The Holly chieftain., 1908-11-27

I and helpful, and can stand the most
searching investigation and criticism
OF all fair minded men.
In the matter of contracts, the ore
producers are and have been free
agents to make them or not. The sched-
ules are no different than they were
when the smelters were in open COM
petition. Can single instance be
given where q producer has been
forced to sign a contract? If it is true,
as has been repeatedly stated by Gen.
Hall, that competing smelters now Of
| fer better rates than the American
Smelling & Refining Company on some
classes of ores, does this not prove
conclusively that the American Smelt-
ing & Refining Company has no mon
opoly, and that the ore producer is not
at disadvantage?
"At Cripple Creek there are now two
sampling companies and they mutually
agreed upon sampling charges years
ago. The American Smelling & Re-
filming Company has absolutely no con-
nection or interest in either concern.
In Clear Creek, Gilpin and Boulder
counties there is only one concern, the
Chamberlain Dillingham; Ore Company.
In this neither the American Smelt-
ing & Refining nor any of its officials
have any interest whatsoever. Mr..
Fred w. Bonfils, one of the proprie
tors of the Post, however has. Other
concerns have started sampling works
at Georgetown, Central City and Boul-
der, but have not ben able to continue
on account of lack Of ore production
The field is certainly an open one for
anybody desiring to engage in that
line of business.
"The statement has been made by
the undersigned that the American
Smelling & Refining Company is not
and has not been in politics. This is
absolutely true. In one county in the
state where the company has been bit
terly assailed and most unjustly dis
criminated against in the matter Of
tax assessments, it has felt constrained
to put a few facts before the public,
but it has never at any Of it's places of
operation proposed any person as a
candidate for any political office, nor
has it been politically active in any
way in the aid of any candidates for Of
flee.
Senator Guggenheim has repeatedly
declared his connection with the Amer
ican Smelling & Refining Company, ex-
ecutive and financial, has been severed.
AS far as the undersigned knows, this
is also absolutely true.
"The Guggenheim Exploration Com
pany has also nothing to do with the
American Smelling & Refining Com
pany affairs, excepting in SO far as any
ore produced by the former is smelted
at the latters plants. The Guggenheim
Exploration company has spent many
hundreds of thousands of dollars in
Colorado in the prosecution of mining
enterprises. Gen. Hall suggests that
because of an unfavorable financial
outcome of these ventures in Colorado
the American Smelling & Refining
Company has imposed additional
charges on the other mine operators
Of the state. He wishes to know
whether it is unfair to make such a
suggestion. 1t is not only grossly un-
fair, it is outrageous and indecent. Can
Gen. Hall cite single instance in war
rant of his suggestion?
Had Gen. Hall desired to do so, he
could have had all Of the facts bearing
on smelling charges and ore conditions
before the publication of the Post ar
ticles which seem to have been actu-
ated by political malice and sinister
motives rather than by desire to pub
lish the truth.
Had he so desired he could have
made the fullest investigation and all
of the facts would have been gladly
presented to him, for the American
Smelling & Refining Company has
nothing to conceal and nothing to mis-
represent.
1.-THE recent villification in the Post
has not and cannot harm the smelling
company in the least, for it had already
suffered a severe blow in its Colorado
interests by the decadence Of Colorado
mining camps. It has, however, great
ly injured the state by directing forci-
BILE attention to the fact that the Amer
lean Smelling & Refining Company has