, 1889-05-23
LEAD AND SILVER.
The Western Lead Men Present
Their Case Ably.
The Silver Men Disguised With
the Treasury.
Miller To fake Matthews' iace-Grist
OF Washington News

WARRINGTON, May III --Ine nearing IN
regard to the ciassi ca tion ON lead ore con-
tinued before Assistant Secretary 1ichenor
at the treasury department to-day. Argu-
men's in support of the present ruling
under which lead ore liked with silver OF
greater value is admitted free were made
BY Ex-Governor McCrary, Judge X. Nc.
Cannon, Oscar keene OF Newark and A.
X. Meyer Of Kansas City. Arguments In
fav or Of change in the practs Zee to compel
lead ore To pay duty o. well as lead, no
matter how much silver Is contained In the
ore. was made by Senator Wolcott Colo
rado; ex Governor Grant, Colorado; M.
Sheedy, Colorado, and X. NJ. White, New
Mexico
A large numb OF affidavits were sub.
United to show that ore containing lead
was commercially known rs LEAD ore, re-
gardless OF the percentage Of silver con
taiued in 1t, and Prof Gray of Yale col.
lege submitted paper practically sustain. =
ing this view from scientific standard.
he argued that compound ores ot this
kind should be- described by the name of
both constituents
White OF New Mexico, stated that it WAS
not true that Mexican ore WAS necessary
for smelling ,he domestic product. Advo.
Gates Of the continuance of the present
practice OF classifying silver ores contain.
ing lead. ar,,u sd that these ores are COM
mercially and technically known as silver
| ores and that congress was well aware of
the fact when the prestTt tariff was en-
acted. They held that tha question had
been already adjudIcAted and settled, and
that
OUR sMELTISe IspUsTRIEa
were born and grown up under the present
| construction Oi the law.
| Judge Mc,'aumon IN his argument said
| the case WAS free from Question of Isct, be.
cause the highest know official expert
| authority designated that ores containing
| silver greater IN value than the base metal
were technicslly and commercially known
as silver ores. The Clsssit iticalion WAS
known aud acted on he said when The act
| OF 1888 became law, which did not
change the status of ores in respect tn
paying duties thereon except AS pointed
| out by the judiciary committee
j. ID. Wilson and Il. q. Brewster, repre-.
senting the board Of trade Of Laredo,
| Texas, filed paper protesting against any
| change IN the present classification.
| Advocates uf protection for American
| lead minns interests introduced testimony
from nearly all the leading mining oyer.
| stOrs, smeiters and business men OF the
inter r'mountain country showing that
THE UNIVERSAL DESIGNATION
and classification OF ores, was and has
! been for twenty years past as follows (:
| That whenever ore contained enough lead
! to be reduced and form lead bullion 1t was
lead ore; that this distinction existed AT
the time OF the pas rage II the tariff st I and
| was contemplated by that sct hich was
passed To protect the mining OF just such
ore. They furt her submitted u long line OF
| technical authorities Of high reputs to sup
port their definition OF leat ORE. They AS
serted that the law WAS passed to protect
the industry; that ruling Of the secretary Of
the treasury in 1880 was not on ore oi lead,
but was u ruling ON special lot of iron
| ore containing silver and applied to onlv
that. This did no harm to any protected
| industry, they said because iron was lost
| In the Stag in reduction. They held this
ruling WAS no support To subsequent ruiz
| iDgs admitting lead ore containing silver
| free OF duty, and that the application of the
component Of chief value rule To such ores
| war uncslled Tor and that the extension of
| the principle Of the former rulings WAS not
warranted by the wording OF 1t. They also
insisted that the opinion OF the Judiciary
committee was founded on a false assunp-
BASED ON UNTRUE ISPoKMATioN
a. to the commercial designation OF such
| ore and That such misleading information
came nom secretary unIriendly to the
! protection Of American industries.
Senator WOlcott said he appeared for no
client nor corporation, bu. tor 90 per cent
Of the people Of Colorado a. well ss the
mining states and territories of the North.
west. The question was simply whether
there Il law for the protection OF the
lead interests ofthe United States, and II so
whether that law was being violated by
the construction under which lead ore
from Mexico wBs admitted free OF duty.
de rOntended that there Is such u law and
that 1t IL being violated every day. II the
law meant anything he said It niesnthbat
| toe lead interests OF the United States
should be protected from fof eign COmpeti-
| tion and not that foreign lead should be ad-
mitted Tree, simply because silver OF great
er value was contained IN the ore. IL 81,
the present construction Of the law will be
| farce. He gave statistics tO show that
| 800 pounds OF lead were brought in Tree
| with every ton OF ore carrying silver. In
| 1855 5000 tons of lead were btonght in free
| from Mexico. In 1887 the amount III.
creased to 30 OOO tons and in 1898 1t still
further increased to $4,000 tons aud the in
dications are that the importstions in 1889
! will be even greater. CoDlnuethe pres.
ent practice Of classifying Mexican lead, he
| said, and the lead industries Uf the West,
| representing hundreds Of millions OF dol
| lars, will be ruined and
MEXICAN NINE OWNERS ENRICHED
accordingly. He SAID there vas no inter.
est IN the United States that stood more In
need OF the ioste ing care Of the protective
system than the lead industries OF the
West, but M the case now stood, American
lead IL the principle interest unprotected.
There ought to be no misunderstanding in
regard to the proper definition Of lead ore
and the law certainly intended IL ore had
Leaf, In II and came INTO competition with
Lead produced tn this country II should pay
duty at the rate of IN cents per pound,
provided ny congress, as protection TO
domestic producers. Senator Wolcott
closed by referring to the great interest
taxen by the people OF the West In this
question:, expressing the hope that the
treasury department would give the law
the construction that the lawmakers in.
tended II should have.
The hearing closed at this point with the
| understanding that either side NAV hje