"pennsylvania's Humiliation

" Ihe discussion of tho Free-trade issue now proccoding in the newspapers gives opportunity to certain organsof tho shain Republican party in this Sta:e to repeat the oft-mouthed catch-words of the demagoguea who from time to time have mude the Wiff a political hobby. Th,ey throw the facts and logic of political económica to the dogs and content themselves by charging upon their adrertaries in politics what they stupidly imagine the poople regard as a wicked politicol hcresy, to wit, belief in and sympathy with the doctrina of Free The fact that a wondroús chango for the benefit of the loading interest in tho manufactures of Pemisylvaiiia, the production of iron in its viiriuus form, has been wrought within the last two years cannot be dispníed or ignored. l'he market value of pigit-on has been almoSt doubled d uring thiit pcriod, with r.o increase in the cost of production. Tbis is owing laiely to the greatly augmented demand for uianufuctured iron, produced ly tho construction of new liuiis of railway, the revivstl of non ship building in this country, and the extensive use of iron in the building Of iiouscs and bridges, and partly to the tact that the cost of producing-pig-iron in England and Seotland has been grc-atly euininced. The fact is that British iron no longer competes with the American manufacture, aod coüld not hold its own in oiir marketif tho duty of $ü 80 per ton on pig-metal wereblotted out of taritf sebedule. In proof of this let it be remenibered that in 1809 the duty wa89 por ton and in 1870 it wasreduced to 7. A íearful howl went up fioni the advocates of Protection when this roduction was luade, but the xrice of pig-iion rose nevertheless. About one yeaf ugo a further reduction ot' 70 cents por toii wa mude by Congrcss, und again tbo pro phets of evil piedictefi a disastrous effeo apon tlu; iron interest. But to-ditv the bo.st quality of American pig is quote in thu New York market at üO per ton and the poorest at $10, against $33 aiu ■2lj respectively when the duty was $1 ■J'er ton : and instead of " British paupei labor" crowding t)ie American manufacturer to tlio wiill, as was prophosicd by tüe protectionists would happeo in the event of the roduction on the tarilF, Büropean consumers of iron are glad to becöme paruhaeert of the American product. fSo oompletelv are the tables turnöd and so well is the transposition of the Corruer conditiona of the iron trade betweeti Ibis country1 and Euvope understood abroad, that ÍGreign capital is now seeking iiivestnient n oro tracts and furnaoes in the United States. Nor must we omit to mention the fact that, uotwithstiinding the glooiny forebodings of liic prcteutionists a year ago, wheu the duty on bituminous coal was reduecd t'rom - I . - ■" to 7 cents per ton,.neither the uarrying eompaniea nor tiïe operators liare tuffeted to any visiblo extent. " Such being the faets, the necessity for protective duties, granting for the sitke of the argument tliat such necessity for. merly existed, has ped: Takin the plan of the anthor ot' the ' American gys tem' as our guide, and adheriug strictl to the theory of the old-time protection ists, we ftnd no Jonger any valid reason- nay, not even a decent excuse- for th pereisteut clamor with which certainsell appointed champions 3f Penusylvania manufaotnrefl assail the public ear in be half of a protective tariff. The pride o: every true l'ennsylyanian revolts at the pitii'ul Spectaole presented from year to year by our delegation in Congresa standing like so many organ-grinders begging a contribution from the public, or, to make the figuro more classical, as if each manufaeturer in the State represeutód by tbem wers a blind Bt-lisarius ihing the üovernnieut for au oboJus. ishaU not this have an end, now hit the ron mcn oí' Ponnsylvania conrol American murket and are about tirow down the tfiiuntlet to British aaaufecttarers iu tlio markets of tho .- Thank öod PeanylTania is no longLT a beggar. In spite oï' tho lamonj Ltiijiis of the Jort'miuha of Prutection ; in spite of the hypocritioal uluiation of Éhe dematrognes who Beek to turn tlin tanff to partisn.n uses; in spite of the in, satiable cupidity ot' those who aro not satisfice! witb tho -highest prosperity, proud oíd Pennsylvanw wiil no longcr bow the kaee to the Baal of' Protection nor crawl in the mire tr crave nlms ftom the tariff thinkers in Ccingress." Beoretary 'Langden, of the Milwaukee Chamberof Commeroe, ia authority fer the statement, that 43,355,000 bushels of whest , including fiour, had been receivcd at Milwaukeo and Chicago and other P4'!1uS-Up to May 31st last fraa the erop ot 187u iu the tour Breat wheat-producing fetales of the Kurthwest, lllnu.i, Wwconsm, Iowa and Minnesota, which together with tho cstimated ainounts for food in these States, k-aves an available surplus ííül to come forward betwèan the hrst oí June and the incoming of next liarvest I6,t22,000 bushels in wheat and flour.