The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1900-06-21
PROTECTING" THE MINER.

CnarlCy LII cOnCrOlS the SmelterS OF
the United States, and it controls the
price of all metals mined. With
copper it is absolute, and as fast as
possible it is getting around to the
same status on the other minerals,
having now gone 80 far as to organ
ize a lead producers association for
the purpose of protecting the pro-
ducers of lead from the present
tendency to reduce the price of that
metal. A few days ago the re-
preventative of the smelter trust in
Salt Lake announced that he expect
ed lead to 60 to 50 per 100 pounds
and remain pretty steadily at that
figure, which of course means that
that price has been determined upon
by the trust. 1t is good price
for the smeter people At SO per
100, however, every small miner of
the mineral would be compelled to
close down and hunt job in hay
field, though the "big fellows" could
continue for the reason that on a
large scale very small profit aggre-
gates an enormous total. Possibly
there is no politics in this smelter
trust; but it is a combination that
has been fostered indirectly by the
republican party and that has been
openly and continually condemned
by the democrats. This new lead
"trust', though, is of deal of in
terest. When the producers learned
that their product was to be reduced
to below a profitable figure they were
of course worried, and took to the
idea of protective association like
calf to the old cows milk. So the
association went on almost to frui-
ton, till now it Is sure thing that
it will be formed and its results will
be far reaching. The essence of the
organization is dues. A member
must pay 81 per ton on all lead ore
produced which brings SO per 100
pounds; 81 if it brings 81, and SO if
it brings $4.65 or over. And the
thing that makes it stable is that the
smelter trust is behind the new enter
PRISE it created the rate of dues; it
has the collection of the dues; it has
full power for the paying of those
dues, which will amount to a great
deal in the aggregate, to whatever
source they think the most beneficial. +"
Now this is a corker. If man does
not join the association he will have
to hold his lead, for Of course the
trust won't buy it, because members
not only sell to them at whatever
price they see fit to give him, but he
also pays them very substantial
bonus for the extreme kindness: and
the man who will not do this, being
no friend of the trust, will not have
the felicity of it's favors. 1t has
come to pretty kettle of fish when
men cannot sell any product provid-
ed by the Creator for the benefit of
man unless he goes to what is now
higher power-a trust. The cop
per miner, the refractory ore miner,
the lead miner, all are IN the same
boat for the trust very nearly controls
all the smelters, and all miners, ex-
cepting of free ores, are at the mercy
of the refiner. The gold people have
got US by the-horns. They have de-
based silver to the lowest level, and
now they have the other materials on
the 'pace that kills. If the people
of the United States would sit down
for ten moments of solid thought
upon their condition at this time
there would result a most contumac-
lous general row of the free and it
would be most thoroughly justified.
''The land of the free and the home
Of the brave" is getting to be land
of determined anarchists-b as we
ire in the midst of ga highter civil
cation" we should be satisfied. With
trusts robbing us on everything we
lat and wear, and robbing us on the
base of all the money of the country,
t will not be long time till the
leople begin hunting the penny loaf
Ind ha'penny dinner Of Merrie Eng