The Helena independent., 1889-10-19
THE LEAD ORE QUESTION.
Mr.. Blaine and Mr.. Window Each
Have Totally Different Views
On The Matter
The Secretary of State Wants the
Lead Ores Admitted For
Commercial Reasons.
A. Window Is Blaine's Man, the rroba
bilities Are the Mexican Miners
viii Win tile Day.

We have agnin presented TO the country
the spectacle of one member of President
Harrison's cabinet running afoul OF some OF
the cherished projects of another member
and getting lecture for il, says a Washing
ton dispatch a. the New York Post lie
people of the southwestern border were con-
WINGED that Secretary Window had issued
his celebrated silver-lcud-ore circular Of
July II for political effect alone, in the hope
of influencing the election IN the new north
west. where the opposition to the introduce
tion of Mexican tux ores was naturally
most bitter They accordingly laid hold
of Minister Ryan. when the latter WAS on
his way to this city 10 see the Pan American
congress started. and spread before
him their side of the controversy in
fnll. He WAS especially impressed
will the sudden and immense decline which
had taken place in the commerce between
the two countries. not through any rttllla-
tory measures on the part of the Mexican
government hut because the shippers of
Mexican ores. being unwilling to submit
their product to the arbitrary rulings uf
the United States treasury department had
withdrawn their traffic from the railroads.
and the latter could not afford 90 run empty
cars one way without charging eXtraOtdIl-
ary freight rates for whatever they brought
back. This had put almost prohibliory
ban ON commercial intercourse between the
two countries.
Mr.. RYAN digested well all that he saw or
heard The visit north, which had been
only diplomatic and social in its first in
tent took ON deeper significance. When
he asserted. therefore, III answer To inquiries
in Washington. that his journey had not
been undertaken for the purpose of drawing
Secretary Windows attention 20 the other
side of the ore question. he WAS technically
straightforward. but in the broader sense he
was guilty of a bit of diplomatic dupnclty.
He had not come 10 Washington for any
kind of negotiation with Secretary Win
dom, but ON his way here he had resolved "a
see to il that the sufferers On the border had
fair hearing. He found the secretary OF
state a ready listener. Here was MT
Blaine, Just beginning 10 witness the
fruition Of his long-cherishsd plan for O
congress of all the Americas, in order u
promote closer trade relations, and staring
him in the face WAS the treasury circular OF
July IL. threatening his scheme with ruin II
the case of the most Importnnt OF all the
states represented IN the congress. 10 the
Mexican ENJOYS he WAS talking, over then
salads and champagne, about the charms ol
an enlarged intercourse while his colleague
in the second cabinet chair, WIS doing hl'
best 10 make such blessing impossible. II
was am absurd and embarrassing neon
gruity. and Mr.. Blaine resolved 10 put II
his protest He accordingly caused Mr.
Ryan TO put the substance of what hao
passed between them into writing. and en-
closed this manuscript in a letter of his Owl
10 Mr.. WINDOW, setting forth in the strong
est terms the ruinous folly of the new treas
ury policy.
Mr.. Window answered the letter with the
utmost courtesy, ms is his habit. and elabo-
rated his reasons for taking the course IA,
had. The special agents who were Sent "a
the Mexican border last summer Ia nosl
about and see how the customs leyies on
ores were made. had reported to him q
startling condition of things, IN which the
chief element was the ~ stomatic practice ol
fraud by certain shippers. whose ores were
artiiicially "dOctured' 50 as To SHOW lusl
enough silver in the assay to carry thou
through ou the free list. This Il. csc 81
and not political considerations, MI. Ffln
dom maintains, was what caused him to or
der change of methods at Corpus Christi
Eagle Pass and III Paso.
The Blaine Window correspondence
which has not yet been given 10 the public
and may never be. leaves the whole matter
about where il WIS. IL il not likely thai
MIR. Blame will reCede from his position
that the treasury policy is working irrepara
ble harm To the relations between the United
States and their sister republic and that Il
threatens 10 undo much that he had hoped
toaccomplish by his Pan-American congress
On the other hand, for Mr. Window Ia take
a back track now would be to ucknowledg,
himself in the wrong and 10 invite criticism
for having run, through indiscreet haste
into diplomatic complication with possi
BILE consequences Of the most far-reachinl
and periluus character.