The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-07-04
What Is It's
Real Purpose ?

eNiS Gftli, Ole D. Es 1TdNSS, WIN Signs
himself as president of the Working
men's Protective Tariff League, had
the following article in last weeks
Pennington News:
The workingmen of the Southwest
mining district have organized what
tl!ey call the Workingmen's Protective
Tcliff League for the purpose Of help
ing obtain tariff on zinc and lead
ores. In fact, this body of working
men has gone on record in favor of
a protective tariff on not only Amer
lean mined metals but all articles pro-
duced by American labor.
We want to get in touch with the
laboring men Of Southeast Missouri
and work together. We have So per
cent of the workingmen Of this dis
trict and about the same percentage
of business men. In fact we have the
sympathy of the entire district in this
move. We believe it is the only hope
of keeping American labor and indus
try up to the high plane it has en-
joyed in the past. We American min
ere have to compete with the Mexi-
can and other cheap foreign labor and
our products complete on the markets
with that of foreign cheap labor and
hence we must have the benefit of
tariff that will protect American in
dustry. We are asking the coop
GRAFTON of tie various mining dis
tricts in the U. S. in this movement.
Hoping that by publishing this letter
you will help get tie matter before
the people of the st. Francois county
district"
While The Times editor has not the
privilege of an acquaintance with Mr..
Graves, we do not mind telling him,
as well as informing anyone who may
be 'hesitating" as to his proposed
scheme Of a Workingmen's Protec-
tive Tariff League, that we think he
is -four -fusher", and that his plan
las in view hopes of a Cleaning" for
the "middlemen" when they are per-
mitted to "cash-in" They are the
teaches who have squeezed the last
vestige of profit from the mining
sas mining field
There are few statements in the
foregoing letter that will not stand
the light of truth. The statement that
"we American miners have to COM
pete with the Mexican and other cheap
foreign labor" is an assertion that will
not stand, insofar as that great min
ing field is concerned. 1t is a well
Known fact tltat workmen there are
practically all Americans, They will
nos.4olerase the ,Hcheap foreign labor, I"
Neither will the miners in the great
mining field of st. Francois county
tolerate the "cheap foreign labor"
again, especially when all the soldier
boys return. Another effort is now
apparently being made in the local
field to bring back the foreigners,
but there will be trouble there just as
surely as the foreigners are headed
back to this field.
Cut Out the Middle Men
The present trouble in the Missouri
0klahoma-K Kansas mining field is the
abnormal royalty that is being levied
against the mining industry, of 18 to
25 per cent. The owners of the min
ing lands in that field, the Indians,
are receiving only about 6 per cent
from the output of their lands. That
is certainly enough. But with a per
cent royalty there is little DOUBT that
practically all the mines in that dis
trict would now be running. 1t is the
enormous royalty that is generally
paid that is keeping most of the mines
in that field closed, as it takes the last
cent of profits from the operators.
The difference between and 25 per
cent that must be paid to teaches in
that field, who have been at little or
no expense to secure first leases, is
what is putting the mining business
there on the "bum.'
Why not scrape of the leaches-
that fungus growth which has at
tached itself to what should be a
great mining district? What real
right have they to suck the "last drop
of blood" from what is really a won
derfully rich mineral field? The idea
of fixing tariff on zinc and lead ores
is ridiculous. Who but the people
the government-would pay the tar
iff That old "gag" has long since
been worn threadbare. But perhaps
Mr.. Graves is representative of those
IlSNCI-o"Cdbo WIN uaNS pCSil SIiJuJ
ing that Second royalty"-the diff
ference between and 25 per cent,
whose "rake-off" has suffered some
what since many of the mines have
closed down, owing to their inability
to pay the excessive "toll". If that
is the situation, and careful reading
of the above letter forces us to such
a conclusion, then we cannot blame
Mr.. Graves. He is simply serving his
bosses for price.
But, as previously suggested, why
not scrape off the leeches in attempt
ing to get relief from such an unnat-
ural condition. When that is done,
and the price of zinc and lead then
fails to reach price that will make
its production remunerative to the
miners, then will be sufficient time to
look for some other solution. But this
question certainly cannot be success
fully solved by levying tariff on the
production of lead and zinc.
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The court house park is undergoing
complete repairs and considerable i'm
provement, All the paths that have