The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-01
MCKINLEY THE
%
MINERS FRIEND.
90
.Californians Should Vote
j.. for the Republican
Nominee.
SOME OF THE REASONS.
Bryan Has Placed the Gold
Mining Industry in Seri-
Gus Danger.
He IS a PURE FREE.TRADER.
Facts. Figures and the Deadly Parallel
All Contribute to Point a
Moral.

--SN 60 y ~ bi-S az Vi luSnSSlh SS
or their country. 1t has been so to some
extent with the gold miners of California.
When, in $685. the closing of the minis OF
India to the free and unlimit ed coinage OF
silver caused the price OF that metal to fall
so that certain silver mines were closed
down and silver miners thrown out of en-
ployment, the gold miners of California
symp athiZed very strongly with their fell
low-craftsmen OF the silver producing
States and Territories, and many OF them
were led TO believe that an injustice mad
been.done to silver and the silver N liner,
and that free coinage ought TO be under
taken by the United States alone.
There was vet another reason for cham
pioning the cause OF the free silver miners
Some hundreds, and perhaps thousands,
of idle miners focked 10 California either
TO compete with California gold miners in
their own fields Of labor or TO be a tax
upon them for assistance while out of
D work, and this contributed to the feeling
among California miners that such a
policy ought 10 be pursued by our Govern.
ment as would send these silver miners
lack TO work in the silver mines and so
relieve California miners OF this com petit
ton or charge upon their incomes.
No one Will blame the California gold
miner for looking 10 his own interest.
That is human, but sometimes there is q
narrow and sometimes broad way OF con-
sideeing self-nierest, and ii is to q broader
self-interest that the Republican party
would have the California gold miner direct
his attention. For instance, ii is fact that
the closing down OF the silver mines in
1898 did set free large number of silver
enIners who came to California and either
competed with California gold miners in
gold mining or were charge upon them,
but it Is also true that the revival of gold
mining has long since set all these miners
at work and also found employment for
many more men than have ever before been
employed in mining in the history OF the
country. In Colorado, according TO a
lead ing paper of that State and OF Denver,
there are now 10 per cent more miners at
work than during the first quarter OF 1898.
California makes even better showing in
this regard than Colorado. According to
statistics furnished by the State Mining
Bureau the number OF men OF all colors
engaged in all kinds of mining during
1888 "a was 13, Joy, while during the year
169495 there were II, $50 of white men
alone and $50 Chinese with number of
camps yet 10 be heard from. Therefore,
il IS plain that the revival of gold mining
has already compensated the miner for
any loss sustained by decline of silver
the cause OF the silver miner no longer
exists.
Nothing could be further from the pur-
pose of the Republican party than to be-
little the Importance of the mining indus
try in America, and especially that OF
mining the precious metals, for there
seems to be some likelihood that, after all,
those tireless prospectors and hardy
miners, doggedly digging away in spite OF
dIscouragemeuts, are the men who may
,yea settle the financial issue by restoring
the old market ratio between gold and
silver through an increased production OF
gold. and yet there Is prevalent among
the people most exaggerated idea OF the
magnitude of the mining industry as
compared with other industries. In 1890,
when the last census was being taken,
there was mined in the United States gold
to the coming value OF $32, 845 600 and
silver of the coming value OF $40, 465, 600,
making a total coming value OF SOB, 3lO,-
Co., To produce this metal there were
EMPLOYED in 1895 mines which were being
worked 57,307 men. In 1892, the last year
OF Harrison's administration, there was
mined in the United States gold to the
Coinage value of $33, 100000 and silver to
rhe coming value OF So, 10l 900, making
total coinage value of $1l5, 101, 600, and
tais was the largest output in the history
of the Nation. Therefore an increase in the
of men employed in mining the
precious metals proportionate to the in
creased volume OF metal obtained would
place the number of miners at work in
1892 1.-THE most prosperous year Tor mining
in the entire history OF the country at
63, 847.
1t is no disparagement to the mining of
precious metals to compare that industry
with the great manufacturing industry in
this country, or even with certain
branches o! it.
There were more wage-earners employed
in the single industry of manufacturing
wooden goods in fhe United States in 1890
than were employed in gold and silver
mining in 1892, when the mining indus
try reached its highest development in the
history OF the country ana the value OF
the WOODEN product was greater. The
figures as taken from the Abstract OF the
Eleventh Census, page 157, are as follows:
Employees, 1881; value OF output, S133,-
577, 977.
IN 1890 there were four-fifths as many
manufacturing establishments of one sort
and another in operation IN the single
city of San Francisco as there were geld
and silver mines of all kinds in operation
in the United States, and these factories
EN- ployed eight-ninthS as many hands and
paid three-fourtbs as much wages as all
the gold and silver mines in the United
States. the exact figures (taken from part
II, page 53l of Census Reports Relating to
Manufacturing Industries) are as follows:
Mum Der of manufacturing places report
ing, 1853; number of employees, As, 446;
wages paid, $50. 979 374.
Com pared TO the manufacturing indus
tries of the Nation, whose very lie Mr..
Bryan and bis associates nave jeopardized,
the industry OF gold and silver mining,
great as it is, assumes almost insignificant
proportions, as the following comparisons
will show:
Number OF GOLD and silver mines in opera
ton, 1890, ABB.
Number of manufacturing establishments,
1890, Census Abstract, p. Id, 355, 415-
Number OF hands employed in gold and Sill
yer mines. 1890, 81, 307.
Number of employees of manufacturing es-
adjustments 4,712, 622.
Amount Of wages paid to miners OF precious
metals, S43, $50, 696.
,,a Amount OF wages paid TO factory hands,
So 2S3, ZIG, 529
:. Capital invested in gold and silver mines
Capital invested in manufacturing plants