The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1893-07-15

S0 per cent OF the silver mines
the country and the snlelters mus
soon follow their example. Their
are in Colorado today 5000 idl'
miners who know not where t.
turn if work be not resumed. There
will soon be added to this idle
army of labor 1000 men from the
smelters. The stone quarries are
nearly all shut down. The rail.
way companies are laying Oft train
crews bv the score. The fOundiles
are nearly all out of orders. Farm.
ers and fruit growers will be paid
for the cost of saving their crops,
| Merchants are countermanding
orders. Travelling men for eastern
houses look almost in vain for
customers. This is not exagger-
alton. The destruction of the
silver industry will devastate the
country as if swept by a cyclone,
reaching from the British possess
sions to the Mexican border line.
This sorrowful picture of Colorado
with the mining industry destroyed
but represents the condition Of
other mining states and territories
with the same calamity ppon
them.
If the silver mines remain
closed half the American output
Of lead must be lost. The greatest
bulk Of the lead product is taken
from silver bearing ores. It re-.
quires one metal, supplemented
by the other, TO remunerate The
lead silver miner. Net less than
81. per cent of the gold product Of
the country depends upon the
maintenance of the silver industry.
Placer or creek washings, the
earliest and most prolific source
Of our gold supply, are almost
exhausted.
Those who contend for the
gold : single standard willfully
mislead you az to the cost Of
producing silver. We say to you
in the most solemn and truthful
manner that reliable statistics
prove, including but legitimate
items in the account, that. the
silver of Colorado costs by the
time it is on the market not less
than ii 20 per ounce. Like gold,
some silver is produced for much
less than the market value, but
the average cost of silver is fully
the highest price it ever brought
in the market.
"All the mining states and
territories are of the debtor class.
Stop and consider, men Of the east,
how many millions of your
money is invested with ne. The
funds If estates of widows and
orphans are loaned on our lands
and have built our edi6ces.
Colorado has been favorite field
for such Investments. Have the
people Of any state ever proved
more punctilious in prompt repay
ment? The Legislature enacted
laws cruel to our own people and
unrivalled in libetality to creditors
that no man might shirk or escape
repayment Of borrowed dollar.
There is held throughout the east
a hundred million dollars in rail-
road stocks and bonds; in munich
pal securities, in trusts and
mortgages, payment of which de-
ponds upon the prosperity of the
silver mining country. We of
Colorado pride ourselves upon our
commercial and financial integrity.
No calamity can induce us to
repudiate . dollar of honest debt.
All our assets We will turn over
to our creditors for reimburse
ment. But if by bad congress-
ional legislation. if through con-
gress you shall wipe out the
great industry of this section
around which all others cluster
for vigor and profit, the values
of our properties will shrink, our
business will be destroyed, our
towns and cities will be largely
sdepopulated, and the railroads
traversing the western half Of
the continent will be sent INTO
bankruptcy.
Certainly in the face of unmerit.