The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-09
HIS SPEECH in FULL
]. d. Leyson's Address Before the
Trades and Labor Assembly.
1T IS AN ABLE ARGUMENT
Suggestions as to the Best Meth
DDS of Disseminating Silver Doc
trine in the East-Process
of Treating Ores.


livered before the Trades and Labor
assembly on Saturday night by ]. II.
Leyson in support of his plan for send
ing out free silver missionaries from
the labor unions of the West to work
among the workingmen of the East.
Mr.. Leyson's contributions to the free
silver literature are always interesting
and instructive and this one is partic-
ularly so. On the basis that labor is
the principal unit of value Mr. Leyson
discusses the production of silver pure
ly as an industry and presents its ad-
vantages over gold mining in the in
terests of the workingman so conclu-
sively as to leave no room for argu-
ment.
Mr.. Leyson's missionary plan met
with the hearty approval of all of the
members of the Trades and Labor as
sembly who heard Mr.. Leysons ad-
dress and only an unusual press of
business prevented some action being
taken in regard to 1t on Saturday eve
ming. 1t is likely that at the next
meeting of the assembly on Saturday
night steps will be taken towards send
ing delegations of workingmen East on
the lines suggested by Mr.. Leyson. Mr..
Leyson's address was as follows:
1.-The prosperity of our country de-
ponds on the profitable and useful en-
ployment of labor The measure of
prosperity is indicated by the value of
labor. 1t is made the principal unit of
value in estimating the cost of every
commodity. The real wealth of the
nation is the product of brain and
muscle actively employed. The rich
harvest of the farm, the hum and din
of the machine shop and factory, the
valuable product of the mine hidden
deep in the slips, seams and veins of
the earth, and the hustle and busy mart
of trade exchanging these commodities
find their inspiration in honest toll.
1T is self-evident then that the more
useful employment we can give our
people the more prosperous the nation.
No industry is so local in its interest
but what other sections of the coun-
try must be affected more or less by 1T.
The more widespread the influence of
any branch of industry in the employ
ment of labor the more universal is the
benefit to the country. The working
man is not only the producer of wealth
but also the valuable distributor of the
wealth of the nation.
1.-The material facts here crystallized
are invaluable in the discussion of the
silver question. Attention should be
especially called to this fact when COM
pairing 1t with the production of gold
when considered in the interest Of la
Dor. If labor is made the principal
unit of value in estimating the cost of
products, we fail to see the wisdom of
exempting the production Of gold from
the general rule in estimating its
value by the unit of labor.
IF this were done in comparison with
the cost of producing silver 1t would
be found that the grains of silver COM
posing the silver dollar cost more to
produce than the grains of gold con-
tanned in the gold dollar at the estab-
lished ratio of 16 to 1, between the two
metals. People who are familiar with
gold and silver mining are aware of
this fact, but the country at large has
been so misled by vague and visionary
statements concerning the intrinsic
value of gold that they people have but
faint conception of its worth in our
industrial economy, and indeed can
hardly appreciate how its purchasing
power has increased by our unwise
financial policy.
For comparison in the interest Of
labor we will outline gold and silver
mining that we may come to a wise
conclusion as to which metal brings the
greatest benefit to the world at large
and especially to our country which is
the greatest silver producer. Gold min
ing is mostly the simple process of
washing nuggets and particles of gold
from the earth. The miner has his pick
and shovel to dig up the gravel and
then wash 1t in a pan. rocker or sluice-
box. or If the placer mining is carried
on a large scale, then by hydraulic
pressure washing as is done in Califor-
MIA. BY this last process several cubic
yards Of gravel can be reduced for a
few cents and will yield several dollars
in gold. Mark you even when gold
placer mining Is done In this way on a
large scale IL gives employment to
comparatively few men and is conse-
quently local in its benefit, and of
greatest benefit to the mine owner.
Gold quartz mining may be considered
less local in its interest from the fact
of the employment of machinery, such
as hosting works, pumps, water col
umns. rails and cars, timber and fuel,
reduction works and quicksilver and in
giving employment to the greater
number of people outside of the mining
camp.
ut must be borne IN mind. however.
that the reduction Of gold ores is a
simple process when compared with the
reduction of silver ores. II is only
crushing the ore by the dropping of
stamps to a pulverized dust that is
washed by the water carrying IL away
over a table Of copper plates charged
with quicksilver. The product is
known as gold amalgam. This ANAL
gam is retorted down, evaporating the
quicksilver into fumes conducted into
a trough of water thereby condensing
and returning IL to quicksilver again.
Or the gold ore may be reduced by the
cyanide process which is purely a
chemical one much simpler and less ex-
pensive The cost of mining and mill
ing the gold ores of the Black Hills is
s165 per ton, while the reducing of the
gold quartz Of Alaska is only 1925 per
ton on account Of the cheaper wages
paid the Indian employees. Some gold
quartz. however. may cost 81 to s. a
ton to reduce. but this is rarely the
case.
The scarcity of gold and its mintage
into coin give il its value and not the
cost of producing estimated by labor
Much Of the gold is produced at a cost
Of from 25c TO s. an ounce which sells
in the market for about $50 per ounce