Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-02-13
COPPER COMBINATION.
Editor Robinson Sees Breakers Ahead
For MOntannns

During the years of my association
with h. Augustus Heinze In Butte. a
combining Of The great copper inter-
ests. nov being effected in the east,
was always looked forward to as the
certain ending OF the Montana warfare,
and anticipated by the people With a
feeling OF great dread" says Il. J. Rob-
inson, editor Of the Bingham Bulletin.
'Rumor OF the supremacy OF the
Amalgamated and the absorption OF
Heinze's United Copper were enough
to cast a gloom over the entire state.
At times, when things appeared dark
for tie success OF the struggling young
Napoleon OF the copper mines, mer-
chants were quick to curtail their or
ders and business houses responded al
most Instantly To the wave OF fear at
the possible outcome of an Amalga-
mated monopoly In Montana.
The reported combination of the
copper and lead interests, which Is also
to control the smelling interests, seems
to be the daring endeayor of the great
operators VINO stand behind the Ma
tional City bank. With the Amalga-
mated and United Copper under one
management, controlling practically
the entire state Of Montana and all its
Industries; the Guggenhelm smelling
interests which have also taken the
Initial steps TO acquire several Of the
greatest producing mines Of the Bing-
nam district the National Lead Co.,
and with the Rogers. Roche Teller finan-
cial buwark, Of which the National
City bank is the mightlest plank, In one
gigantic organization, the main
features OF the greatest industry OF
the west are practically within the
palm OF a single hand.
Outside OF these interests there
stands today but one organization that
promises rivalry for this great combi-
nation OF mining and smelling proper
ties and the only one small producers
or metal ores can look toward to keep
them out of the grip of mighty mo-
nopoly-the newly organized United
states Smelling, Refining & Mining
Co, with properties and smelters In
Utah. California and Mexico. This
company Is preparing TO take an ac.
tive part In the custom smelling husi-
ness OF the west. and with two copper
shelters and one lead shelter now in
operation and the prospects OF ac-
curing two more within the year, the
American Smelling K Refining inter-
ests have already adopted a concilla-
tory attitude towards producers in the
face Of this promised competition.
In Montana there Is little likelihood
VI the absorption Of HelnZe by Anal
gamated being viewed with pleasure.
True, the friends OF Heinze who were
taken into counsel In time to join the
upward movement OF Anaconda and
Amalgamated, out OF which #. Angus
tus Is said to have netted close to
IS. 100000 are satisfied 10 quit the
field, but the $4,000 employees OF the
mines and allied industries, and the
few independent merchants OF the state
Will look with alarm toward the flu
ture.
1T has for many years been the
anxious desire of II. II. Rogers and
associates to control the Montana sit
uatlon. The great labor problem and
how to deal with the strongest union
I'm the world has long been the source
of deep study for them. But Il was
through a political play In the last
days of William Scallons admlnistra-
ton that Amalgamated accidentally
discovered the solution OF the greatest
question. next to getting rid OF Heinzs
how to curb the union
Now that a Helnze settlement has
been effected by purchase, the next
great Industrial move to be expected
Is the saving OF 81 a day by the great
combine upon each of the 1900 or
more laborers IN Montana who are de-
pendent upon the copper mining In
dustry."