The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-08-30
Lead in Congress.

j Among the proceedings the U. S
Senate, August 25th, the dispatches
furnish the following summary
The pending question of the tariff bill
was che paragraph imposing a duty of u
cents per pound on lead ore and lead
dross, provided that silver ore and all
other ores containing lead shall pay a
duty of a cents per pound on the lead
contained therein according to the sam
pie and assay at the port of entry.
Coke moved to amend by striking out
| the proviso and inserting proviso that
ores containing silver aud lead in which
| the lead is of less value than silver, shall
be admitted free of duty. He said the
passage Of the bill as reported would
destroy the smelling works in Texas,
Kansas City, Chicago and st. Louis; rem
der useless refractory ores of New Mex
leo, Arizona and Texas; throw large
number of men out of employment and
drive from the United States trade with
Mexico, valuable, not only for American
manufactures, but for American farmers
Reagan and Carlisle followed with ar
guments ON the same lines.
Plumb moved to amend the paragraph
by reducing the duty on lead ore from
~ cents per pound to q of cent. He
thought the Senate was coming to point
where thu system of protection would
result in breaking down certain home
industries tor the benefit Of other indus
tries, and where larger industries desire
to destroy smaller ones. The mine own
ers of Colorado, who had derived so much !
profit from the recent silver legislation,
desired to get still more benefit by the |
tax on these Mexican ores. Why did |
they not propose duty on the silver
ores of Mexico2
Stewart argued against the amendment
and in favor of the duty on lead ore as
in the paragraph.
Teller also advocated the adoption of
he paragraph as reported, and asserted
hat the contest was one between the
Lead trust Tin combination with the
'melters) and the miners of the Rocky
Mountains. These miners were $4,000
strong and they consumed more of the
agricultural products of Kansas and Ne
)raska than the whole of Mexico con-
umed; and Kansas was indebted to the
miners of Colorado tor whatever prosper
~ she enjoyed He was not therefore
xacty pleased when the Senator from
hat state insisted that he wanted to Sc
ure the trade of Mexico and was willing
o put the labor of Colorado, Montana
nd Idaho side by side with the forty
ent labor of Mexico Continuing his
rgument, Teller said if the lead duty was
horn from the bill, the only thing in it
or the benefit of the great northwest,
here would not be republican in that
egion in favor of the bill, and that there
hOuld not be at all.
Jones, of Nevada, said the most i'm
ortant feature of the bill for the mining
Industries Of the country was the duty
n lead and lead ores. Not only were
many thousands of persons engaged in
cad mining, but "a per cent of the silver
leld Of the United States came from
hines in which that metal was found in
with lead OF those mines
arge numbers would not par the expeu
as of operate for silver alone without
duty on lead, and tile lead ores of these
Zines would be abandoned. This would
OF merely destroy great industry, but
oUld seriously affect the supply of pre-
ous metals which formed the money Of
lie world. Jones paid a warm tribute to
lie personal characteristics of the Ameri
IN miners, and said their labor contrihut-
! largely to the prosperity of,he country.