The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-11-03
THE DEMOCRAT.
The Great American Salt De-
pOsits.


The positive discovery of an enor.
nous bed of rock-salt on the Canadi'
an shore of Lake Huron puts entire
ly out Of combat Senator Sherman's
recent and characteristic assertion
that 8 duty on salt was of no conse'
quence TO the Western States, because
no foreign salt could there compete
with the protected" article. The let
ter we published on SATURDAY. from
one of our own correspondents amp
ly proves that the Canadian deposits
is one of the most extensive in the
world. 1t Is already known to reach
at least forty miles in q direction
nearly from north to south, while
nothing Is known of its breadth from
east to west. It undoubtedly Is TO be
found far beyond the extreme points
of the present discoveries. Its area
is far gre ater than that ofthe famous
saIt mines near Cracow, which are
known to have been worked ever
since the beginning OF the twelfth
century, and extend over q space of
about one mile and seven fuulongs in
length by six and half furlongS in
breadth.
Practically, the Canadian deposits
are einexhaustible. The brine from it
isalways near the point tofsslination;
1t improves in proportion to the in
crease ofits use and the salt made
from it Is the whitest and best yet
known in commerce The ease with
which the manufacture can be carr
ried on and the facilities of shipment
to the ports of the upper great lakes
indicate that 1t can be sold in Chica-
go for about 81 a barrel in specie, or
about half of the ordinary price which
the people there are compelled to pay
Tor salt under the transparent decep-
uons Of the ''protectionists."
Our correspondent shows that
while the nnonopolists have been
weeping and wailing as chronic in
fants in the manufacturing condition,
and have perpetually appealed to the
parental instincts of public good-na'
ture, so that they obtained the enact
ment Of tariff ranging from 100 to
170 per cent, on their productions,
and were thus enabled to extort a
high price from their neighborS and
fellow citizens, they have been accus'
iomed from time immemorial to
throw OF their beggars disguise when
they entered Canada, where they
competed freely, and to q great ex'
tent successfully, in an open market
with salt from England and all the
rest OF the world, by selling theirs at
lar lower price-sometim0s halfthe
price-than they, by virtue of the
monopoly granted to them by Con.
gress, wruDg from the people oftheir
own country.
The accidental and unexpected
character Of this discovery adds in.
terest to q fact readily appreciated by
the scientific world, and of great inn
portance to the commercial and ma.
terial welfare Of large portion ofthe
North American continent The de.
posits Of salt in Canada are an ample,
natural, and cheap source of supply
for the whole Western country foreV'
er. No doubt, those who are now
monopolists will always. in certain
regions, be able to compete with the
Canadian makers; but, by their par.
TALLY successful competition in Cana.
dA, they demonstrate that they have
no need protection" at home; and
public justice clearly demands that,
If any further monopoly OF salt is
maintained within our own territory,
its profits shall be poured no longer
into the Golfers of wealthy monopO'
lists. but, as In Spain, bepaid into the
public treasury -
What with the cheap, puve and in.
exhaustible deposit OF salt in Mexico,
near the cost Of California, the enor'
nous and excellent source of supply
on the lakes OF Canada, and the fac>
ilities OF fsendiug the same indispen-
sable article for man and many do
mestic animals to the Atlantic coast
from Europe, 1t isnot easy to depict
q case where Bastiat's petition 10 shut
out he light Of the sun and light the
world by gas is more accurately L.
lustrated than by the persistence Of
the people of the free gift OF Provi.
dence-cheap salt World.