The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

Transcription

Letterhead of Edison laboratory at Orange, N.J. 
While not I do not pretend to know much about political economy or the effect of tariff still taking a broad view of the matter I think we are doing quite well with the present tariff – I do not see any sen horse sense but since we have a tariff [as a matter?] or understand if our present prosperity is due to the tariff or to the fact that we are the first comers in a very rich country and are getting the first pickings & would be just as prosperous without the tariff protection. because for the reason that I have not I cannot say because I have not studied the matter, but it seems to me we would it would be better to leave tariffs it as it is, if [the?] must any [illegible] be as they are.  This whole agitation seems to the many thousand dead beats who want an office. There too many there is a mob of people in this Co who are crazy on the subject of obtaining an office of some kind and must have some particular thing to howl about  The tariff [be?] being Having run short of subjects that they can have that degree of complication necessary to fool the populace on, they [illegible] one of the [illegible] one of the parties seizes the tariff because if there is anything that will give a liar full play to his vocation its the effect of a change in the most complicated of all human things, “Commercial Equilibrium –” I have seen circuliars sent out by both parties containing falsehoods the authors of which are Either Knaves or fools the most cheeky misstatements & editorials & communications which were the zero centrigrade of mental mediocrity. No matter who how any particular industry is protected, the commercial struggle in this Co has reached such a point that the prices will soon be cut down to a point where the total investment will not pay but 6% when it falls below that Capital tries to make up the deficiency by Cutting the wages of the operatives, the men kick and have a strike, the strike, generally fails & are supposed to general fail, but while they directly fail they indirectly succeed by making it costly and unpleasant for the mfr to [illegible] keep his earnings up to the of the 6% point by this method, I apprehend that in very many industries if the tariff was taken off now the profit a mfr makes per day off of Each workman is very small, but is sufficient to earn the aforesaid 6% – therefore if a manfr in Newark only pays 1/2 the wages as a similar one in NYork, & both go into Cutting prices it looks to me that the NYork workman is go will would soon be out of a job without he works for as low wages as his Newark colaborer because the small profit from each man made by the mfr is and you totally inefficient to give him any appreciable relief – if he received it some people howl about monopolist & rich man take Carnagie [Carnegie] for instance, if Carnagie had a small iron work employing 50 men & made 20 C a day off each, his income would be 3000 per year and he would be a staid citizen & nothing would be said but because he has brains and great organizing capacity, ever on the outlook to take advantage of natural oportunities conditions he employs 20000–men and makes a million a year he is a dangerous man to the Community. I dont believe Carnagie made his money by the tariff he might have made a little more money by the tariff so did his men. Carnagie would make money in any business The master of any business no matter how much the Competition The great masters of industry have their greatest fields in trades where the most consumption & competition in trades exist where Consumption is is the greatest because as long as the poorest Least efficient of the several thousand Competitors can exist he can thrive, if by better management greater output & diminished genl Expenses  if many go to the wall, the supply diminishes, the prices advance & he makes still more money. howling against men of this stamp is like putting a premium on mediocrity – & why this should be censurable I cannot understand
however a billion horsepower of wind made to articulate wont alter any natural Law either mentalor material.
As far as the tariff Concerns myself any change in the tariff on iron ore would give me a great deal of trouble. I have the 2nd largest ore crushing mill in the world at Ogden NJ concentrating The Country rock of the New Jersey Highlands These rocks which contain a small quantity of magnetic iron crystals scattered through the feldspar occur in vast bodies and I have undertaken to make obtain from this waste rock, [illegible] by crushing & magnetic devices pure iron ore, – owing to the small quantity of iron in the ore rock the margin per ton is very small but by a great output the works are being made to pay [orders?] The only competitor is foreign ore if the tariff is taken off – The beautiful scheme of making the highlands of Jersey alive with along its 60 miles of length alive with industry will get a black Eye about 7 miles in diameter, and the inha- Habitans thereof will go back to planting beans in isolated Earth spots with their shot guns with a shot gun, & I can turn the works into a sanitarium for Liver complaint, as it is asserted by the inhabitants around there that the mine water is a sure cure for Liver complaint, as one of the oldest miners when he died had to have his Liver killed with a club. Had there been no tariff I should not in all probability attacked the problem but since there was a tariff which with a margin which would permit the industry to live, I attacked & solved it now these political shysters Howlers come along and want to disturb the whole thing – I understand that [illegible] the South where about 2/5 of all the ore in the US is situated are for a change in the tariff it will be a beautiful experiment. I almost wish they would try it on for a while then the same men require to be could plant [illegible] Cotton retain their ore [mining?]  & use the surface for Cotton. and the planting cotton fields over the iron deposits. 
after they have had 2 or 3 years of it they may be like the Dude who was kicked by mule – who on recovering his senses asked his father if he would be as good looking as he was before whereupon the old gent replied that perhaps he wouldnt be as good looking but he’d know a d----d sight more. by what peculiar [illegible] [operation?] human being can figure out a benefit to himself Causing by paying a premium to others to go into Competition with him I have been talking with some of the Laborers around the mill in the last few days to just see how much they knew about the tariff – the net results was astounding. they mental reasons were on a par with the Irishman who bet another $5 that he Could put him in his hod & walk around the top of a six story building safely after a great deal of the bet was made, and after the ticklish journey the Irishman got out of the hod & said Well Tim you won the money but them two times your foot slipped I had great hopes. I do not pretend to know much about political economy or the effect of tariff, or understand if our present prosperity is due to the tariff or to the fact that we are the first comers in a very rich country and are getting the first pickings and would be just as prosperous without protection, but it seems to me that it would be better to leave tariffs as they are. There is a mob of people in this country who are crazy on the subject of obtaining an office of some kind and must have some particular thing to howl about. Having run short of subjects that have that degree of complication necessary to fool the populace, one of the parties seizes the tariff, because if there is anything that will give a liar full play to his vocation it's the effect of a change in the most complicated of all human things, "Commercial Equilibrium." I have seen circulars sent out by both parties containing most cheeky misstatements and editorials and communications which were the zero of mental mediocrity. No matter how any particular industry is protected, the commercial struggle in this country has reached such a point that the prices will soon be cut down to a point where the total investment will not pay but 6%; when it falls below that, capital tries to make up the deficiency by cutting the wages of the operatives; the men kick and have a strike; the strikes are supposed to generally fail, but while they directly fail they indirectly succeed, by making it costly and unpleasant for the manufacturer to keep his earnings up to the 6% point by this method. Now the profit a manufacturer makes per day on each workman is very small, but is sufficient to earn the aforesaid 6%. Therefore, if a manufacturer in Newark only pays half the wages paid by a similar manufacturer in New York, and both go into cutting prices, it looks to me that the New York workman would soon be out of a job, without he works for as low wages as his Newark colaborer; because the small profit from each man made by the manufacturer is totally inefficient to give him any appreciable relief if he received it. Some people howl about monopolists and rich men. Take Carnegie for instance; if Carnegie had a small iron works, employing 50 men, and made 20¢ a day off each, his income would be $3,000 a year, and nothing could be said; but because he has brains and great organizing capacity, ever on the outlook to take advantage of natural conditions, and employs 20,000 men and makes a million a year, he is a dangerous man to the community. I don't believe Carnegie made his money by the tariff. He might have made a little more money by the tariff; so did his men. Carnegie would make money in any business. The great masters of industry have their greatest fields in trades where consumption and competition are greatest, because as long as  the least efficient of the several thousand competitors can exist they can thrive, by reason of better management, greater output and diminished general expenses. If many go to the wall, the supply diminishes, the prices advance, and the great masters of industry still make more money, and why this should be censurable I cannot understand. However, a billion horse power of wind made to articulate wont alter any natural law, either mental or material  As far as the tariff concerns myself, any change in the tariff on iron ore would give me a great deal of trouble. I have the second largest ore crushing mill in the world at Ogden, N. J., concentrating the country rock of the New Jersey Highlands. These rocks which contain a small quantity of magnetic iron crystals scattered through the feldspar occur in vast bodies, and I have undertaken to obtain from this waste rock, by crushing and magnetic devices, pig iron ore. Owing to the small quantity of iron in the rock the margin per ton is very small, but by a great output the works are being made to pay. The only competitor is foreign ore. If the tariff is taken off, the beautiful scheme of making the highlands of Jersey along its 60 miles of length alive with industry will get a black eye about seven miles in diameter, and the habitants thereof will go back to planting beans with a shot gun, and I can turn the Works into a Sanitarium for liver complaint, as it is asserted by the inhabitants around there that the mine water is a sure cure for liver complaint, as one of the oldest miners when he died had to have his liver killed with a club. Had there been no tariff I should not in all probability have attacked the problem, but since there was a tariff with a margin which would permit the industry to live, I attacked and solved it. Now these political howlers come along and want to disturb the whole thing. I understand that in the South, where about two-fifths of all the ore in the United States is situated, the people are for a change in the tariff. It will be a beautiful experiment – I almost wish they would try it on for a while – planting cotton over the iron deposits.  After they have had two or three years of it they may be like the dude who was kicked by a mule, and who on recovering his senses asked his father if he would be as good looking as he was before, whereupon the old gent replied that perhaps he wouldn't be as good looking , but he'd know a d----d sight more. I have been talking with some of the laborers around the mill in the last few days, to just see how much they knew about the tariff. The net result was astounding. Their mental reasoning was on a par with the Irishman who bet five dollars with one of his countrymen that he could put him in his hod and walk around the top of a six story building safely. The bet was made and after the ticklish journey the Irishman got out of the hod and said: "Well Tim you won the money, but be gorra [begorra] thim two times your fut slipped I had great hopes."