Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-01-28
RADIUM MAY SAVE THOUSANDS.
Price Jumps to 100000 Gram.
Representative Bremner's Case.

on the mines and mining committees
of the Senate and House have be-
come suddenly enviable in the eyes
of Legislators who hitherto had been
inclined to avoid this assignment
as a dead one unless they came
from sections in which the mining
industry is important.
The cause Of the sudden boom in
the mine and mining assignments is
the tremedous public interest in the
use Of radium in the treatment of
cancer, the most conspicuous case
being that Of a member Of Congress
itself. Representative Bremner, Of
New Jersey, whom Dr. III. A. Kelly,
of Baltimore, is trying to rescue by
the aid Of the magic and priceless
product.
South Carolina Represented.
1t is an interesting coincidence
that South Carolina, with her COM
paratively small delegation, is repre-
sented on each Of the committees
which are to consider the great prob
lem Of conserving the radium-bear-
ing deposits of the United States in
the interest of humanity. Senator
Tillman is on the mines and mining
committee Of the Senate, and Repre-
sentative Byrnes is on the CORES
nonding committee Of the House.
Both of them attended the lecture
given here q few days ago by DR..
Kelly in the interest of the move
ment to save onr radium from selfish
exploitation at the cost of human life
and health, and both expressed them
selves enthusiastically about the
famous surgeons explanation and
demonstration of the problems and
of the wonders Of the mysterious
substance which is now much rarer
than the diamond or the ruby
Will AID i'm Movement.
Both Senator Tillman and Con-
gresham Bvrnes, II is needless to
say, will lend their utmost endeavor
in aid Of the movement to legislate
for the protection OF the unfortunate
people who are in need of the radium
treatment There is little doubt that
law will be put on the books at the
present session Of Congress to effect
this result.
Another coincidence is that the
chairman of the mines and mining
committee is himself a physician, DR..
NJ. ID. Foster, Of Illinois. DR.. Foster
is veteran member and one Of the
most popular and sensible men in
Congress. In a statement about the
DR.. Fosters Stahamcnt.
''ln view Of the tremendous hui
manitarian problem involved can
not believe that the good people of
Colorado will oppose a plan which
seeks to stop the terrible ravages Of
a disease that is levying a toll of TO-
600 human beings every year in the
United States. | find it imp ossible to
believe thai any considerable num-
ber OF the citizens Of Colorado can
be back Of any such movement un-
less they have been wofully mslead
by a few.
"The deaths from cancer each
week in the United States represent
tragedy as great as the sinking of
the Titanic-fifty such tragedies in
years time. We could not save the
victims Of the Titanic, but Colorado
has, within her boundaries, on the
public domain a mysterious magic
power that gives every evidence of
its ability to stop this continuous
and ever increasing death roll from
cancer.
Some Of those who are opposing
the withdrawal of the land declare
that suffering humanity will not be
deprived of this great boon if private
parties exploit these ores. Well we
can only judge from what has hap
pened.
at was less than a year ago that
the bureau Of mines made the dis
coVery that tons and tons Of this pre-
clous ore had been shipped from Col
oradO to Europe and that no radium
mad ever been made in the United
States. In the Year-1912 sufficient
OF this carnOtite ore to make nine
grams of radium, the cream of the
deposits, was shipped to Europe,
while the total raGium in this coun-
try at the present time is less than
two grams. We shipped this wonder
ful carnotite at irOl ore prices and
then our surgeons bought the radium
back at diamond prices. We are
now making radum in the United
States, but | understand that most
of this, too, is going TO Europe. |
have just heard Of contract with an
American firm for six grams Of ra-
dunn for Europe, to be delivered a
gram month. In the meantime the
surgeons of this country, who have
some radium, are forced to the aw-
ful alternative Of selecting between
the patients on whom it will be
used.
Pathetic Appeal.
1.-THE case Of my honored col
league, Robert G. Bremner, is a most
pathetic appeal for radium. 1 am
told that his cure would be far more
certain if DR.. II. A. Kelly had ten
grams of radium at his disposal ra-
ther than one gram. And while we
nave. been planning what best should
be done to protect American inter
ests properly, radium has gone up in
price from 100000 a gram to $780,