The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-12-27
FREE CANADIAN LEAD WOULD
BE BAD PRECEDENT.

These resolutions, purporting to rep
resent the attitude of the mining in
terests of the northwest, called upon
congress to repeal the tariff duty on
lead ore shipments from Canada to
the United States The resolutions
were evidently prepared by bunch Of
Spokane boosters who seldom see any
thing beyond the immediate trade ad-
of that ambitious city. The
Miner protested against the proposed
action as matter of principle and be-
cause the proposed resolutions wholly
the northwest. Not that the amount
of lead that would come from British
Columbia would necessarily be suffl-
cient to materially affect the industry
in this country, but that it would es-
tablish precedent that would make
1t difficult to refuse like concession
to lead produced In Mexico, Spain or
elsewhere. Evidently there were a
number of members of the
Northwest Mining association who
possessed sufficient breadth of vision
to see this result of the proposed ac-
ton, for the resolutions appear to
have died aborning, at least no refer
ence was made to them in the subse-
quent published proceedings of the
meeting.
The comments of The Miner in OPP
position to wiping out the last vestige
OF protection on lead seems to have
aroused the serious resentment of
Mining Truth, of Spokane, to an ex-
tent that justifies the suspicion that
the editor was the author of the reso-
lutions which met an untimely death
He refers to tariff protection as pol
itieal fetish long since discarded ex-
cept by blind adherents to party ten
cts who are classed as disciples of
bigotry." Mining Truth, while class
Ing all who disagree with it ON this
subject as unthinking bigots and tools
Of the smeter trust, ignores the fact
that protection has been the fixed
policy of this government for more
than fifty years, with the exception of
brief periods when the democrats were
IN control, and the returns from the
last presidential election, when the
.arif was an issue second only in i'm
to he kept us out of war"
show that the American people are
still in favor of a protective tariff by a
arge majority. In view of these facts
he following from Mining Truth en-
tiles that paper to place at the head |
# the class of bigots, term il so |
RELY filings at those who disagree
With him:
Protection is a wonderful panacea |
n theory, but in practice it is merely |
disguise for further depredations of |
dishonest combination that knows no |
mercy and maintains its power by adj
esion of men and publications that
ither do its dirty bidding for cash or
efuse to think for themselves"
Like the gentle shower from above.
rejection extends its benefits to the
MUST as we'll as to the just, and II
n occasional trust" or other Illegal
receives it's auickening
it is better so than to de-
rive millions of wage earners and in
ependent business men of its bene-
Is.
Inc Miner Is not unmindful of the
oligation this country owes to it's al.
es and is contributing to the extent
its ability toward it's fulhllment, If
lie question was simply one Of throw
g open the American market to Ca !
tdian lead during the war. and il !,
as shown to be war necessity, The h
liner and no other patriotic paper or r
'rson would fnterpose any objection. S
At no such question was involved in a
e proposal. Divested of stereotyped :,
ist talk and sentimentality with a
heh Mining Truth would obscure Il Il
question is simply whether con- \
ess should grant free Importation of IL
I'd ores from Canada for the bene- \,
of Spokane. The Miner opposed II n,
with any feeling of antagonlsm is
ward Canadians, but because II Of
uld be further step in the direc-
n OF free trade, and therefore detri-
ntal to the interests of the mining mi
ustry H,
-------------- III
ne price of liberty often depends
m the humor of the judge. =.
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