Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1903-02-05
CURRENT EVENTS.

Twenty years ago two men, looking
for some grazing and farming land near
the southern shore Of Lake Superior
came across large tree that had been
uprooted by storm. The long tap-root
of the fallen tree was smeared with
red stuff, and the men surmising what
this meant, dug down and found solid
bed of red iron ore, the best known for
making Bessemer steel. They bought
the ridge for a trife, made their dis
covery known, and in thu course OF
time sold their holdings for twenty
millions.
The region was investigated and these
deposits of ore we're found to exist
along the entire southern coast OF Lake
Superior from the straits of Mackinaw,
through Michigan, Wisconsin and
Minnesota to point northwest OF
Duluth, and the ridges containing 1t
have all been bought mp by the Car
negies and Rockefellers. The ore is
dredged from the hills, loaded in cars,
run to the Lake shore, dumped into
boats built for the purpose, towed to
the ports of Lake Erie and loaded on
cars there.-all by machinery-and
though millions of tons of it have been
taken out, the deposits have barely
been scratched. and the supply seems
inexhaustible. Thousands Of tons OF
the stuff pass through Butler every
week over the Bessemer on it's way to
the furnaces near Pittsburg; the coal
of this section giving us an advantage
over other sections, and the output OF
pig iron in this state alone tor last year
was about eight millions Of tons, as
against about seventeen million tons by
the whole country.
These figures are instructive in many
ways The output was the greatest in
our history and would have been pro-
baby twenty per cent larger il there
had been available the coke and means
OF transportation. To offset this there
was large importations from abroad,
and the demand is still utterly beyond
the capacity of the furnaces to supply.
AT Connellsville and in that region
thousands OF tons of coke are awaiting
shipment, and the railroad blockade
seems to be no nearer closing than for
some weeks In consequence the maxi
mum demand for pig-iron output can
not be reached The position of Penn
sylvania in the ore business is more i'm
portant than ever. That its output
should equal that Of Great Britain
seems almost impossible, and the fact
that the iron business OF the country
has doubled in ten years is most in
structive feature.
In Washington, last week, the House
had bribery scandal on hands (which
was not ''probed to the bottom') and il
now engaged on the appropriation bills
The Senate witnessed the strane'
spectacle of Mr.. Morgan Of Alabami
opposing the canal treaty after pre-
viously voting for the bill.
The Senate continued TO be dead
locked all last week by the 'Statehoo'
Bill" which still held the right of wa.
after 2 p. m, and Senator Quay playe'
d smart trick by offering the bill as al
amendment to an appropriation bill, bu
the majority Of the Republican mem
bers, having in view, the case OF Della
ware, where one wealthy man is hold
ing up the entire state, were continuin
to oppose the bill. The two territorie
have a mixed population Of Mexicanf
Indians and a few white people Ari
zona polled about twenty thousan
votes last year in her local elections, an
New Mexico polled some thirty-thous
and. IL admitted as states each on
would be entitled to one Congressma
and two United States Senators, whic
would not only be an imposition on tn
the other states. but also an invitatio
to adventurers, as Delaware now is.
The situation, as stated by the Phils
delphia Inquirer was, The House pas
ed the measure, which provides for th
admission Of New Mexico, Arizona an
Oklahoma as States. The Senate con
mittee rejected all save Oklahoma, an
coupled with that territory the India
Territory. The great majority Of r.
publican Senators indorse the commi
tee report. The Democrats are favor'
BILE TO the House bill Senator Qua
has rallied enough Republican Senatoi
to make majority for admission whe
added to the solid Democratic vote. Z
asks that day shall be set for the vot
but the Republican opponents pref
debate and postponement, hence no a
ton can be had
In the midst of this deadlock Qua
gives notice of amendments to be 0
fered to certain appropriation bills an
asks that they be referred to the Con
mittee on Organization Conduct an
Expenditure Of the Executive Depar
ments. When safely referred it b.
comes known that the amendments al
really copies OF the Statehood bill. I'll
rules are that amendments to appropr
tions must be submitted by reguli
committees The committee chosen Fl
this work by Quay is one which rare
meets. but one OF which he is chairman
The majority of it is with him. hens
the amendments have been reported Z
yorably
There are also rules that alien ma
ters must not be tackled on to appropr
alton bills, and tie President Pro Ter
will doubtless rule the territories on
but the Senate is always able to reje
the ruling Of the chair If there is m
jority against him, hence Senator Qua
believes that the Senate win declal