American Industry At Vienna

We have shown that, notwithstanding the excellencey of our carpets exhibited at Vienna, the protective duty on carpeta of 70 ptfr eent. average, which freight charges, insuranoe, cartage, &c, maka virtually -a protection of 100 per cent., gives our home-made carpets uo foreign market. Only 870 yard oí Americaii carpets were exported during the year 1872. But at the Exposition of Vienna there may be political economista who will look at our carpets and exclaim, " Huw excel' lei is this protection of industry, and " how beautiful upon the rnountains aro " the feet of Higgius and Bigelow ! They " do not seüd their carpets abroad, but " thoy have a monopoly of the market at " home, and no foreign country is enrich" ed with the money of American con" sumers of carpets." Is it eo ? Not only do we import foreJgn carpets largely in spite of our immense duty and charges, but the importation increases steadily year by year, and in 1872 was fully 50 per cent, mere than in 1868. itere are the figures: Quanlilyi Foreign J'rar. yards. cost. 18P8..i...i :,04.',029 $3,430,567 1889 3,471,827 3 8.a,6J0 13M .?, -.69,021 8,l)0,i6S 1-a 4.333, in 4,019,127 187S 4 C54,4e4 8,298,821 So we do not compete in foreign markets at all with our carpets, and foreign carpêt-makets not only ct.mpete with our manufacturera in our own market, but their competition is more formidable every year. Here is a nut for tho Protectionists to crack. They may try to crack it in some such way as this : " You sce, "you blind pretenders, by your own " showing, how poorly the carptit-people " are protected when 70 per cent. duty " cannot keep the foreigners out. The " remedy is anotlier dose of 70 per cent. " on the top of it ;'' or else, " See howr "blind you are in charging the excellent 'Bigelows and the patriotic Higgiftse ■ with being inonopoliste, wheh you your" gelves show how a high duty stimulates " importations." The answer is the simple statement that every household in the Uniteót States which uses carpets pays 70 per cent more for them thaö a household in Montreal or Quebec, aid that notwithBtanding, t)io Protection of 70 per cent. plus, does not protect. It does not protect, simply because the home earpet-inaker has to pay - Tribute on the raw wool ha u?e. Tributo on the raw hemp he uses. Tribute on the dye-stuffs he uses. Tribute on the oil he uses. Tribute on the iron and steel he tfses. Tribute on the very cmery potvcTer with which he polishes thernaehinery ; and, in short, tributa on a hundred different articles that are necessary to tho completas of his product. That tbs pretence of Proteotion io homo industry is a swindle and a fraud let the late troubles and strikes in Philadelphia in the carpot trade testify. Thai the duf y imposed uíider this protence is futile we have now amply shown. The result is on exhibition at Vienna, which no other ation can match - an exhibition of an article in which we excel but wliich we canno export, nor keep ioreign coinpetiiion trom importin, notwithstanding a Protoetion of 70 pet cent. [luw long will the American psople be in learning; that they are swindlt'd too, ia the loog run to nobody's permanent advantaget1 The area of the Stato of MinneRota is mueh larger than the Status of New Harapshire, Massaehusetts, Rhode Islaud aud Connpoiïout combined, and the aiea ot' laitd gnuiis H laüro.uis within her bordere is equal in extent f o the territory of Massaclnisotts. Conneoticut, Ekodo Island and the half of New Hampshire,