New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-28


70 the Editor Of The TIL b IL n e.
Sir: have been reading Mr.. Horrs very able let
t.rs on the Tariff and Currency In The InOuhe' anu
wish TO thank you for the great benefit they have peen
N me- His plain and earnest statement Oh lacVS VIII
hs OF inestmable value TO the country at large and
mighty service to the party OF protection ana Souhn
currency Allow me to ask question. have read
=, article In the December Forum" by the Hon.
william T.. Russell, of Massachusetts, According 10
Mr. Russelps statement, the Democratic party OF his
State is making special fight for free raw material IN
ooal wool and Iron ore" Is not tlmt very sellSh
noston for a community or state to assume which Is
irc.lv and indeed almost exclusively engaged In
,nonutact,rng3 suppose the demand were conceded!
old not every community and State which is largely
nd principally engaged IN producing raw materials IN
these articles be justified in demanding the free al
mission OF the products manufactured from those raw
materials II Massachusetts, is interested in the vel
Co.,, NJ her great manufacturing industries is 1t not
dangerous position Tor her TO assume 10 oemahu Tree
raw materials" Respectfully F. p. FRoSI'
Greeley Col Dec. 13 1891.
The point made by the writer of this letter
= nndoubtedly correct. Our New-England free
trade friends are freading dangerous ground.
They are unpatriotic in their clalIor for free
raw, materials" selfish in wishing to sacrifice
large classes of their fellow-citizens TO promote
their own personal prosperity, and needless of
what must follow concerning their own protected
industries if protection Is removed from the
home production of ocalled raw materials
Our free-trade friends are trying to convince
the public that raw materials" ought to De
free No one of them will ever define what he means
nv raw material People do not always stop
and reflect, as they should, how little actually
raw material" there is used in the world Some
one has said that raw material is something
upon which no human labor has been expended
Take the three articles named in this letter
and referred TO by the Governor Of Mvsacla
setts as raw material" coal, wool and iron
ore" l submit that upon little reflection IT
will be perfectly evident TO every sensible p"rson
that there is very little raw material connected
with either of the articles named.
What is there in ton of coal which can prop
crly be called raw matcrial?" The coal as it
lies in the bed, Just as it WIS left by the hand
Of the Creator, is raw material But In that
condition it has little value. The human labor
required TO build roads TO thr mines, to sink the
shaft TO mine the coal, to hit the Jumps 10 the
surface and transport them to the points of con-
sumption, these items make up nearly all the cost
of coal 70 the consumer. These items are ali
human labor So that the value OF every ton Of
coal consumed in New-England contains at least
nine parts work and wages to one part OF raw
material"
Take iron ore There is little raw material"
in a ton Of iron ore. Only the ore as it lies in
the storehouse of nature can be called raw ma
terial that is. the it sleeps in the ground
The price of ton of ore in its untouched con
dition in the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mich
lgan and Pennsylvania ranges from % to so
cents ton. ton of pig-iron which will cost,
laid down in New-Ensland, SIj and upwards, is
all human labor, with the exception of not to en-
coed IS cents in each ton which Is the cost Of the
ore in its natural condition.
Take the other article WOOL The wool produced
in the United States can IN proper sense DE
classed as raw material Men who haze cleared
land, ditched and drained it, stumped and fenced
it, ploughed and titled it, for the purpose of raising
clover and corn with which TO feed their sheep.
would smile at the idea that there is no labor in
wool. The fact is, the great bulk OF that which
gives value 30 every pound Of wool is human toll.
For the particular people in New England who
consume them in manufacturing goods for the
American market, coal, iron and wool are, in a
certain sense, raw material" How short
sighted not 70 he able 10 see that what is raw
material for them is in sense raw material
for the people who mine and transport the coal
and iron and who grow the wool NewEn, land
Democrats Lave fallen into the habit of classify
ing as raw material" everything which they
manufactured goods only such things come out
Of their factories matchmaker at Waltham
will count as raw material for his industry.
hair and main springs which are worth many
thousands Of dollars per ton. They are his raw
material but they are very far from being raw
material 10 tho people who manufacture the
springs. recollect meeting New-England gen
t!cman once who is largely interested III the man
ufacture Of screws. He, too was complaining
because the protective tariff placed duty on his
raw material" | asked him OF what that
material consisted and informed that ne
was complaining of duty placed on steel rods,
a product which represents large amount Of
labor TO every ton Of steel.
1t is strange that free-trade advocates persis-
tently refuse TO understand that the great object
of a Protective Tariff is 10 maintain the blgh
price Of wages established here in the United
States Whenever the wages OF this country
are brought directly into competition with the
lower wages in the Old World. the Protective
system steps in and enables the people here to
paw better wages and still find market for their
goods at home The philosophy of Protection
leads us, on the other hand, TO put upon the free
list all articles except luXuIieS INTO winch
American labor does not enter as an element Oh
cost Consequently, articles which are not pro-
duced in this country, into which American laoor
has not entered, put on the free list Even
New-England Democrats stand up and favor a
tariff on their finished goods Will some one OF
them be kind enough TO tell me why the men who
produce worsted or knit.woOllen goods should be
protected against the cheap labor Of England.
any more than the men who raise American wool
should be against the cheap labor and lands OF
Australia and South America?
1t is very nice TO have the United States pro-
ducng all the highly finished steel goods Of New
England; but it is just as important TO have
produced in this country the expensive steel rods
and steel ingots from which these finished steel
goods are produced.
This constant talk about cheap raw material
is clap-trap. 1t usually means THIS ana nothing
more They MOnld like % buy free Of duty