The Daily state register. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1870-1872, 1870-12-31
THAT q WI EROu NEVADA
AGAINST THE MINT"
From tho san Francisco Alta

gAa -
EDS. ALTA:-I notice in this morn
ing's issue of the Alta, an article from
the Virginia Enterprise, entitled "a
Howl from Nevada against the Mint
The - Howl . seems 10 be based upon
the fears of the assayers. lest their
business will he interiered with under
the present administration Of affairs in
| the Mint. II such interference Is the
strongest argument against Mr.. Rlces
course, it seems 10 me by no means
conclusive.
scarcely n great improvement in
manufacturing or business processes
has ever been introduced Oh San, from
the nature of things, be introduced,
without iniuring oin existing inter-
est. The introduction Of steam-pro-
PEELED machinery in manufactures
threw hundreds OF thousands OF hands
out Of employment. The Introduction
of the railroad was a terrible blow TO
the stage coach business; and the pro-
prictors Of roadside taverns in Nevada
and California would no doubt have
raised a "howl" against such a pesti-
lent innovation as the Central Pacific
Railroad. for interfering with their in
t%erests, had they supposed such
"howln would have produced a ben
eficial result.
The plain common sense question in
such cases is: Do the benefits resulting
from the change outweigh the tempo
rarv evil il causes II large commli-
mites and vast business interests are
benefited, il is no good objection to
the change that a few representatives
o fsome particular class will be injured.
At the conclusion Of the article in
the Enterprise it Is asserted, by way OF
argument: "Assaying is a private
business. as much rs the reduction of
ores, and ii the Government wishes 10
embark in it, let the work be done al
a profit, and not at rates that Will drive
private enterprise from the field.'
This illustration is a very unfortunate
one for / think nothing can be plain
or than that Government could not do
a better thing for this coast than to
erect extensive and first class works
for the reduction Of ores. "Priyate
enterprise has, so far, failed to do
what il needed. Enormous quantities
OF tire ores Of Nevada and Utah 60
East, and to swansea, in Wales, to be
reduced. This diminishes the profits
ofthe miner, and prevents the devel-
opment of many extensive mining
regions, and Is an in%caieulable loss to
the country.
All along the line of the Central
Pacific Railroad in Nevada and Utah
are mines that have laid idle for years,
an expense rather than q source of
revenue to the country, which mines
could be probably worked If the
facilities for reducing ores
existed.
/ do not see how the Government
could do Il more beneiicent thing than
to erect nj some proper point, in Cali
CT Nevada, reduction works
would save the necessity OF
ores thousands of miles and
to foreign countries to be worked, thus
keeping Il large amount of money in
the country, and furnishing employ
ment to a great number OF hands.
So tar rs the case OF the Carson Mint
Is concerned, the Enterprise simply
alleges that superintendent Rice in
tends to turn ii into an assay office; ii
to me that IL would be time
enough to attack the superintendent
when this alleged .'intentionn shall be
carried out, instead of holding him re-
<ttflSlDlt "tt0it4itiu ioi SINS boi NtN
committed. Ii further seems to me
hat inasmach rs the miners are a
much more numerous class than the
issayers, and the mining interest is a
much more important interest than
hat of the individuals concerned in
making assays of ores; and inasmuch
moreover, as private assayers differ
amazingly in their results, it would be
...A4 ...N.t 49,. H. ...t.ss,..R fgatna.aaf =. /
have Government go into the assaying
business. To sum up this rather pro-
tx communication in two sentences:
the Enterprise merely guesses
hat Superintendent Rice ''intends" to
10 the thing charged; and, second, If
admit the guess 10 be correct, 1t is
BY no means apparent that the thing
charged is not one TOR which the SUI
p~erintendcnt is entitled to much credit
than blame. NJ. b. B.