The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-20
HIS SPEECH Is SILVBRN.
Teller Discusses the Mining
Famine in the West.
MINERS NOT ENGRAVING,
The Enormous Incomes Which Have
Suspended.
A Lawyer Who Got a 5000 Fee-The
Many Fortunes that Are Lost in
Development Work-Personal
Experiences in Mining.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16.-Silver has no
firmer friend than Senator Henry nj. Tel
Ter. of Colorado. Mr.. Teller is a good
fighter at ali times; but he never feels his
strength as when he is talking for the
white metal. He not only comes from
the silver country with a personal expe-
.rience in mining which has made HIM an
authority on mining subjects; but he has
been identified with national legislation
for seventeen years, and in that time he
has made study OF the financial question
both national and international which
gives his utterances on the floor OF the
Senate authority. And those who know
Mr. Teller's record in the interior depart
ment, where his decisions are quoted as
models. have great respect for his opin-
ion
Mr.. Teller is a pleasant man to talk to,
whether he is riding the silver hobby or
talking about something entirely foreign
TO finance. ] sat in the reception room of
his home on p street Jew evenings ago,
discussing the exodus from Colorado
which the newspapers had represented as
threatening to depopulate the state. Mr..
Teller was amused at this proposition.
1.-THE truth of the matter is, - he said,
s'that about three per cent. OF the men
who are leaving Colorado are miners.
Thespthers are chiefly Migrants. Colo
rad6is not suffering by their departure
In fact we are very glad OF it. We are as
aisting 1t all that we can. We have per-
suaded the railroad officials to make rates
which will help these people to get away.
Colorado is the better off for losing MANY
OF them. OF course there are some worthy
people who are suffering by the shutting
down of the mines, and there is going to
be good deal of suffering during the
coming winter. But you can be sure of
one Jhlng-that no one is going hungry.
ssThe average miner,' continued Mr..
Teller, sis not penniless. The miners of
Colorado are better paid than a1y work
men In the world, | believe. They get "a
a day in some camps. Living is as cheap
as il is in st. Louis. A sack of flour costs
less in Colorado than it does in Washing
ton. We have -four mills all through the
state. and year ago we produced so
as IS cents q bushel. These men
do not spend all that they
make. 1t will be some time before they
begin to be in want. OF course, as |
said, there will be good deal of suffer-
ing in the winter season. That we ex-
pect and that we shall prepare for. The
towns throughout the state will do a
good deal of improvement work SO as to
provide occupation for idle men. And
there are great many other industries
to which they can turn if the silver mines
remain closed. We have a great many
gold mines in the state. They are not
worked at their full capacity because the
work does not pay SO we'll as silver min
ing. But it pays enough to support
man and his family. There are 10, 900
silver miners who will be out of work if
the silver mines remain shut down.
Now. in my district we could put ZOO
more men to work on the gold mines and
after little more development work had
been done, we could put 1000 more at
work. Then there are coal mines and
marble quarries and great many other
industries to which they can turn.
Colorado has never had enough work
men, l mean, of course, competent men
men who knew something about min
ing and were physically equipped for it.
We have altogether too many young men
coming out there who are not well fitted
for anything-who have no profession
and who are not physically able to do
miners work. We are called on all the
time to help men like these to get back
east. But good men are needed in Colo
RADIO and they can find plenty OF work at
uASu wages WHEN bAS 1Hlne6 are WOrk-
ing"
! asked the senator what truth there
--ss in the claim that silver could be pro-
a ced for % or 30 cents an ounce.
THAT is an absurd statement,' he
said. ssOf course there are mines which
could produce silver at that rate. But
they are very few l know of one or Two.
They are shut down now with the rest
because the sn1elters are shut down. The
smelters cannot work the high grade ore
by itself. They have to have the low
grade with it. But there is one point
about these mines which is seldom con-
sidered. The owners of some of them
have invested many thousands of dollars
in development work before they found
pay ore. Now they have got to get back
not only the cost of mining the
ore today but fair interest on the in
vestment, and besides that they must