Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-09
IN FAMOUS DEADWO0D
American Mining Congress
Addressed by Secretary Shaw.
WEALTH PRODUCERS
RESOLUTIONS OF THANKS TO
PRESIDENT FOR HIS INTEREST.
Importance Of the Mining Industry
Secretary Shaw Made an Honorary
Member Of the Congress.
PRODUCERS

Member Of the Congress.
The following dispatch was received from
Deadwood. s. D.. last night: The American
mining congress got down to the business OF
the sixth annual session today. The first
meeting was called to order at 1890 am.
The rink seats about 800. and the building
was nearly filed with delegates and others
interested in the mining industry. Prayer
was delivered by Right Rev. John Stariha,
bishop Of Lead.
Gov. Charles N. Herreid warmly welcomed
the delegates and visitors on behalf Of the
state. and Mayor Mcdonald welcomed them
to the city of Deadwood. Responses were
made on behalf Of the mining congress by
President Richards and several delegates.
President Richards Address.
Recess was then taken until 2:3O pm,
when President Richards Of the mining con-
gress delivered his annual address.
He said the ultimate aim of the or
ganization must be to place the mining in
dustry as a whole upon a plane commensu-
rate with its Importance. The congress
must arouse so much interest throughout
the country, must be the means Of giving
the public SO much valuable information
about mining that the people will at least
realize the Importance and dignity Of every
thing connected with the proper develop
ment and utilization of this great source of
raw material; 1t must be the means of
finally opening the eyes of the lawmakers
to the necessity of department of mines
and mining, coordinate in rank with the
Department Of Agriculture and the recently
created Department of Commerce and La
Dor. The logic of events, the irresistible
force of controlling tendency in human
progress. must ultimately compel the
proper recognition of the mining industry
at the hands of this government as one of
the necessities Of governmental organiza-
ton.
Rights Of tho Miner.
ut is common knowledge what the De-
partment of Agriculture has done for the
farmer. We say that the mining prospec-
tor has Just as good a right to scientific
information from the government concern
ing mineral formations, the character of
various ores and their proper treatment,
for he too is a producer of the raw material
that is condition of all resultant produc-
ton. and this cooperation on the part Of
the government may give him just the in
dustrial chance that he needs.
1T is stated upon scientific authority
that even with all the improved processes
lately invented and successfully applied,
liable gold-bearing material in this country
can as yet be utilized Many extensive dis
tricts are still undeveloped, because the ore
is too low grade or too refractory to be
worked with profit.
Problems VIII Be Solved.
"These problems will of course be solved,
the necessary processes and treatment will
be discovered, and In all probability this
will be done by scientific experts in the en-
ploy Of private capitalists, who will thereby
be enabled to tax such mining districts at
will for years to come.
II do not decry the enterprise Of private
capital; 1t is worthy of its reward; but I
simply ask, Why should not these re-
searches and Investigations in the field of
mining, as well as in agriculture and horti-
culture be at at the the puDie ex
the results achieved be made free to the
people forever?'
Secretary shaw's Speech.
Secretary Shaw also addressed the con-
gress in the afternoon. He said in part:
1T 10 an error to rate the importance of
our many Industries according to their
relative productiveness. Our factories and
workshops produced $4,000, 900, 600 gross in
1900; agriculture. $4,000, O0O, 600; forestry,
s. 600, 600 CO., and mines 81, 600, 600 600, about
equally divided between metallic and nom
metallic products Yet 1t must occur to all
that acknowledgements our grea
wealth producing industry-is dependent
upon iron. copper lead. zinc and other
non-metallic minerals. Our manufacturing
interests would dwindle into insignificance
but for our mines.
Manufacture Is equally dependent upon
agriculture for cotton. max, wool and other
products of the field and herd. Our COM
mercial, Industrial and financial supremacy
Is, therefore, not dependent upon any one
fact, or interest, or condition, but upon all
combined.
I'VE produce practically 80 600 600 tons OF
iron ore-as much as any other two coun-
tries and one-third of the worlds output.
I'VE produce 40 per cent of the world q
output of iron and steel. During the first
half of 1903 we produced nearly 100000
tons Of pig iron.
I'VE produce more coal than Great Britain;
more than twice as much as Germany, and
nearly double that of all countries except
Great Britain and Germany.
I'VE grow three-fourths of the world &
cotton fiber and our ability to produce this
staple is far above the present product.
"A peoples prosperity Is not measured by
its capacity to produce more than by Its
capacity to consume. and this capacity to
consume is in turn dependent upon the
earning capacity of the individual. and the
earning capacity Of the individual is again
dependent upon native and acquired ability.
So if America be great it is because God
in His wisdom stored the mountains with
the richest minerals overlaid the valleys
with most fertile soil, and then gave 1t
to people competent, in some slight degree
at least, to improve their opportunities.
THE output of gold, which received a
temporary check by the war in the Trans
vaal, will mount this year to a new record,
and next year, in all probability, to another
new one, for the Transvaal will not fully
recover it's position until then, and all of
the important gold producing regions of the
world are promising enlarged yields. The
ore deposits in sight the advancement
made in metallurgy and the abundance of
capital seeking investment in the industry
combine to give assurance that the yield
will not decline for a long time to come.
Down to twenty years ago the worlds sup
ply of gold came mainly from placers
Prof. Suess, the Austrian geologist, based
his famous argument for bimetaIlism in
1874 upon the theory that placers were, and
always would be. the chief source of supply,
and that as the world had been nearly ali
explored the annual yield of gold in the
future must be a diminishing one. The
metallurgical discoveries of the last twenty
years. the new processes of reduction are
to be credited with the new golden stream.
THE people who are counting on stagna-
ton and liquidation to follow the present
era OF prosperity may not be giving due
Importance to this annual addition to the
monetary stock of the world. A period of
enterprise and free investment exhausts
the fund Of 1iuuid captfal and boN ts ~