St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-11
IRON ORE IN THE CHAMBER.

A1tON Otih IN LII II CH Il NJ SER.
In the chamber of commerce this
morning the committee on legislation,
to which was referred the resolution of
E. Y. Smalley urging our senators and
representatives Ill congress to oppose
the putting on the free list of lumber
and iron ore, will report it back with
a recommendation. In the course of
the debate which will follow, Smith
Jones will make the following remarks:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen of the
Chamber: 1t is needless for ME to tell
you that l am opposed to the reSolu-
ton, for you all know that am a free
trader from conviction. believing that
it is right, and that what is right is the
best policy, whether in business or gov
eminent. But l am not going to ad-
dress any argument to you based OH
that line of thought. l recognize that
we are all business men, engaged in a
competitive business, and that the
strongest argument which can be ad-
| dressed to us is the one that shows that
| we will suffer loss or gain profit by any
course the government may pursue.
| In other words, recognize that under
| our altruism lies the motive power OF
| selfShnesS.
| [ shall therefore endeavor to show
| you that our own selfish interests lie in
the direction of free ore and lumber;
not, perhaps, the self-interest which
| perceives the immediate penny, but the
larger Self-interest which sees the dol.
lar hidden by the intervening cent.
Now. what is the gist. the core of Mr.
| Smalley's resolution? When we take
off the huSkS of sentiment, a thing
which business has nothing to do with,
because sit isn't business it is simply
request that the federal government
continue to tax ore and lumber that
would come in from other countries e
cents a ton and from 81 to $3.50 q
thousand. Why? Because, it is
claimed, these articles can be produced
and brought here cheaper than oul
miners and lumbermen can produce
them. What does that mean? That
without the tax these articles and, b,
necessity, all the things into whose con.
structiOn they go, would be cheaper
What follows? That this request is tC
have our members in the congress oppose
making cheaper the things so commonly
used in order that the men engaged il
producing them IN our state may bt
able to exact more for their ore anC
lumber than they could get without it
That is the plain English of the propo
sition.
Now. who are these proposed bene
ficiarieS, and what are their relations Il
US business men? In one way their re.
lations are very close. There is not {
man in this chamber but Is touched b,
them in his business in some way. On,
class OF them furnishes the lumber tina
| goes into our packing boxes, and tn,
other the material out of which is mad,
the nails that fasten them. Both con
tribute the material for the railway
which take our freights out and in, an,
the drays which carry them to and from
our warehouses. But 1 Will not enlarg
Oh this phase: each>of you can see il
your own affairs how much iron ant
lumber enter into the details of Won
business and affect its cost and lncreas
your working capital. Who are thew
and how many of them are there?
don't know how closely you have kep
track of business movements outsid
of your own, but L assume that it i
not news to you that.a syndicate com
posed of a few men now controls prac
tlcaily ali the stumpage of this state
Michigan and Wisconsin, the remainin
sources of lumber supply for the North
! west. A Pullman coach will comIorta
bly, carry all of these men who own tn
! stumpage from which our lumber sur
plies pust be cut. You may have rea,
! recently Ct the consultations of tn