Mr. FESSENDEN. I do not remember whether it does or not. The Senator can see for himself by turning to the book. What it pays now is not the question. The question is what it ought to pay. The manufacturers said there ought to be a distinction between the two, and that the old metal was sufficiently protected at 3 dollars a ton, but they demanded considerably more on the wrought iron Scrap. I ink we were very liberal to the manufacturers of iron. We increased the duties largely by changing the classification, and we increased them as they demanded, though not quite to the extent they demanded, in putting wrought scrap iron at 8 dollars a ton. We found out afterward, however, when we came to examine the matter, that they had coupled with it a proviso which, from its description of the article, as I said the other day, would absolutely exclude the wrought iron from the country, and thus destroy not only all the advan tage which might be got from its remanufacture; but all the advantage derived by its being picked up in South Aunerica and elsewhere and brought here in our vessels. That we learned before we made the report, and consequently we corrected it. I believe some of them laughed in their sleeves at the idea that they had imposed on the committee in that way. It stood, therefore, as we arranged it, at 3 dollars a ton on old metal, as they asked, and at 8 dollars a ton on old wrought iron, as the Senator now asks. Subsequently we received a communication from the Iron and Steel Association, and we supposed that that association included a considerable number of men engaged in all branches of the iron, business. y the vote they passed they exPressed a desire to have all scrap iron placed at 3 dol lars a ton. It was not known to us whether the men who passed that vote belonged to this or that particular branch of the business; we knew that they were the Iron and Steel Asso ciation. In my simplicity I, supposed they knew what their own interest demanded: I did not assume to know more then they did on such a subject, nor did the other members of the committee, and accordingly we put it all at 3 dollars a ton, as they recommended. That is the history of it. Now, the Senator says that that is in the interest of the rolling mills. The reason why it was done is stated to me by a gentleman who is Present, to whom I have referred before, who knows the facts, and I have never known him to be mistaken in any fact stated as of his own knowledge. He has drawn up a statement of the reasons for this action. Of the correctness of these reasons, how far they should weigh, the Senate will judge; each of the Senators can judge as well as I can, and most of them a great deal better. He says: “The Iron and Steel Association was attendedby a large delegationfrom Pittsburg, who are manufac ptuarneyrs of bar iron, by the agent of the cambria Comat Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the Phoenix Iron Company at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, theScranton Iron Company at Scranton, Pennsylvania, the Tren ton Iron Company, whoarelargeproducers of pigiron, and a large number of flat and bar iron men all through Pennsylvania; and the resolution putting scrap iron at 3 dollars per ton was a concession to the rail mills as they get an advance in duty”– There is no advance whatever in the duty on railroad, iron, and therefore the rail makers get no additional benefit from this bill “ and the other manufacturersof bar and flat iron get an average of $7.5oper ton. In June old rolls were worth in NewYork 43 dollars per ton. The price was run up, by the bar and flat mills, so pt heart in Octoberold rails wereworth 52 dollars ton. he consequencewas that the railroads reaching thesea boardwere selling their old rails at 50 to rails, 52 dollars per ton, and buying English that were only costingthem 70 dollars, or a difference of only 20 dollars per ton between new rails andold rails, whentheseold rails could not be rerolled or manufactured into new rails on the sea board for lessthan 40 dollars a ton, making a saving to the railroads that sold their old rails and imported NewEnglish rails of 20 dollars a ton. “Last year there were imported 64,000 tons of newEnglish rails, and if the importation should continue as it has done the last 3 months there will be over 100,000 tons per year. The increase of duty to will enable them the bar and flat, mills to pay so high a price for old rails that the consequencewill be that the roads on the sea board will not get their old iron rerolled, but will sell that and import NewEnglish rails. It was stated in the convention that this country had not furnacesenough toing manufacturepigiron for the roll mills. Last year there was only imported 13,000 tons of scrap iron against between 3 and 400,000 tonsof newiron.” There is the difference between the importations. Senators, therefore, can judge of the danger there would be of destroying the business of manufacturing pigs. Now, sir, I feel not a particle of interest in this matter. I have no doubt the statements I have just read are true. What influence they should have on the minds of Senators it is for each Senator to say. Bot it is manifest how the thing was done by the Iron and Steel Association. They advised us by their vote, and we supposed that in doing what they asked we were doing what was proper and wise. This is all I have to say on the subject. If the Senate chooses to put the old metal at one dollar a ton higher than all agree was perfectly sufficient to answer the purpose, and to put up the wrought scrap to 8 dollars a ton, on the statement of the Senfrom Michigan, so be it. I do not feel a vast deal of interest in the question now, for I am owith meeting these things day after day. These broad state.ments are reiterated so often, and I have to meet them so frequently, that I begin to feel that I may just as well give up the whole concern and let it slide.