, 1870-06-13
With Some Comments On the Salt
Question by Mr.. Duncan
Stewart.

nav Valley, incorporated under the style oi
The Saginaw and Bay Salt Company"
1wtite to inquire whether the management
Of The CHICAGO Tn1nrsr think it consisten,
With the ethics Of respectable Journalism te
speak with the studied contempt OF the above
extract Of pc1sou Of whom it is safe to 81.
they know nothing ut nil, or II they do, no th-
ing to Justify the tone assumed. It is to yosl
must look fori for il it ia sour correspondent
who writes, your types that print, and you,
in this paragraph. 1 think it would be diff
cult to crowd more Of it into the came numbel
Of lines, and "a thero is not shadow OF foun
dation IN fact TO justify it, think myself en-
titled at least to the confession that you hare
done me injustice, trust unwittingly.
Yours, respectfully,
EXTRACT FnoH THE nEroHr OF TIE uoUsE CON
MTTEE on HANCrAcTCaEs.
Wc extract from letter from Fl. II. Titz
hugh, Of Bay City, Michigan. President Of tht
Saginaw and Lay Salt Company, u large con
ce1n made up by the consolidation Of severa
companies, with ita sixteen directors In S2gi
ing The manufacturers Of nine-fen1ts Of The sal
made in the Sa9in1,o ralhy. Mr. Fitzhuel
dates from the companys office. Bay City
January %, 1870, and writes A. follows:
Ar. Dunean ss.nar. rtp5satnt+ no one but himxelt
Ing his opinion, II he we're not represented as Pres
tdeEt Of The SaKinAW Association of Salt Annu{ac
turerst whereas he .s President ani principal own
CT OF the Saginaw Valley Salt Company, q slal
concern, which uade Iii the laai year uuly a,s7
barrels Of salt.
sagi1ow does not want duty on salt disturbed, &
1Raye the Bureau OF Statistics my opinion ii
fui on tals question, n response 70 he circula'
lroul TINT Office Mr. Wells does not a1Iude TO IL
hIf1 DfFfFTH Mr. hIf,ap
ident Of our association, which fs Incorrect Yot
can make any use Of this letter you choose. ver1
respectfully, yours,
President SAGINAW and Bay salt Company.
REPLY or Nh. DrScAS sTxwAKr.
DETROIT, March "a, 1870
FitzhuRh and Giles 3. stcht,tns was to make the
public, the Committee on Ways and Means, and
members Of Congress, hciEeve that the facts 1ur-
nihhed to Mt. Commissioner Wells by me, % t
1he cost OF producing salt IN Michigan, we're fur:
ho1tance hy NJ: We!ls representing that nobody :.
am. and have been for some years. President oi
the Saginaw Valley Salt Company Ar. Wells hx*
simply mahe the mistake Of leaving our the worsi
e,'gnt error stchb!ns anu F!tzhugh have founded
1t would h1se been more manly and more to ths
iact1 and ngurcs, and prpyed them Incorrect
This was more than they conl DO, hence thu
pltiaele quibbe about my o11dal title tn tho sal
The onondasa Salt Company. Of SYRACUSE. n.
u represented tn Congress BY the Hon. Deui.
policy has been to charge extoInonatc prices u
all places distant, either from the see-coast oi
competing salt works. Their price at syracuze
to Canadians, who eau import salt free of duty
from England, they charge only the equivalent q
3l5s sPes!s, or, Nth gold q. lso. $50 currency
OF over 1QU cent jNfH1RRd fnr1.4PD
eomresluon is experienced. they charge much less
than u the Interior Of the State They also supply
privilege Of purchasing salt nee Of duty at tht
same prices at which foreign salt Il otIerl1 then
IL bend. That f. they voluntarily offer ther sal,
nc fcessa1y then. must protection be to the infani
industry. These nonopo]!sta, not content with tue
immunity thrF enjoy 1rom foreign competition b.
mesic conp*ttion. In order to et1ect this, they
sci salt in chicago distant from Buffalo 6y ratei
1ooo mies, for lcssth ther ask for II in Buffalo
THIS policy Of undersellIng all competitors, re.
earlEcsa Of cost, has forced me to close nv work.
at Saginaw. Mr. Fltzhugh Is, consequently, aoIe
10 taunt me With the facs that ms woEIs only p.u-
nuee sss ,s hatrels ast Bot be knex wheu
the saosf trcdue1sr< in tAt Stdte, and that closed
tnem early In the season. In the Saginaw District
' thsfe ar ntns who OWN both salt works aAd saw.
MUS These dfms. By ls!ng the rrfusc wood from
their s2N-mis for fuel In ther salt works. can
produce salt Cheaper tnan those other firms who
ninst purchase their fuel
Not bclDg saw-mIll owner / could not With.
MAnd the competition OF the 0uondaga Company.
NOW u we're to 70 to Congress and ask that a
ta3 should ne imposed on al proprtetors Of saw
m!!ls, IN order that ali these unfortunate persons
who Own no Eaw-1n!lls mas be projected against
an uneouAl competition, should be doing lust
what the Onondaga swlndlGrs do when theJ ask
for protection against foreign salt Their demand
Is even more unreasonable than mine would bc,
ior they ask for protection against the competition
o. o. f9p!ral sun N9ish makes salt for nothing on
The net Talne Of salt for the past year will not
yafJ much from $1.hs per tsatrrl laid down on the
i1nGss % On ,ne sastDaT Mse. Th would pay out
as purchased. but this price paid to these who
run their fats works with rrfuse fuel iron, their
saE.mtlls and sninsle works, = pront Of NOT less
All the Saginaw salt manufacturers need. to
givc them control Of the en1trc salt t1sdc Of the
states tributary to the Western lakes, Is manly
indcI tha. Will ignore Congressional iii.
ret Unonda0a deprived OF government pap, At
defiance, md step into the front ranks ct The SAT-
Mtersst saEtnaN eau and viii coutrol the price
of sa1t tn more than ope-half Of the Euted Statex
II would haze aettscted from my position 10
have male the world believe that occupied Mi.
a t1ta54nghs @ rlass. as President Of the ttsagtaaw
and unpaid President Of salt company, While
Ar, FatthuGh, notwithstanding his arparcut il.iig-
~ aaaon, & Is onlJ tae paid President and dependent
and Is my works sell their sal, thraueh Nj F!tz-
nugn1 association. stand tn the position Of one
o1 AT. fltzhuEh4 cmPl0ycfA
M14 stale, further thA. the hrx.ness drln with
wh!ch an connected here hare s,uflt three screw
nsaMefk costing oFer $4,000, c1prrssiT for the
tIaLspof1Anon Of Saginaw SAT- Th1s Inc Of
lluat1on that for years rtryed on thc vtals Of tnc
utue, !he che hea1cntRG OF ut-trcIght between Dc-
tluif and Saginaw RiTcr has Increased the trade
between these two roint2 over 80 per cent Ia two
yeaIs. did all this without Congressional aid.
Ihsre years agn raised money to enah1e the
association, Of which Mr. Fitxhugh IA Pyes,dcr,t
to MAte the 8pfect-un0n AaFArers tn fhn ruarn
faeturc'.. at = time when the best uen Of tbe
Fnl!ey had endorsed the associations notes: aud
with these endorsements had failed to raise 4
single dollar, either At home or In snr Of the
hanks OF the c.tJ Of Detroit Duncan Stewart was
eomelodJ then, and MI. Fit1hugh woald not then
have objected to Nj. Wells had he called me
PRESIDENT o1 the Cnited Statea, instead Of PFesl-
dent Of raft1J salt company.
am youfs, most respectfully,
DCsCix S7EwAxr.
The Special Commissioner Of the Revenue