Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1909-06-24
EXPLAINS VOTE
Says Duty on Iron Ore Will Not
Hurt Consumers.
TILLMAN'S LETTER
Tho Senator in Reply to n Letter
From . Citizen Of WilIiston, Stat
ed His Reasons for Voting for a
Duty on Ore-Ciaims There Arc
No "Independents."

Duty on Ore-Ciaims There Arc
No Independents"
Senator Tillman has Just received
q letter from w. c. Smith, of Will
hston. asking the Senator to explain
why he voted for a duty on iron ore.
This letter is as follows:
"Williston. May 27th. 1909.
Senator B. r. Tillman, Washing
too. d. C.-Dear Senator. Having
always been a "Tillmanite" at the
oa'lot box. am emboldened to ask
" You have ever stated your reaso.
for voting for a duty on iron ore
osd 81 such statement is in pria..
that you Will send II 10 me. L am
know why. Yours truly
"W. C. SMITH"
To which Senator Tillman replied:
Your letter OF May 27th has re-
mained unanswered simply because
I have been overwhelmed with work
here, end have spent several days in
South Carolina, looking after mat
ters at Clemson. and lost one day as
I returned by reason OF a railroad
wreck.
II have never printed anything
about my vote on iron ore. and will
very gladly give you an explanation
direct. ] notice that my old enc
miles are making a great howl about
my votes up here. while many 9TH
ers who have not been enemies are
yelping in chorus. simply because
they are ignorant OF conditions. The
trouble with many editors in South
Carolina, Is they take and read the
Associated Press dispatches, which
are colored in behalf of the Repub-
lican party. and are garbled and
condensed. aud give no adequate
conception of things as they really
happen.
The facts In regard to iron ore are
simply these: There is overwhe-
ming evidence that there are no in
dependent steel or iron producers.
The Steel Trust has absolute control
end enjoys a monopoly of the iron
and steel business in this country.
The So-called independent concerns
are dominated and controlled by 1t.
though not all owned by 1t. The
Steel Trusts f1xes prices and the
others conform.
There are immense. well-night
inexhaustible deposits of iron ore in
Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota,
and the Steel Trust controls i'm
mense deposits in those States. 1t
also controls. or some of it's sub
s1dary companies do, large deposits
In Cuba. 1t was brought out in the
debate. that some OF the Eastern
companies have contracts with the
Cuban mine owners. to import not
less than a million tons year OF
Cuban ore. and l do not think it
worth while to let this come In free
when II would make no difference
and steel as to the price we would
pay for those articles. ! believe that
the American producers of iron and
steel tthat is the Steel Trust main
ly). can compete with England, Ger.
many and France in the markets of
the world. and that the whole scheme
OF protection OF manufactured steel
"a bare faced robbery OF the Amer
lean people. No one but an idiot
will increase the price OF anything
manufactured OF iron. to the Ameri-
ACsu consumer. II we could reduce
5ebe tariff on manufactured iron we
could get cheaper prices. but under
existing circumstances the tariff law
bars out the European competitor.
who is already handicapped by hav-
ing the ocean freights to pay. and
our people are charged the cost of
production in Europe. plus the
freight. plus the tariff, and this is
the source of Carnegie's millions.
Assuring you of my high apprecia-
ton OF your friendship in the past.
and hoping to continue to merit your
confidence. and support. am.
Sincerely yours.
II ~