New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-15

people. DuC III DcilOCIdtS Icluscu, c'ch ioi
the sake of party, to resist the fanaticism In
their districts or to curb the prejudices in their
own minds. and so persisted in their attempt
to debaso the currency. Does that fact recon-
mend tho Democratic party to public conf
dcncc?
THE THRIFT AND THE IRON FORKS.
II was TO be expected that Free Traders
would make all the use they could Of the trouble
i'm the ironworks. FalSchOod must therefore
be promptly refutcd with facts. 1t is commonly
asserted that duties on the products OF the
Homestead works were raised by the Mckinney
bill on the plctonce that it would enable the
employers to pay higher wages, but now wages
are reduced. The truth is that duties on almost
all the products Of the Homestead works, on
beans and all structural iron and steel, on steel
rails. on steel ingots, billetS, etc, costing less
than cents per pound, and on boiler and plate
iron or steel costing less than cents per
pound, were all reduced by the Mckinley bill.
On structural iron and steel and on beams the
reduction was important from 10 cents 10
o Of "A cent per pound. This great change
contributed in some measure 10 the collapse
Of the combination Of steolboam producers,
and the price in this country has dropped very
heavily. On steel rails the reduction was from
81 TO Sl3 IL per ton, and the price mas
scarcely changed, being firmly maintained by
agreement among the producers. On steel
ineotS duties were reduced differently for the
different grades below cost of cents per
pound. OF which the imports in 1890 were
80 900 goo pounds, while the duties were not
changed at all on grades costing between and
: cents per pound but were raised little on
grades costing above cents, the imports OF
all the latter classes exceeding n cost OF cents.
having been only 100000 pounds in 1880.
On plate or boiler iron or steel duties were
lowered on four grades costing less than cents
per pound but were slightly raised on four
grades costing more than 3 cents, the imports
Of either in 1890 having been insignificant.
Thus it appears that practically the entire
| products Il these great works were by the
Mckinley bill required to meet foreign compc-
tition at lower duties than before, while on
scarcely any part Of the products were duties
raised. I'm fact. the workers make this n part
Of their complaint that duties on steel bllets
vcrc reduced. II would be infinitely more
REASONABLE and truthful 10 aScribo the troubles
N Homestead 10 the actual reduction OF duties
on nearly all the products Of those works than
10 an imaginary advance ODD tr'l's. But 1t -
admitted by the leaders Of the men that only
325 workers ont Of $500 employed az the
works were affected By the changes proposed
in WAGES or in the basis, though they claim that
other reductions would have followed If these
had not been resisted.
Tho trouble in tho Western bar iron mills
differs entirely from that at the Homestead steel
Works. I'm the bar mills the question turns
wholly upon the wages for pudding, which
were 81 30 per ton though only ~ 90 to -
was paid at Eastern works, and the manu-
facturcrs wished to be able 10 compete at more
nearly equal terms They therefore proposed
$3.50 per ton, which would have been higher
than stern mills arc paying. with the assent
Of organized labor but the men at Pttsburg
and tho Western mills thought the reduction
too great This change, again. was not due
10 any advance of duties because there was no
such advance The duties on all round iron,
and on all flats less than one inch wide and
| three c ghths of m inch thick. were reduced
tenth of cent per pound by the Mckinley bill,
while the duties on flats of larger size were re-
tanned without any change. Ii cannot be said
in this case. either that any advance Of duty
whatever has affected the dispute about wages.
Whether tho reduction of duties contributed to
cause the proposal to reduce wages. the Free
Traders will be careful not to say
The main fact in this whole controversy Is
that the manufacture has been enormously de-
vclopcd by Protection. so that II is AT Inst able
TO supply without foreign aid n greater con-
sumption of iron than has ever been known in
this or any other country. The number OF men
employed directly and indirectly in this great
industry has more than doubled within ten
years, the product of pig iron being 10000, 600
net tons in 1890 against 1900, 600 in 1880,
and the works for reducing the pig iron 70
various forms for use have increased even moro
largely. The temporary excess of production
over consumption has caused the lowest prices
ever known in the country. Of which consumers
are getting the benefit. Bnt it also forced some
manufacturers to choose between stoppago OF
works and reduction of wages until the con
sumption should catch up again. This tenn
porary excess of production is certain to occur
at times in every great industry, whether pro-
tected or not, and it is The process through
which consumers obtain their full share of the
benefits resulting from industrial progress