Arizona republican., 1899-02-20
Subject Discussed in the Min
 neSOta Legislature.
.BELIEYEI IN HOME INDUSTRIES
None of inc Six Million Tons of Ore Now Mined In inc State Is SmeIfed There-BenefifS to All to be Derived by a BounfY-Whaf Labor's Share Would Be if Ore Was Reduced to Steel.

St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 19.-If the fate of the proposed bounty on iron smelted within the state of Minnesota may be judged from the attitude of the house, an hour and a half was devoted to it's discussion, and not a single member expressed sentiments hostile to the measure. There was tendency to find some fault with the bill as it was drawn, but none whatever with its principle. MT. Laybourn, it's author, had an amendment to offer when he first rose to move that the committee of the whole report the bill favorably. Messrs. Dwinnell and Roberts of Hen nepin also sent up amendments. All of the limitations suggested were along the line of protecting the state. MT. Roberts idea was that the state should have some definite knowledge 1f tie amount it might be called upnn to pay before enacting any such law, and thought it would be we'll to define d bounty would be granted.
 The bill proposes in substance a bounty of 50 cents ton on all pig iron smelted in this state. The provisions of the act will continue in force for ten years. The first Laybourn amend ment restricted the payment of this bounty to those persons, firms or cor porations who are not members of any trust. Later, MT. Dwinnell asked that an additional condition be imr&sed re- quiTing the iron to be manufSa.tlrsif in this state. Upon the finished pro- duct so turned out he was willing to pay a bounty of dollar ton after four years. The Roberts amendment, in effect, placed the amount of the bounty at $5O,00 annually A second Laybourn amendment increased this amount by S25,000, by providing that the bounty each year should be granted on 15O,O0O tons of the pig iron. When the house took recess at noon until o'clock, none of these amend ments had been acted on. The St. Louis county delegation very tactfully avoided all appearance of pressing the bill, and by mutual consent it's further consideration was postponed until to- morrow. It is expected then that de- finite action will be taken.
 MT Laybourn of Duluth and Mir Mallory of West Duluth made the fight in favor of the bounty. Both pre- sented extensive arguments, citing facts and offering statistics already fla miliar to the public. The point that not single pound of the 5000, 900 tons of ore mined on the northern regions was smelted in this state was not neg lected by either of them. Both paid attention to the prosperity which had blessed the manufacturing regions of the Ohio valley, where the ore from has been transformed into the finished product. In common, they laid stress upon the importance the bounty had not only for Duluth, but also for the state at large.
 It appears that the proposed action of the Minnesota legislature has al- ready attracted attention in other states. MT. Laybourn said he had been requested by a representative in the Michigan legislature to furnish that body with a copy of the bill. He took this to mean that elsewhere the importance of local manufactories was being fully realized and that there were other states preparing to dispute with the pre-eminence in importance, which it has always enjoyed. As to the period over which the bounty extends, MT. Laybourn declared that it would be two or three years before the smelting could be established under the most favorable conditions, and that as much more time would be re- quired for the development of west ern market.
 MT. Yale of Winona, though he halls from the southern section, placed him self on record as thoroughly in favor of the idea. He believed that the scheme should be viewed in the same light as the drainage appropriation and the beet-sugar bounty. Beyond all doubt, Duluth would be enriched by the establishment of smelters in terri tory adjacent to her borders, but that should not be allowed to disguise the fact that the state at large would be benefited. With such l steel manufacturing plant located at Duluth as there was at South Chicago. and with other various manufacturing scattered throughout the state, he knew no reason why Min nesota should not take high rank