St. Landry democrat., 1889-11-09
Mexican Ores in the United States.

A Washington special to the Herald in
relation to the position of the treasury de-
partment on the question of the importa,
ton of Mexican ores says 1t is not
expected that the secretary will under any
circumstances materially change his regu,
lations of July II, which are admitted to
represent his mature judgment of the least
that can or should be done to prevent the
fraudulent importation of dutiable ores
under color of their being silver ores. The
only question now open for serious consid-
Grafton is whether or not an ore containing
both lead and silver, wherein silver is the
component of chief value, is to be classified
as lead ore or silver ore. 1t is deeme
impossible to recognize or classify such
ores as silver ores, merely because the
enforced quantity of silver in them is of
greater commercial value than the superior
quantity of lead. The weight of evidence
and authority is deemed to be against the
contention of those importers who have
been calling their importations silver ore
and getting them passed as such duty free
without determi1 alton of their true char
acter. The secretary is represented as
finding that the testimony of experts serves
only to darken counsel, each expert testi-
flying strongly for the side that produces
him. So many new facts are considered to
have come into the record that Secretary
Fairchild himself would be expected to
regard the question as still an open one if
he were yet at the head of the department.
The department proposes to look at the
whole facts of the case with view of de-
termining what is meant by the term
"lead, and what quantities of lead in the
form of ore have been making their way
into the United States from Mexico with
out the per cent of duty that the law says
shall be paid on lead ore. 1t will not be
presumed by the department that congress
uses terms of description in so technical
sense as to defeat the very object for
which they are used. Some difficulty is
found in formulating decision that shall
serve as practical rule in all cases where
aquestion may arise whether huxing ore
of low grade is to be classified as silver
ore or lead ore, but the facts are deemed
to be all in hand. The authorities have
all been cited or explored and the princi-
pies have been evolved so that the secre-
tary will in short time be enabled to
announce q decision and opinion that is
expected to stand the test of reason. 1t is
denied strenuously that there is any poll
tics in the question. Both political parties
are said to be represented on either side of
the controversy, and so, to some extent
are particular localities. The secretary
congratulates himself as being entirely free
from partisan inducement to decide the
question in one way or the other, and he is
to be held equally fortunate in having at
his service the long continued and uniform
practices and usagas of miners, operators
and dealers in discriminating mines and
products of silver from those of lead AS
to the international aspect of the question,
it is enough to say T. that hat the
sss assi1s its 1PRSos 6se es o pooy ~
has =. 81 vof ao~>s.,tlh ination in the
posts oil No nation ii .ast the shipping
directly touch the question of reciprocity
in the exchange of commodities, but it is
stated that there are documents in the
treasury department which would go far
10 Justify the failure of congress to give
effect and operation to the Grant Prescott
treaty.