and up
ward track that viii follow closely the fluctuations
OF the curves In chart.
Our new tarih is by means to DO taken rs an
ideal in any respect, but it seems sufficiently obvious
that our task is not to reform It by destroying It,
as our idealists and pseudo-economlsts would have
us: but rather to keep 1t constantly under super
vision and steadily to revise 1t in such manner that
q NAV at once secure us our independence. and yet
hermit the steadyng effect Of the markets Of the world
and the productive power of other nations to take
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