The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-09-22
JUDGE cLAGGErr's POSITION.

tVOGk CLAGGETTS POSITION.
The Popnlist Party now has Mr.. Clag-
gett on their hands. He has attempted
to enter the United States Senate from
several states as q Republican, his last
effort in that direction being in this
State In 1890. He has at last made up
his mind 70 try greener fields and
pastures new and has gone over to the
Populists. The senate is still the goal
OF his ambition and he is now stump
ing the state with this end in view.
In this mad chase after the unattain-
able with his new allies, the Populis,s,
he must needs advocate the heresies and
vsgsries OF that party. He must needs
swallow their rag money theory, and
howl calamity, for this part of the pro-
gram is insisted upon by the party lead.
ers, and his standing will be jeopardized
by any failure on his part to dance to
the orthodox music, bu, coming from q
lead county it would naturally be pre-
sumed that he would advocate no theory
even at the bidding of his populist mas
tiers, that wonld imperil the most i'm por-
tant industry OF his native county. But
30 rapid has been his progress in his
populist doctrine, and SC thorough his
mastery Of the Populist principles, tina,
he mounts at one stride from a position
at the feet OF the Gamaliels Of that Pc
culiar political faith to that of the pro
phet in the dispensation. He can not
only now advocate rag money without
blushing, he can proclaim to all and sun
dry the free trade principles OF the south
ern wing OF the party as taught in the an
Gent book Of the Populist doctrine, the
confederate constitution. While hecan-
not, OF at least does not, so far as we know,
go quite so far as Sockless Jerry Simpson
OF Kansas, one of the chief apostles OF
Populism, and say that he is free ira
der in the full sense of the term, be is
nevertheless free trader so far as lead
is concerned, and would no doubt vote
with his Populist friends in Congress to
put lead on the free list.
In speech delivered by him at Mos
COW, May 10th, 1894, speaking OF the
trusts OF the country, he used the fol-
lowing language:
THAT'S what is the matter with the
lead question in Shoshone County and
through Idaho today. The lead trusts
buy up all the lead, and fixes the price
to suit themselves, and them fellows up
there are crazy on the subject OF protec-
Il N
pen If their markets were open to the
world instead of having this kind and
gentiemanly trust taking il all off their
hands and fixing the price every "a
hours"
According to Mr.. Claggett, then, the
position of the lead miners in Shoshone
county, aud in fact in Idaho, would be
much better ii all duties were taken off
that product and their markets thrown
open to the world. According to the
profound economic judgement of this
new prophet OF Populism, all that is
needed in order to usher in a new era of
prosperity in Shoshone County and set,
all the lead mines to work, is to have the
duty taken off this product, and give it
free access in the markets OF the world.
No where in the markets OF the
world" can the lead product get letter
price than at home ? VIII he take it to
Spain where lead is a drug on the mar
ket Or TO Mexico where lead is mined /
by Poems at from 81 to 80 cents a day d? !
VIII he chip it to London where lzed il
q cent lower per poun1 than it is here?
Or where will he ship it to get larger |
price than he can in the American mar
ket?
Does he not know that IL lead was
made free that the price would be much I
lower than it is now? Our lead miners !,
could not afford to mine lead as cheap
as they do in Mexico OF Spain, az they
pay their miners $3.50 day while the
Mexican pson gets from IS ~ 50 cents a
day, and the Spanish miner gets IS
eents.
They could do this we're they to pay
the same ssges, and the natural effect
oil free lead would be either 10 reduce
thS saser u ll4s American miner 70 The
same As Spain or Mexico Or 70 cloee the
lead mines altogether.
What he has 70 cay Of the lead trust
is all right. The leaders OF this trust
should be put in the peni,entiary and
the trust broken up, but to put lead ON
the free list would not help the indus
try, but on the contrary would destroy
il. /
With the duty Of the Mckinley bill
there was shipped into this country over
400,Oo0.0O0 pounds in 1893. Free lead
would simply flood our market and drive
American miners To the wall.
Senator shouP in his able speech on