Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-05-24

hlDA1, NJ ~ Y 20, 1871.
THE PROTECTIVE TARIFF
LAWS ARE DOOMED.
That the American tariff laws are
destined to extinction in spite of
greedy aud unpatriotic senator's,
whether Republicans, or Democrats,
. is. ms certain as the, Operation of the
laws jofsgravit,iti5s. They are dying
II sSsinches,e and their,fule lies in our
cuftailihg of agriculture and level
g opment. OF manufacturing aud in the
turn Of tue American PEG
pie. stimulated und encourage by our
free institutions.
We recently published mn inter
view with Mr.. Clement A. Gliscom.
president OF the international Nnvi-
CATION Company, in Which he said
several interesting things What he
said III regard to the relative cost of
construction of ships here and abroad
applies to many manufactures out
side of ship yards. He snil: The
cost OF marine construction is rapid
~ BIZ g lowered here to point
which will make shil hiding in
American yards profitable. do not
mean by this that wages are being
reduced, but that the perfection of
machinery is lowering the cost of
materials, and that the addition a.
cost of labor is partly overcome by
American cXct Hence of workman
slip" We Lave other evidence upon
this point which we reserve for an
other article. This is fact of the
last Importance, and it applies to all
industries. Reduction in tho cost of
materials is reducing selling prices
OF the articles produced and leaving
wages good also. The higher wages
here are more OF less offset bv the
superior excellence of the American
workman and the greater use of Ia
Dor saving machinery.
We have heretofore pointed out
that the developments III agriculture
In other parts of tie world have de-
prived us of the semi monopoly of
agricultural products which We so
long enjoyed. A brief examination
OF the figures in the caeo sheds an
interesting light upon 1t,
The yields of Il @ cereal crops in
1880 and 1890, as estimated by tho
Bureau of Agriculture, were us fol-
lows:
1880. 1890.
Wheat, BUSH, 40S, $40 900 462, sc, 900
Corn, bush, 1,717 ,434, COO ,56s. S74 ,OCO
Oats, bushels 4l7,SS5,O0O 536, GS5 600
Total bushels 1888, 60S. 900 2,5O7. GOO 900
The population OF the country it,
creased between 1880 and 1890 70,
50O,OONpr 25 per cent, while thes :
crops fell off 5 per cent.
We now take from the New York
journal of Commerce some exceed.
lngly interesting figures bearing up
on the development of manufactures
In the same period (between 1880
and lSo0) the consumption of an
thracite conl, one of the greatest
sources OF industrial power rose So
per cent. The production of pig
iron, the chief raw material used in
the construction of industrial and
transportation appliances, increased
100 per cent. The raw material used
IN the manufacture of onr cotton
manufactures shows q gain of 3S Der
cent. The Quantity of raw silk us. d
in the production of silk goods rose
139 per cent. The ilnportations of
raw jute show an expansion of II
per cent, aud. in brief. with the ex
ception of the WOODEN trade, the tex
tile industries show an increase of
production in ratio corresponding
to the foregoing figures. The cen
sus returns show that the total value
OF manufactured products were, in
1880. So, 100000, against So, 1863.
OJO,O00 in 1880, which is an increase
during this decade of IA per cent.
upon comparison of the value of
products. The increase of capital
employed in the industries has been
in a much higher ratio, the total
having risen from S2,70O, O0O, 900 in
1880 to S6,524.0O0, 600 in 1890, or at
the rate of 134 per cent. The dis.
parity between the ratio OF incr ase
in capital employed and in the og.
gregate value of product, which is SO
Obvious, is to be attributed pnnci-
pally to the fall in prices which oc.
CURED in the interval, from which it
IS to be legitimately inferred that the
lerease in the quantity OF products
whis exceeds Ma nsat of their value,
our capacity for 6aso testimonial to
ufaotures. ment in man.
ihe following table ifh.
a. trihtti IN of heincreass lf i,a O.; the