Henry Wilson Storey's History of Cambria County, V.II, p.484

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History of Cambria County, V.2

484 HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

in his integrity and judgment. Men have not hesitated to impart to him the secrets of their business in order that his groupings of facts might have statistical value. Many years ago the late Senator Morrill of Vermont, author of the Morrill tariff and for a long time chairman of the finance committee of the senate, told the writer that he and his colleagues had relied more upon the statistics and the opinions of Mr. Swank concerning iron and steel than upon those of any other man or of most others combined. This was high recognition, but it was only just praise.
    "Mr. Swank has been a broadminded protectionist. He has always been able to see something besides iron and steel, and he has favored reductions in tariffs as well as increases. His scientific mastery of the subject has enabled him to judge wisely what is sufficient, and his judgment has never been based upon a narrow range of facts or upon the experience of a single year, but upon what has become historic tendency.
    "It is hoped that he may long be spared to continue his useful work and that the legacy of his learning and philosophy may never be lost from our laws and public policy.
    "But we desire to add that Mr. Swank's services in the cause of protection have not been confined to his advocacy of the protective policy in the Bulletin and in tariff tracts, or to the information he has communicated to the Congressional friends of that policy. He has been active in opposing every bill that has been presented in Congress during the last quarter of a century which has had for its object the substitution for protective duties of a tariff for revenue only. The Wood Bill of 1878, the various Morrison bills, the Mills bill, and the Wilson bill may be particularly mentioned. Special arguments against these measures were prepared, co-operation with kindred protectionist organizations was encouraged, and manufacturers were aroused to the dangers that confronted them.
    "Under Mr. Swank's management the American Iron and Steel Association has become an accepted authority in all countries upon the statistics, history and development of our iron and steel industries, but he has brought to the Association even a higher honor. He has established for it the reputation of absolute leadership in teaching the world the value of accurate and promptly collected manufacturing statistics. Not until he led the way had accurate and detailed statistics of any great manufacturing industry at home or abroad been promptly collected from year to year by any agency whatever. The British Iron Trade Association was not established until 1875, and its statistical methods were modeled after those of its American prototype. The office of the American Iron and Steel Association is called upon to maintain a large correspondence in addition to the collection of information for its publications. Much of this miscellaneous correspondence is with statistical author-

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484	HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.
in his integrity and judgment. Men have not hesitated to impart to him the secrets of their business in order that his groupings of facts might have statistical value. Many years ago the late Senator Morrill of Vermont, author of the Morrill tariff and for a long time chairman of the finance committee of the senate, told the writer that he and his colleagues had relied more upon the statistics and the opinions of Mr. Swank concerning iron and steel than upon those of any other man or of most others combined. This was high recognition, but it was only just praise. "Mr. Swank has been a broadminded protectionist. He has always been able to see something besides iron and steel, and he has favored reductions in tariffs as well as increases. His scientific mastery of the subject has enabled him to judge wisely what is sufficient, and his judgment has never been based upon a narrow range of facts or upon the experience of a single year, but upon what has become historic tendency. "It is hoped that he may long be spared to continue his useful work and that the legacy of his learning and philosophy may never be lost from our laws and public policy. "But we desire to add that Mr. Swank's services in the cause of protection have not been confined to his advocacy of the protective policy in the Bulletin and in tariff tracts, or to the information he has communicated to the Congressional friends of that policy. He has been active in opposing every bill that has been presented in Congress during the last quarter of a century which has had for its object the substitution for protective duties of a tariff for revenue only. The Wood Bill of 1878, the various Morrison bills, the Mills bill, and the Wilson bill may be particularly mentioned. Special arguments against these measures were prepared, co-operation with kindred protectionist organizations was encouraged, and manufacturers were aroused to the dangers that confronted them. "Under Mr. Swank's management the American Iron and Steel Association has become an accepted authority in all countries upon the statistics, history and development of our iron and steel industries, but he has brought to the Association even a higher honor. He has established for it the reputation of absolute leadership in teaching the world the value of accurate and promptly collected manufacturing statistics. Not until he led the way had accurate and detailed statistics of any great manufacturing industry at home or abroad been promptly collected from year to year by any agency whatever. The British Iron Trade Association was not established until 1875, and its statistical methods were modeled after those of its American prototype. The office of the American Iron and Steel Association is called upon to maintain a large correspondence in addition to the collection of information for its publications. Much of this miscellaneous correspondence is with statistical author-