San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-06-19
Not According to Edmunds.

making break for the ore importers
along the Rio Grande, and have en-
listed the interest of some metropoli-
tan papers in the fight. The st. Lou
is Globe Democrat of the 18th inst. in
a leading editorial charges that the
importation of these mixed Mexican
ores are destructive of American lead
mining industries and must stop or
the American lead miner will be
driven out of the market. Referring
to the admission Of these ores under
the ruling of the treasury depart
ment, that the mixed ore takes its
grade from the metal which it con-
tains of greatest value, and that all
ores containing greater silver value
than lead value must be classed as
silver ore and so admitted free,-re-
ferring to this the Globe Democrat
says-"Careful examination shows
that the silver in these Mexican ores
is on the average less than tenth of
in Them 1t would be interesting to
enquire by whom this result has been
obtained. The ore importers along
the Rio Grande cannot pass
the customs with these ores con-
tanning more lead value than
silver value unless the customs Off
GERS are negligent of duty. Careful
examination will show that more
than one car load of mixed ore has
been dumped on the Mexican side of
the Rio Grande because the testing
works have shown greater lead than
silver value in these ores. The Globe
Democrats charge is direct arraign-
ment of the honesty of the ore import
ers and also of the customs officers
along the border and is not substan-
tiated by any facts as yet made pub
lie. The Globe-DemOcrat argues from
its erroneous premises that the I'M
portation of these low grade ores is
driving out the lead miner and ruin
ing the lead industry in this country,
because the cheap labor i'll Mexico
permits the sale in the American mar
ket of lead at very little above the
cost price of actual production in Mis-
souri, and Colorado. The facts do not
bear out this assertion, as the, strictly
lead ores, that is ores mined directly
for the lead, yield only 1S.47 per cent.
of the lead product of the United
States, while the whole product of
lead from mixed ores, gold silver and
lead, has been S1.53 per cent. of
the whole. Mining lead, as lead,
for lead product, is thus but
very small part of the lead
industry of the United States. Not
only is this true, but despite the large
increase of lead production during the
last three years in which the Mexican
importatiOns have risen from 800
tons to 1000 tons, the price of lead
has increased rather than decreased,
as will be shown by the quotations
for refined lead on the New York
market. These quotations for 1856
S7-SS rule higher on an average than
the quotations for the years lSS3-S4-o5,
proving cOnClusively that the influx
of Mexican ores has not cheapened
the American product. The Globe
Democrat looks to Secretary Window
tor a ruling that will exclude these
ores. Secretary Window will remem-
Der. if the Globe. Democrat does not,
that this matter was referred to the
United States senate's judiciary COM
mittee during last session of congress,
and that after a careful examination
of the subject Senator Edmunds, as
chairman of that committee, reported,
and concluded his report as follows:
"The committee is of opinion, there
fore, that the class of ores herein
mentioned are not dutiable under
existing laws" 1t is safe to say that
this report of that able leader and
republican, Senator Edmunds, will be
held as good republican authority.
If the democracy did not deem it adj
visabIe to attempt to set aside this
report of the Senate's Judiciary COM
mittee, it is hardly in order for repub-
lican journals to advocate such a
course.