Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-10-19
HOW FREE LEAD WOULD AFFECT


yet forcible illustration of the wav il,
which free lead would affect US, de.
spite the flee coinage of silver, that
We deem it worthy Of republication.
We, however, wish to state that Mr..
Dubois should have said "copcen.
trates" instead Of Sores" The silver>
Iced ores produced in Idaho do not
average over 9 ounces in silver and
90 per cent. in lead; but the CONGO n.
trates shipped do average 30 ounces
in silver and 60 per cent. in lead. Mr..
Dubois said:
In early days there was not much
lead produced in the United States,
and none to speak of imported from
Mexico, and consequently lead was
worth six, seven, or eight cents per
pound. Gradually impor.at,ons from
Mexico increased. Lead did not
come very fast because, as I say, there
was q tax on lead and it was sneaked
in BY subterfuges, contrary to law, and
, tho question whether it could not be
brought IN without paying duty was
even discussed. But along in Cleve-
lands administration they ruled fin ally
ii the silver in the ore was more valu-
able than the lead the lead should
come in free. They then imported
enough Mexican ore to reduce the
price Of lead here in the United States
to 50 GO per 100 pounds. This closed
many Of the lead mines in the Union,
and would have eventually closed
every mine in Idaho. The Mckinley
bill, which extended the duty Of II
cents per pound to that class OF ores,
was passed. had the honor Of intro
ducing that amendment. 1 intro
duced it in the Mills bill. but the
Democrats beat me. In the next
Congress-which was Republican in
both houses-l succeeded in getting
it in the bill. And since that we
have had more stable and fixed price
for lead than we ever had before.
And there is not a man, or woman,
Democrat or Populist, that can con-
trovert that. 1t has run over IS 25;
it has stood between 81 ard s4.75 all
the t'me-or an average of about
s4.35 per 100 pounds. And all min.
ing men will say to you that with the
price OF lead between g. so and 81 %
they will do we'll; but that below that
they can do nothing. Both of the
parties opposing the Republican party
are pledged to free lead. You will
get it il they gain power-and you
cannot escape it.
You cannot compete with Mexico
in the production OF lead. Mr..
Romero, the Mexican Minister at
Washington, published a statement in
regard to the wages paid laborers in
that country. They verage 36 cents
day. Miners get so cents a day.
Here miners get from 90 to ~ a day.
In this section they get $3.50. The
transportation from Mexico is as cheap
as from here, consequently it Is simply
a question Of wages. You can keep
on producing lead, but it will be at
the cost Of a reduction OF wages paid
miners, because $3.50 per day cannot
compete with SO cents per day. If
you say here miners get $3.50 per
day, some one will say they get so
cents q day but or miners will do
seven times as much work, and that
will make it even. Or, our miners
get 81 day and do eight times as
much work as the Mexican miners.
do not believe you want to be brought
in competition with peon labor at SO
cents per day. Yet that is what you
will get unless you maintain the Re.
puhlicans in power.
You have figured on the effect tina.
free lead would have on silver? /
know figures are very tiresome; but
as can carry these in my head l trust
you viii pardon me for indulging in a
few. When this free lead bill was
introduced in the present Congress
Mr. Whitney, who is a cha mpion of
it, said if it passed it would bring lead
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