Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-04-07

plain 10 even the duIlest intellect that the
lowering in price was not produced by
American tlriff laws bat by some cause
operating generally throughout the world.
When catschised by MIR. Williams of
Mississippi. Colonel Hepburn tried to get
out of the hole by asserting that the fall
ing off in the price of steel was caused by
1.-THE competition of the United States, and
the superior methods of the United States,
and the greater intelligence of the work
men of the United States. stimulated BY
Republican tariff. 3
That bald assertion may satisfy Repub-
lican members of congress and cause
them to applaud. but it will not deceive
any intelligent man elsewhere, for every
body that knows anything of the subject
knows that the principal element in the
reduction Of the price of steel throughout
the world was the invention in 1864 of the
Bessener process of making steel, which
the Scientific American editorialiy de-
clares was and will ever be the greatest
Invention in the history of iron and steel.
The Scientific American continues: BY
this servicea-the use of the Bessemer
converter-.'it was made possible during
an operate of an extremely simple and
inexpensive character and in Rew min
utes time to convert common cast iron
into steel. steel, from costing as high as
6 or Z cents a pound for the common
grades. began steadily to decrease in cost
until in the closing year of the nineteenth
century steel billets in lots of a hundred
thousand tens came to be sold at the rate
of three pounds of steel for 2 cents. The
entrance of the Bessemer converter mark
ed the close of the iron age. and from this
time on steel became the standard ma
terial of construction in all but few
limited classics of work.
''It was not long before the Bessemer
and this fact coupled with the period OF
general commercial prosperity which fol-
lowed upon the close of the civil war,
stimulated the development OF the iron
and steel industry go greatly that by the
year 1872 the total production of pig iron
had increased to 2,548.71S tons"
Unfortunately the gentleman from Iowa
, is entirely wrong in his statements /
wish 1t were true that an American had
Invented the process which has so greatly
cheapened steel, for / would like to see
my countrynlen win all the honors of this
world. I do not believe it is possible for
the gentleman from Iowa, with all his ia
cility of utterance and power of express
sion, to frame a more patriotic sentence
than that, hut the plain truth of history
Is that Henry Bessemer. who invented the
BesSemer process, was an Englishnan
He was knighted for his invention and is
known in history as Sir Henry Bessemer.
# in England men were ennobied for be-
slowing blessings upon people, instead Of
killing thems then Henry Bessener, in
stead of having a baronetcy for his re-
ward, would have had a dukedom for
with the single exception of Lord Bacon
father of the inductive philosophy, he
contributed more to the comfort of his
countrymen and his kind than any other
Englishman that ever lived.
Even Colonel Hepburn. with his dispo-
sff 11aSx, 4I,9- ~,
tective tariff. viii surely not claim that it
was responsible for Sir Henry Bessemer
or for his process of making cheap steel.
That Americans have improved the Bes-
semer process is true, and have thereby
still further cheapened steel-facts at
which we all rejoice, whether Democrats
or Republicans.
The speech of the gentleman from Iowa
from which I have been quoting warmed
the cookies of the heart of the gentleman
from Ohio and caused his face to shine
So, when Colonel Hepburn concluded,
General Grosvenor arose and began his
remarks by saying:
Mr.. Speaker, do not intend in the
time allotted to me or in SO much as
may use to mar the beauty and symme-
try and irresistible logic of the speech Of
the gentleman from Iowa
There hasn't been anything as rich as
that since Rev. DR.. Chadband ceased from
stretching out his arms and unctuously
exclaimed. God bless you, my childreni''
When I was a boy back in the hill coun-
try of Kentucky ! attended horse race
at crossroads villaf A man wanted to
bet and kept bawling. Who will hold the
stakes?" II will hold them,' said a stran-
ger. but who the deuce will hold you?'
inquired the would be bettor.
General Grosvenor Endorsed Colonel
Hepburn's speech, but who Endorsed the
general?
Pugilism in politics appears to be
spreading among our Republican
friends, who have been Boosting so
long and SO much about Harmony,
which they always spell with big.
big III. This year it was first intro
duced into Ohio by the Foraker and
Dick Herrick factions, who at more
than one convention have caused blood
to flow freely. Now the Illinois Re,
publicans are punching each others
head and smashing each others nose
in the most approved fashion of fisti-
ania. The pugilistic style of politics
presents vast possibilities. If the size
Of the fist and the strength of the blow
are TO De the determining factors in
nominating conventions, there is no
reason why James ]. Jeffries, the re-
nowned boilermaker. the conqueror
of James J. Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons,
Thomas Sharkey ct id genus omne
should not capture the presidential
prize at Chicago.
In Texas there are hardly enough
Republicans to hold a state convention
respectable even in size. Nevertheless
and Notwithstanding. when they went
through the farce of holding state
convention recently for the purpose of
electing delegates to the national con-
vention, there was a bolt and two con
ventions, somewhat on the lines of
the Lily Whites and the Black and
Tans Instead of selecting four dele