The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-13
HOW OUR SENATORS
 CAN HELP DISTRICT

the tariff question in all it's practical bearings. has written for The Age-Hera1d the following timely article:
 The new president of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. Frank Nelson, Jr., in his inaugural address a few weeks ago, stated that 1t would be the purpose of the chamber to bring 100 new manu- featuring establishments to Birmingham in the next 12 months Should he sue- eeed in accomplishing even a half of the task he has outlined for himself he will have rendered a great public service, and will have contributed much toward in- creased pay rolls. trade and population.
 Birmingham was founded upon the man ufacturing Idea. It lives and has it's be- ing as the center of a manufacturing dis trict It possesses great natural resources and it is gradually acquiring population that has become trained as operatives in manufacturing establishments It's rail roads radiate in every direction. and dis criminations which have heretofore ex isted in freight rates are gradually be- ing removed.
 The chief drawback to Birmingham as a manufacturing center is the lack of a supporting population in it's own imme- diate territory. The greater part of the pig iron manufactured in the Birming- ham district is sold in the central west and on the Atlantic seaboard. The same condition is true to a large extent as to cast iron pipe, although the market for this product extends to the Pacific coast Cuba, the Philippines Islands, Mexico and other foreign countries The finished product Of the greatest importance now produced in the Birmingham district Is steel rails. The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company has a large, modern plant at Ensey, and has six iron fur naces at that point whose output ia chiefly absorbed by conversion into bil- lets for the rail mill. This plant has just resumed operations after having been closed down for more than a month, al though enough basic iron has been accn- muiated to make unnecessary the relight- ing of the fires in the blast furnaces now. Offlclal announcement has been made that enough orders for rails have been re- ceived to keep the mill running for ahout 20 or 25 days. and it is hoped before the expiration of that time other orders will De forthcoming which will justify the blowing in of all the blast furnaces. as well as the operation of the steel mill.
 The operation of these plants at Ensley IS a matter of tremendous importance to the Birmingham district, and indirectly Uy fofo enterprises in the Birmingham district particularly those which turn out a f1n- 1shed product, like steel rails, are more concerned in the tariff than any north ern mills can possibly be. Take steel rails for example; Birmingham cannot shin them very far north as 1t comes into competition with the Maryland Steel com pany's mills at Sparows Point, Md, with ocean rates; with the mills in Pennsvl- Vania, and with the new plant of the Steel corporation at Gary. Nor can Rir mlngham ship rails very far west, as we soon reach point where the freight rates rom Gary are as favorable as from Bir- mingham. Our territory, therefore. ia restricted to the South Atlantic and Gulf states and those states bordering upon
 
 reached the Senate from the House. the Dlngley duty of s7.s4 on steel rails had been reduced to s9.e2. Should the bill nnally become law, carrying this low duty on steel rails, the territory of the Ensley mill would be very much cur tailed and its operation probably spas- modic.
 I ic
 although New England as section is not interested in the manufacture of steel rails and other steel and iron products. has agreed to vote for a duty of s504 on steel rails, provided two southern sen ators will join him in voting for such a. rate. This would be a reduction of 8a per cent from the Dingley rate. which seems to us would be sufficient to avoid aolng violence to democratic principles and would certainly give no cause for of fense to low tariff advocates.
 The people of Alabama, it may be as- stunned, are not as much concerned inst now as to whether railroads pay s2O or szS per ton for rails, as they gre in the operation of idle plants, coal and ore mines, and restoration of general pros- perity throughout the mineral district A tariff of S5oi on steel rails is. if ,s he lieved. just about sufficient to protect our local market, and it should be nar- ticularly borne in mind that mills in Ala hama arc much more directly affected by tariff reductions than are mills To- cated a. interior points like Gary. whose pest protection lies In the transportation rates from the seaboard, and fin proximity to markets.
 This country has been committed nrac- tically to tariff policy for more than a century and neither of the great po- htical parties would dare seriously to advocate free trade. The majority of the dominant political party favors a pro- tectiye tariff, and the insurgent element of that party, while advocating reduced tarif duties, coes not discard the protec- tive principle. All of the democrats favor a tariff for revenue and many of them recognize the principle of incidental pro- tection, particularly in the case of com modities in winch their own states are directly interested. For instance. Senator Tillman, who Is certainly nat a prote, tionist. recently advocated a duty on tea. with view of stimulating tea culture In South Carolina. Senator Daniel bos announced that he stands for protectio1 of any industry in which the state of Virginia is interested The Louisiana sen- ators have voted against a reduction If the duty oit sugar, and the Alabama sen