The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-02-16
Iron Ore on the Free List.

The President s message and the views
OF majority Of Democratic members OF
| Congress favoring free iron ores, have
stirred the people Of the mineral districts
! of Virginia as they have not been stirred
for many q day. Discussing the policy of
the President, the New York Press. edited
by Mr.. r. 2. Porter, probably as good al-
thority on the tariff and its effects rs is
to be round in this country, has the fol
lowing article, which will be read with
interest by all who feel concern in the
development of the resources of this Com
monWealth;
1t is proposed by President Cleveland
and a majority Of the Democratic party to
put iron ore on the free list. ANY SO. called
tariff reform that does lot include wool.
coal and iron ore on the free list will not
be supported by the tariff reformers now
bent on undermining our home Industries
Who demands that iron ore Shall be put on
the free list? The consumers of iron ore?
No. They met at Cresson in 1882 and
recommended that the duty on iron ore be
changed from 20 per cent. dd UdIorena to so
cents per ton.
The present duty is IS cents per ton, so
the consumers cannot complain. Why
d0n'tthey complain? Simply because they
understand the facts about this industry
The consumer knows that in 1860, before
the present tariff, the iron ore product of
the United States was less than .OO0. 900
tons per annum. To-day the annual pro-
duct is 10000. 900 tons. For every one
man employed digging ore in 1860 we have
ten now. For every one family Of four or
five dependent upon iron ore mining then
we have ten families now.
What will be the effect Of putting iron
Gre Oh the free list? In spite of the pre-
sent duty OF IS cents per ton, over 900, 900
tons Of iron ore were imported this year
from Spain. The labor employed in dig
ging this ore is paid %, 35 and As cents per
day. The labor employed in the United
States in the same occupation paid 81 40
81 ~, S2: and 81 08 per day, varying in
the different mining regions.
The first result. then, of President
Cleyelards policy will be a reduction in
the wages OF every miner in the United
States, and reduction of the comforts of
his family This must follow. The sec
0nd result will be a decided loss on $50
600 coo of capital. This capital is not all
invested in mines. 1t comprises also the
capital used i'll railroads, steamboat liues,
ETC., which lead to the mines. and which
practically exist because the mines are
operated and are not idle
But the men who control these mines
are monopolists, So are the men who CON
troll the Spanish and the British mines
One firm. that of Bolcklow 81 Vaughan of
the Cleveland districtin England, controls
one third of the output Of that entire
region over 5000 900 tons Annually This
nearly equals the entire output of the
Lake Superior region. A Jew firms con-
troi the entire Cleveland district output.
1000, 900 tons annually. There are $780,
00o,o00 tons Of ore in lhi5 district, all
owned by a few Englishaan. With free
iron ore we shall be at th- mercy of these
men and the men who oAn the Spanish
mines.
How can this help American labor?
The mining Of ore is all iabor. It repre-
sents laber from the top Of ths drill to the
filling of the blast fqrnar. Every man
engaged in the industry kna,, his 1t is
mistaken policy, a wrong l3ficy and a
cruel policy to smite down a great Industry
this way and reduce the wages Of Atneri-
can labor. There is 10 reason ID IL.