Year: 1866

gress of American machinery, and
other improvements in shaping, grind
ing, cutting and tempering files. An
article In the Sheffield Independent Of
March,2, (which we published an
extract o few days ago, says:


"The readiness which the Ameri-
cans show in applying machinery to-
all the arts of production is telling
upon this trade. The discussion
which took place in October last
showed that our manufacturers had
felt the necessity of meeting machine-
ry by machinery most seriously press
ing upon their attention, and now we
have the prospectus of the File Grind
ing Company, supported by our most
important manufacturers, another sig-
nifcant fact pointing in the same
direction. Probably few people can
shut their eyes to the fact that a revo-
luton in the file trade is impending.
Tits useless to deprecate such changes,
but il wise 10 adapt ourselves to them,
and meet them in the way most cal
culated to render them easy to the
people they must affect. If masters
an men frankly cooperate we have.
reason to hope that an immense i'm
petus may be given to the prosperity
of the town. The whole history of
machinery proves, that while it creates
at first some displacement of hands, it
immensely increases the demand for
labor, and the means Of rewarding
it. No trade that has ever gone
through the transition has had reason
to wish that the old state Of things
could be restored. Before machinery
changed our textile trades, they were
mere trifies, and must ever have re-
NAMED such, compared with what
they have since become. The old
Sheffield trades have been more back
ward than the textile trades to use
machinery, and the result is that they
have made comparatively little pro-
gress. If Sheffield were now no
more than the trades in existence
thirty years ago, would have made it,
what different position it would have
been in. The file trade consists of a
very superior body of men. They
have long enjoyed comparatively
easy position, but they cannot be un-
aware of the changes that have taken
place around them, which must bear
upon their trade. If they could
bring themselves to meet fairly the
necessity for the adoption of uachine-
ry, in order that our trade may ex-
pand with the march of civilization
and especially the extension Of rail-
ways in extending the use Of files,
there can be no doubt Sheffield would
secure a much larger part of the
trade Of the world than is possible
without thus reinforcing our produc-
tive power rieo aeSLi as'Bcag


This shows that what the English
are afraid Of is our machinery, and
not our legislation; and that, in the
opinion of the Sheffield people, if the
Americans would rely on brains and
steam or WATERPROOF er, rather than on
protective tariffs and great corpora
tons with high salaries, they are able
to compete in the markets of the
world. We believe that Just in pro-
portion as they do this they may pres
emily control prices, not only for files
and other hardware, but for steel stself
both on this continent and in Europe.


Our readers will judge for them
selves how greatly the prosperity of
the country would be enhanced if we
were as free to buy as to sell always
in the best markets; what an impulse
would be given to the real manufac-
turing interest if employers and en-
ployed were allowed to buy both ma
terials and supplies at their market
price and how easy it would be for
the country to pay Of the national
debt, if the legislation of Congress


were so arranged that the people
would pay it in taxes on their profits,
instead of duties on their necessities.