Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1889-11-02
THE LEAF DECISION.
a~ It steve EIkIns who Did %



A New York mining paper, comment
ing on Windows decision %favoring free
lead, has the following:
Men in the lead trade arc down in the
dumps because of Secretary WINDOWS
decision upon the Mexican lead ore
question-refusing to interfere to pre-
rent the importation, except to the ex-
tent Of reiteratiDg his instructions OF
last July to guard against the entry OF
"overtaxed ore. This leaves the
Mexicans, or anybody else, free to i'm
port silver lead ores without paying the
one and one-half cents per pound duty
that the tariff says lead ores ought to
pay.
1.-THE trade scarcely expected s. different
decision, said Z. A. Caswell, the repre-.
sentative lead broker, yesterday. at
has become q political question, and we
were not surprised that it was not de-.
cided upon its merits. The question
simply was whether these Mexican ores
were lead ores. We asked for a hear
ing and the Secretary of the Treasury
g~raciously accorded us one. We pro-
duced overwhelming evidence to show
that they were known as lead ores and
not as silver ores, and now after a long
DELAY the Secretary says he has no
power to decide the question. Why
didn't he find that out six months ago =?
We shall appeal to Congress, but with.
out much hope, because Congress is in.
fuenced by politics. -,
1.-THE Secretary's decision has caused
great depression in the trade, and the
price of pig lead has gone down about
three per cent-from 800 to $50.
About one-half the lead mines Of this
country will be closed unless the Mexi-
can importation is stopped"
A curious story was told in trade cir
cles yesterday giving what is said to be
the under-the-surface history OF Score
tary Windows course. .
10 the latter part Of August Assistant
Secretary Batcheller prepared a decision
favorable to the American lead pro-
ducers requiring the Mexican ores &c
pay one and one.half cents per pound
Instructions came from the President,
who was then at Deer Park, not to 49,
sue the decision. BY an odd coinei-
dence Stephen B. Elkins was in Deer
Park at that time. Mr.. Elkins, by an
other singular coincidence, was II
Washington, il is said, the other day
when Secretary Window was preparing
the present decision, which is just the
opposite in effect to that which Mr.
Batcheller was prevented from issuing
A third curious juxtaposition is tina
the lead trust, which is benefited by
Secretary Windows decision. has it
offices at No. l Broadway, on the sam'
floor Of the Washington building wher'
Mr.. Elkins has his headquarters while il
New York.
Within the past two or three years /
is understood Mr.. Eikins has sold nearl!
all Of his Northwestern silver mininI
stocks and has put a good deal OF none,
in railroad and other enterprises in tn
| Northwest. He is the heaviest owner ii
a new railroad from st. Louis to tn
southwest and is popularity supposed +
be interested in the lead trust. AT al
events there is no doubling the fact tina
the decision OF Mr.. Window will re
suit in benefting the railroad compan.
referred to by permitting it to carry tn
Mexican ores which have been the sub
ieet Of the dispute and which form 4.
large part Of the freight carried over tn
| ill.,