The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-03-28
CONGRESSMAN COOK TALKS.
Urges His Bill Placing Duty on Man.
qanese Ore.


Washington - Representative Cook
made his first formal speech in the
House Tuesday. his subject being his
bill 10 place duty on shipments into
the United States OF manganese iron
ore. Although the address was upon
an economic subject, ii was listened TO
with attention by the House and Nj.
Cook was the recipient of many con
gratulations on the manner in which he
handled the question a, issue.
Mr.. Cook said: The Republican
party in its national platform for the
past forty-five years has proclaimed
the doctrine of the protective tarif
principle for American labor and cap
ital. against the pauper labor and Gun
ming capital Of foreign monarchy.
From the great Morrill, tariff bill 10
the Dingley bill, in a measure ;he
House OF Representatives and the Sen
ate OF the United States have protected
the American miner and manufacturer
of raw material of iron. ore. steel, coal,
coke, gold, copper. lead, zinc, lumber
and a thousand OF other thirgs, orig
inally produced in the tniteu Safes.
That Congress should discriminate
against manganese ore. that must be
used in the manufacture of steel rails
anu all otutI slttl Sli utAui al i'l mo
tions. and put it on the free list, is
a glaring inconsistency and smacks
strongly of special legislation for spe-
eial manufacturers.
IF iron ore is favored by high pro
tective tax and 35.0 900 tons We're
mined and shipped in the United States
during the year of 1907, to exclude for
eign competition. II is certainly rea
sonable that 40 cents. or even 81 per
ton as a duty passed by the Senate.
should be placed on the peculiar metal
manganese that is absolutely necessary
to make durable and perfect steel
rail, as well as all other manufactured
steel products. owing to the fact that
manganese gives iron a greater ten
sile strength. elasticity and elonsation.
Before manganese ore was placed
on the free list by the conferees of the
House, | was the largest shipper OF
manganese ore in the United States
have shipped from Leadville, Colorado,
more than 1926, 900 tons of manganese
ore for steel manufacturing purposes,
mined by American labor. the wage
being So per day for miners. and 81
per day for engineers and pumpmen,
precisely the same wage as paid by
mine operators in Colorado for mining
gold, silver, lead and copper bearing
ores in competition with a wage of Ga
to IS cents per day, paid for mining
manganese ore in Russia. Chilli. Brazil,
Japan and Cuba, to the absolute injury
of intelligent American labor. From
these countries The supply is now com
ing in ballast to the United States and
used by all the steel mills in our coun-
try except the Colorado Fuel & Iron
Company of Pueblo. Colorado, (the
only steel works west of Chicago and
since the establishment OF the Colorado
Steel works in 1880, have used more
than 500, 900 tons of Leadville man
ganese ore for making SpieSeleisen,
the mixture with pig iron for reasons
hereinbefore stated, mixed in covert
ing furnaces producing steel ingots
from which merchantable steel is
rolled into shapes.
millions of tons OF iron (hematitel
ore in the Mesaba. Hoegebec and
Menominee ranges of Michigan and
Minnesota are mined in open cuts with
steam shoyels and placed on cars at
cost of 2Gi, cents per ton; this ore
is projected by duty as it should be.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, any practical
chemist or netaliurgist in the United
States will say manganese does not eN-
list in its pure state in any part OF the
world, where deposits are known TO,
exist, but metallic iron is found in
variably in combination with the man
ganese, which is manganiferous iron
ore. The 20706S tons of manganifer-
Gus iron ore that was received for
the fiscal year, ending June 80, 1907,
should have paid a duty to the govern
ment of 40 cents per ton. or the sum
of $4,000 for the year, for the good
and sufficient reason each and every
ton of this foreign ore was manganifer-
GUS iron ore, but a departmental rul-
ing by the assistant secretary OF the
treasury, arrogated within himself the
powers only granted under the law to
the Congress of the United States, the
Treasury Department has. and still
maintains this manifestly unfair rul-
ing. resulting in great loss of revenue
to the government.
In the presentation OF these indis-
putable facts of the great injustice by
the conferees of the House Of the Fifty
fifth session of Congress, favorable con-
sideration and cooperation is earnestly
requested to restore the duty on man
ganese ore, thereby carrying out the
protective principles and pledges OF
the Republican party. in the interests
of American capital and labor"
Railroad Wins Rate Case.
Washington.-The case of the inter
state commarce commission versus