New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-16
THE TARIFF IND THE ID1HO MiNEhS


THE TARIFF IND THE IDAHO MINERS
In It's origin the controversy between the
miners and the minc-owncrs OF the Occur
dAlenes had 10 do with the wages. not OF the
miners themselves. but OF the unskiled Ia
borers OF these many arc employed IN ana
about the mines, and have heretofore received
for their work SO day. The miners, who are
rated as skilled laborcrs, have received ~ 90
a day. The unskillcd laborcrs demanded the
same pay As the miners. and obtained for their
demand the Endorsement Of the miners them
selves Tho owners refused To acccdc to tho
demand, claiming that So 30 per day was all
they could afford to pay for skilled labT and
that there should he distinction between work
that required education and practice and the
kind of work assigned 10 the ordinary laborcrs.
I'm dealing with the labor troubles in Idaho, as
with those at Homestead, daStardly effort has
been made to create political capital from riot,
death and misfortune II is not likely that
this ghoulsh proceeding will have any ether
feet upon so intelligent an electorate IA ours
except 70 excite disgust But the Democratic
allegation that the Republican tariff is at the
bottom of these unfortunate disturbances can
not be overlooked In bringing this charge to
bear upon the Idaho riots the Democrats have
been blind to the wrc,chcd history they made
when, by the rulings Of Secretary Fairchild.
the silvcr-ead ores Of Mexico were introduced
into this country free OF duty, and when 1t was
sought by the Mills bill 70 place lcad-ore on
the FREQ list The effect Of this combined a.
sault on mining interests was To close almost
every silver lead mine in the Rocky Mountains,
SO that wherever justice may lie III the pres
ent controversy Of the miners and mlne-o"n-
ers, there is al least. between the situation
as produced by Democratic legislation and that
brought about by the Mckinley bill Ill the
difference between no work ~ all and plenty
Of work at from - TO ~ 30 per day.
The Occur Alcncs are IA Silvcr-lcad country.
Their mineral resources have been under de-
yclopmcnt for only six or seven years. good
sifrt had been made when, under the Demo
cratic Administration Of Grover Cleveland a
Treasury ruling which had been previously
promulgated with regard to iron ores and
which a. 80 made, had peculiar and proper
application. was extended to the silycr-lcad ores
of Mcxioo, and it was held that when the silver
exceeded the lead in value the ore might be
admitted free Of duty, although lead ore WAS
nj that time subject to duty Of ~ cents a
pound. The effect f this ruling was 10 intro
duce annually an enormous quantity OF Mexican
lead, mined by pcon labor which was costly
at 40 cents a day, 10 compete with the lead
product of American miners who were receiv-
ing. as they are now. 50 so day. In the
end. as n matter Of course, tho American mine
owners were compelled to shut down entirely,
and the Cocur d'Alencs, which had been 40
prosperous and promising, became series OF
deserted camps.
The Mckinley bill put m end 10 this in
Justice The duty on lead ore was retained
at the old rate, and it was provided that for
eign ores should not sneak into the country
under tho pretence that they were silver ores
when the occasion Of their introduction was in
fact the importation of their lead contents.
Immediately the silver-lcad mines OF Colorado,
Idaho, Utah and Washington took on new life,
and thousands of miners who had been for
nearly four years out Of employment were again
al work Whatever, therefore, may be the
propriety of their demand that unskilled labor
shall be paid as largely ~ skilled labor, no
fair minded person can justify himself in the
pretence that the Republican tariff has any
thing to do with their complaints or their con-
| duct. This question goes TO the heart of the
mattcr-if the silver-lead miners have ANYTHING
10 quarrel about when, under the Republican
policy of Protection, they have all the work
they can do at o rate of wages from ~ to
| So 80 day, how infinitely worse was their
situation when under the Democratic policy
of FREQ Trade, they had no work at all and
spent nearly four years in idleness and poverty ?
| THE DEMOCRATIC DILEMMA.
II is rather awkward dilemma in which our
/ L.. Int