Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-17
american Miners Insist that it Shout
PAY q Duty.

WASHINGTON, May 16th.-The hearing
in regard TO the classification OF lead ore
was continued before Assistant Secretary
Tichenor at the Treasury Department. The
arguments in support of the present ruling,
under which lead ore mixed with silver of
greater value is admitted free, were made
by Ex-Governor McCrary Judge 5. K. Nc
Cannon, Oscar Keen of Newark, and A
Meyer of Kansas City.
Arguments in favor of a change in the
practice to compel lead ore to pay duty as
lead, no matter how much silver was con-
tanned in the ore, were made by Senator
Wolcott of Colorado, Ex-Governor Grant of
Colorado, Mr.. Sheedy of Colorado, and r.
NJ. White of New Mexico.
A large number of afiidavits were SUBJ
mitted to show that ore containing lead
was commercially known as lead ore, re-
CARELESS OF the percentage of silver con-
tanned in it,
Gray of Yale College, submitted paper
practically sustaining this view. From
scientific standard he agreed that COM
pound ores Of this kind should be described
by the names of both of the constituents.
White of New Mexico, stated that it was
not true that Mexican ore was necessary
for the smelling of the domestic product
The advocates of the continuance of the
present classifying of silver ores contain
tanning lead argued that these ores were
commercially and technically down as sill
yer ores, and that Congress was well aware
OF that fact when the present tariff was en-
acted. They hold that the question has
been already adiudicated and settled, and
that our smelling industries were born and
grown up under the present construction of
law. Judge McCammon in his argument
said the case was free from any question of
fact because the highest known official ex-
y Tod
silver greater in value than the base metal
technically and commercially as silver ores
The classification was known and acted
on, he said, when the Act of 1883 became
a law, which did not change the status of
ores in respect to paying duties thereon,
except as pointed out by the Judiciary
Committee.
J. D. Wilson and Z. G. Brewster, repre-
senting the Board of Trade of Laredo, Tex,
filed paper protesting against any change
in the present classification.
The advocates of the protection for the
American lead mining interests introduced
testimony from nearly all the leading min
ing operators, smelters and business men
of the inter-mountains country, showing
that the universal designation and classifi-
cation of ores was and had been for twenty
years past as follows:
That whenever ore contained enough
lead to DE reduced and form lead bullion
it was lead ore. That this distinction ex-
listed at the time OF the passage of the Tariff
Act and was contemplated by that Act
which was passed to protect the mining of
just such ore. They further added long
line of technical authorities of nigh repute
TO support their definition of lead ore.
They asserted that the law was passed
to project the industry. That the rul-
ing of the Secretary of the Treasury
in 1880 was not on an ore containing lead
but was ruling on a special lot of iron ore
containing silver, and applied to only that
This did no harm to any protected industry,
they said, because the iron was lost in the
Stag in the reduction. They held that this
ruling was no support to the subsequent
rulings admitting lead ore containing sill
yer free of duty, and that the application
of the component of brief value rules to
such ores was an uncalled for extension of
the principal of the former ruling. not war
ranted by the wording of it. They also
insisted that the opinion of the Judiciary
Committee was founded on false assump-
ton of fact, based on untrue information
as to the commercial designation of such
ores, and that such misleading information
came from Secretary of the Treasury I'M
friendly to the protection OF American in
dustries.n
Senator Walcott said he appeared for no
client or corporation, but for ninety-nine
per cent. of the people of Colorado, as well
as the mining States and Territories of the
Northwest The question is simply whether
there is law for protection of the lead in
terests of the United States. and, if so,
whether that law is being violated by the
construction under which lead ore from
Mexico is admitted free of duty. He con-
tended that there is such law, and that it
10 Aasn vfala IL
meant anything, said he, it meant the lead
interest of the United States should be pro-
tected from foreign competition and not
that foreign lead should be admitted free.
simply because silver, of greater value,
was contained in the same ore. If the
present construction of the law continued.
the law will be a farce. He gave statistics
to show that 600 pounds of lesd were
brought in free with every ton of ore carry
ing silver. In 1868 eight thousand tons
of lead were brought in free from Mexico.
In 1887 the amount increased TO $1,000
tons. and in 1888 it still further increased
to s6,000 and indications are that in 1889 it
will be even larger. Continue the present
practice of classifying lead, said he and
the lead industries of the West represent
ing hundreds of millions OF dollars, will
be ruined, and the Mexican mine-owners
enriched accordingly. He said there was
no interest in the United States that stood
more in need of the fostering care of the
protective system than the lead industries
of the West, but as the case now stood the
interest was unprotected. There ought to
be no misunderstanding in regard to the
proper definition of lead ore and
the law certainly intended if ore
had lead in it, and it came
into competition with lead produced in this
country, 1t should pay duty at the rate of
II cents per pound, provided by Congress
as a protection to domestic producers.
Senator Walcott closed by referring to the
great interest taken by people of the West
in this question, expressing the hope that
the Treasury Department would live the
law the construction the Lawmakers in
tended it should have.
The hearing closed at this point, with the
understanding that either side may file adj.
ditional evidence bearing upon the ques-
ton of the commercial designation of ore
Assistant Secretary Tichenor says the ques-
ton will be thoroughly considered by the
Department, but cannot well be decided
for months yet.