The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1902-11-14
Hon. Abram S. Hewitt on Free
Trade and Reciprocity.

|
orable Abram S. Hewitt was written,
as its date shows, thirty-two years
ago, under the following circum-
stances:
Steel rails at the first develop
ment of that manufacture had been
admitted into this country on an ad
valorem rate of As per cent. Gas
manufactures of steel not otherwise
provided for" This duty was
thought by ninety five Presidents
and managers of our railroads not
to be high enough to properly en-
courage the manufacture of Bes-
semer steel rails in this country, and
they united in memorial to the
Finance Committee of the Senate
of the United States and the Com
mittee of Ways and Means of the
House of Representatives, which
says:
We as users of steel rails and trans
porters Of the food and material for
American manufactures and their
numerous employees and skilled labor
erS do not desire to be dependent ex-
, cIusively upon the foreign supply, and
therefore join in asking that instead
! of the present ad valorem duty spec
itic duty Of 2 cents per pound be
} placed upon this article.
As soon as this action was taken
{ the English manufactures prepared
/ a memorial protesting against the
proposed increased duty on steel
rails. Mr.. Jay Gould, then pres
. ident of the Erie road, who was one
of the signers of the memorial to
, the committees mentioned above,
being requested to sign also the
|. memorial of the English manufac'
, lures, wrote to Abram S. Hewitt,
ESQ.,, January 26, 1870, saying.
> after referring to the last mentioned
, memorial:
q ut seems to me that our policy
:, should be to foster aud encourage
+! home products, rather than open ou
e markets to such a formidable compe
i titlon as would inevitably result from
the reduction of duty so strongly
: urged in the memorial" adding tina
by Protecting the manufacture of stee
rails In this country we would 10
largely the gamers in the long run
for the ca apital invested would all b'
kept 10 the country, our operative
would find constant and lucrativ
employment, and the general effec
upOu our business could not fail to b'
beneficial. am at loss TO perceiy
why we should contribute so large a.
amount annually to build up the trad
and manufactures of foreign countrie
while our own interests are sacrifice
by just so much"
Mr.. Hewitt replied:
New York, January q, 1870. ia
Gould, ESD, President Erie Railwa
Company.-D Sir L beg leave t
acknowledge the receipt of your favo
OF 26th inst, and to state that | no
only fully concur with the view
which you express i'll regard TO th
duties on steel aud iron rails, but al
at a loss to add anything which Wi
make them more forcible; and
- venture to suggest that you will allo'
5 me to send a COW ot vour letter to th
I Committee of Ways and Means.
81 The fact is That steel and iron rail
5 can be Made In suitable localities i
I this country and notably on the lin
{ of the Erie Railway-with as littl
) labor as in any part Of the world; an
the only reason why we pay more 10
American rails is because we pay
higher rate for the labor which is re
auired for their manufacture, but 70
no greater quantity of labor. Free
Trade will simply reduce the wage
of labor to the foreign standard
which will enable US to sell our rail
in competition with foreign rails;but
as a matter of course, the ability o
the laborer to consume will be re
duced, and serious loss be infiicte,
, on commerce, general industry an,
the business of the railways especial
lly. The only reason why a Tariff
,, necessary is to supply the lahore
\ with such wages as will enable him b
= travel and consume not merely tn
necessaries but some of the lDXurie
. of modern civilization.
Besides, if we have Free-Trade, W
cannot ex, ect to procure our supple
from abroad by increased shipment O
II | RTdlu, lOl dllCa0l bhO GNiOpSoh hlo
y kets take from us all that they re
ouire, and no amount Of purchase o
goods from them will induce them {
buy more food than they need, an
which they now take as matter o
necessity. Faithfully yours,
ABRAM S. HEWITT.
We do not know of any documen
that Protectionists can paste i
his hat to better advantage tha
this letter of Hon. Abram S. Hew
lit, as it answers so fully the claim
} of Free Traders and those who ar
advocating reciprocity.
All our readers know that MI
Hewitt is now advocating that Free
Trade, by which ''we cannot expeC
to procure our supplies abroad b
increased shipments of gram" an
-, the story that Mr.. Hewitt wa
changed from a Protectionists TO
Free-Trader through the argument
D-1I