The Springfield herald., 1908-11-13
RESENTS ATTACKS ON
GREAT INDUSTRY
MANAGER AMERICAN COMPANY DE.
FINES THE POLICY THAT coRPoRATIoN-HAvE
INTERFEREo


in every way to prejudice the Ameri
can Smelling and Refining Company
in the eyes of the Colorado commu-
nifty.
This paper has sought to convey the
impression:
a. That the American Smelling
and Refining Company is great fac
tor in Colorado politics;
(2) That through extortionate, un-
Just and unfair business methods, it
is crushing the Colorado mining in
dustry out of existence.
1t is not the purpose of the Ameri-
can Smelling and Refining Company
to discuss its business relations with
ore shippers in newspaper columns.
1t wishes, however, to register an en-
phatic denial of all the charges which
have been brought against it by the
said newspaper and to declare openly
and unreservedly that the company is
not and has not been engaged in po-
litical business OF any kind. and that
its whole course has been and will con-
tinue to be one which will aid in the
development of the mineral resources
of this great state. If unfortunate con-
ditions in the metal markets have SO
arisen as to make it Improbable for
mining operators in Colorado to pro-
duce the maximum tonnages which
would under more fortunate circum-
stances have been mined, the Ameri-
can Smelling and Refining Company
is in no wise to blame, but on the con-
frnr ho n
ing operators in the curtailment of ore
production.
Treatment Given the Producers Of Ore
in State of Colorado.
Much has been said in papers of the
type of the Post as to the enormous
dividends paid by the American Smelt-
ing and Refining Company in the car
rying on of its business and the argu-
ment has been made that the paying
of such dividends carries with it the
just conclusion that the mining oper-
ators have not been fairly dealt with
by the company and that in order to
pay such dividends eXtortionate smelt-
ing charges have been and continue to
be levied. Leaving out of considera-
tion entirely the relationship of the
American Smelling and Refining Com
pany to ore producers in states other
than Colorado, the pertinent question
presents itself: how has this company
treated the Colorado ore producers
and to what extent is it entitled to
their respect and confidence?
In order to throw a proper light on
the policy of the company as carried
on since its formation, n brief review
of the ore conditions as they have de-
veloped in Colorado will be in order.
Primarily it may be stated that since
the discovery of Cripple Creek, pros
pectirg in Colorado has practically
ceased, and the mining of ores in this
state has been confined to the camps
which were in existence when Cripple
Creek was discovered. The camps
which produce ore in this state may
be tabulated as follows:
The Leadville district.
The Aspen district.
The Cripple Creek district.
The Creede district.
The Lake City district.
The Rico district.
The San Juan district.
The Park, Clear Creek, Gilpin and
Boulder county districts.
In point of tonnage of smelling ore
produced these districts would rank in
the following order: Leadyille, San
Juan, Aspen, Cripple Creek, Creede.
the monthly tonnagcs from the other
districts having fallen to relatively
small quantities.
With the exception of the Cripple
Creek mining district, the ores pro-
duced are mainly silver bearing. asso-
ciated with lead to some extent and
with copper to much lesser one. 1t
will be recognized. therefore, that with
n drop of about II cents an ounce in
the price of silver, the value of the
argentiferous ores produced in Colo
RADIO has been most unfavorably af-
fected. So much SO in fact that tre-
mendous curtailment in the tonnage
OUTPUT necessarily resulted comet
dent with this heavy decline in the
price of silver, came very great one
in the price CT lead and copper. and
while the amounts of these metals as
sociated with the silver are not SO
very large, nevertheless the deprecia-
tion in the quotation of these metals
has brought 4 material auultloH 10 tHe
great burden the ore producers were
already sustaining.
The American Smelling and Refin-
ing Company, large as it is, is and has
been utterly without influence on the.
quotation applying to silver, copper
and zinc. 1t has, as the greatest pro-
ducer of lead in the United States,
lent its sustaining influence to the
maintenance of lead prices and to the
extent which the company has been
able to aid in the creation of better
prices for lead. the lead producers OF
the United States have shared the
benefit. The quotations which are
sent out as governing the price of lead
by the American Smelling and Refin-
ing Company are taken from the rec
ord of actual sales from week to week
as made by the company, and this rec
ord is open to the inspection OF any
ore shipper having business with the
company.
The policy of the company with re-
spect to the mining operators in Colo
rado has been one of consistent reduc-
ton in ore treatment charges as fast
as improvements were introduced
which in the lowering of operating