St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-11

iron mine owners of this state. An
other Pullman coach would have loom
to spare if every one of these men were
put into it. Mr.. Smalley then asks you
to advise congress to enable a number
carried in couple of Pullmans, to exact
more for their lumber and ore of the
ultimate consumers of them than they
could get were trade conditions with
them the same as those under which we,
not to mention others, have to trade.
Allowing to the fullest the profit our
trade may get from these few men, its
total would probably not take more than
three or four figures to write it.
On the other hand are the hundreds
or thousands of users OF iron and lumber
Ill this great eXpanse of country trjbut-
airy to us and on whose prosperity we
are dependent for ours. There is not a
man among all these but is harmed by
any increase in the cost of either lumber
or ore; there is not one who is not bene-
fitted by its cheapening. Our prosperi-
ty, the bulk of our business, depends on
their power to buy; increase that and
our trade swells; decrease it and our
trade Shrinks. 1t is not in their crops
only that we, as business men merely,
are concerned, but in their savings. LIZ
the articles made of iron are cheaper to
them; if the lumber they buy for the
barns and houses and granarles is
cheaper; if the freight charges can be
lessened to them because the material
of construction of railways is less costly.
it means that less money goes into
pockets whence but little flows to us
and that so much the more remains with
those on whom we depend, with which
they can and will buy more of the things
which we have to sell. In short we are
Infinitely more interested in increasing
the buying power of the farmers and
artisans and all others of the great ter
ritory tributary to US to us than we are
in making few wealthy mine and
Stumpage owners richer.
But we may be told that these men
will have to close their mines and
camps and mills if they are not allowed
to get more for their ore and lumber,
and that Will turn from industry to
ldleneSs large number of their en-
ployes. Well, gentlemen, l don't be-
lieve it. If our farmers can raise wheat
and send it to Europe and there COM
pete with wheat raised in India, where
labor is six cents a day. and live, l
think these men can aud should mine
their ore and cut their logs in COMPETE
ton with Cuba and Canada, their
only competitors. 1t is not very long
ago that you adopted resolution
demanding that your representatives
vote to have the government stop fur
nishing market for the product of the
silver mines. The miners protested
that if this was done the price of silver
would slump out of sight and they
would have to close their mines and
discharge their men. They talked just
as these men do now. The purchase
was stopped, and silver advanced tup-
pence an ounce, and no mine is closed
that was working then. 1t may not be
known to you, but it is the fact that
these same pine owners who are be-
moaning the sad fate in store for their
poor workingmen are paying only from
$40 to $12 month for the best labor,
while they have hundreds of men now
in camp who are working for the board
and lodging they get.
So, balancing the question OH the
scales of mere selfish interests between
the benefits we as merchants will de-.
rive from the continuance or removal of
this tax, and leaving out all ethical
questions, | trust L have made it clear to
you that our larger and truer interests
require free ore and lumber, and the re-
lection of this resolution. L thank you.
gentlemen, for your attention.