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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (May 9, 1901)
the Conservative 11 * i& ! this , the needs of Chile are to be shown , and her resources exploited. Minerals constitute the principal wealth of Chile , the nitrates being the most important , thus far developed. Nitrate of soda is the most important export. Chile furnishes more of this commodity than all the other countries in the world. The silver ores of Chile are also very important. * Expensive deposits are found in the east , but only the best de posits are being worked at present. No ores are worked that show less than 40 per cent metallic copper , with all that it may carry of silver and gold. The mountains are full of deposits that con tain 16 to 18 per cent of copper. With American methods of smelting , these , doubtless , could be operated at a great profit , but these methods are not well understood in Chile , and it will be the object of her representatives to invite American capital and energy to assist in developing the resources of the country ? Silver and gold mines are extensive in Chile , and the country lias vast unde veloped resources of coal , of the variety geologically known , as lignite. The coal is not available for all kinds of con sumption , such as for marine and. loco motive engines , consequently much cool has to be imported , principally from Wales and Australia. Native coal in Chile , is worth about $5.00 to $7.50 per ton , in gold , in the Chilean market , selling at retail , for about $10.00 , while the imported coal sells for $40.00 , or more , per ton. Railroads are one of the most impera tive needs of Chile at present. Their construction will , obviously , accompany the opening of the mines. Mills are needed in Chile for the manufacture of the products of the cotton producing area of the north. Woolen mills would also be a great advantage in that coun try , as wool is now exported , and woolens imported. Large quantities of bags are imported every year , in which to carry away raw material , while the best material for their1 manufacture , is a Chilean product. The products of the great Chilean forests could be made most profitable by the introduction of American methods. Senor Canto expressed himself as being much pleased with the beauty of the Rainbow City , and feels confident that the Exposition will be instrument al in cementing the commercial and political relations of the Americas and productive of the" good results hoped for , as well as being a most beautiful spectacle. LETTER FROM GEORGE L. MILLER. [ From the Uttca ( N. Y. ) Observer. ] "Occasional , " in one of his recent chapters of political history in The Ob server , paid a well-deserved tribute to William R. Grace. I never saw him but once , and that was in the respect able company of General Thomas L. James and the editor of The Observer. "Occasional" awards much credit to Mr. Grace in the campaign of eighty- four , and says what he did in New York City to thwart the plans of Tammany Hall to elect Mr. Elaine "saved the state for Cleveland , although by the narrowest of margins , only 1,100. " I would not detract from the ability of William R. Grace , nor could I ques tion the value of his important services in that arduous , close and trying cam paign. But did he really tsave New York for Cleveland in 1884 ? Let us see. More than a year before Mr. Cleve land was nominated a young , able and true man , John B. Pinch , a native of Cortland county , New York , a citizen of Nebraska , and Chairman of the National Committee of the Prohibition party , came into the editorial rooms of the Omaha Daily Herald and said : "I am a democrat , but first of all I am a prohibitionist. The next president of the United States will be a democrat. It is the interest of the prohibition party that the republican party shall be defeated in the next presidential contest , and I know how and think I have the power to do it. I care nothing for either the democratic or republican party , but it is vital to the prohibition party in the future , to overthrow the republican power at the next election. My plan is to nominate full prohibition state tickets in Indiana and Ohio , the two October states , and by organizing thoroughly and bringing out the full temperance vote , to divert enough votes from the republican state ticket to give Indiana to the democrats , and in the same way to keep down the republican vote in Ohio from its boasted majority of 25,000 , even if I do not carry it for the demo crats. With these results the democrats of New York will go into the fight with the prestige of success , and I will see to it that enough votes are taken from the republican candidate and given to St. John to insure the state for the democracy. "All this will happen , " he went on to say , "if proper cooperation of the demo cratic leadership can be secured to help me in the work of organizing the tem perance forces. " I did not see Chairman Finch again until Elaine and Cleveland were under the fire of battle. I will shorten the story into a condensed statement. Democratic aid was slow in coming. It came too late for the best results in Ohio and Indiana , and was not soon enough in New York. Chairman Finch had a den in the attic of the Fifth Avenue Hotel , and a great many other dens up the state. He did his whole part , and when the ballots were counted , the result was as follows : Cleveland 668,048 Elaine 562,001 St. John 25,001 Butler , . . . .17,002 I cannot lay my hand on the previous votes for prohibition in New York in national contests , but it is safe to say that had Chairman Finch even so much as winked his approval of the with drawal of St. John , or had he not brought remarkable abilities as an orator and organizer to hold the temperance vote in line for St. John , Mr. Elaine , and not Mr. Cleveland , would have been president of the United States on the 4th of March , 1885. I repeat , this means no disparagement of Mr. William R. Grace , whose powers in the work of organization , sagacity and courage in leadership , and fidelity to the democratic party , all democrats with memories fully understand and appreciate. Of the 25,000 votes for" St. , John in the state in November , . 1884 , not less than 20,000 would have gone to Mr. Elaine but for St. John and the organ izing energy and ability of John B. Finch. The friends of Mr."Elaine had early taken the alarm , and all means were employed to force.Mr. . St. John off the track. - It was Finch who prevented the withdrawal , as my information and be lief is , and I was not very far from him at any time after the battle was really on. He did not expect , but he did fear , the withdrawal of St. John. So great was his fear at one time that he made complete preparations for the emer gency. Gen. Clinton B. Fisk would have been nominated within an hour if Mr. St. John had withdrawn. The months of delay of his letter of accept ance by the prohibition candidate gave strong confirmation .to the rumors and fears of his withdrawal. Senator Gor man and ex-Secretary Whitney were much pleased to read a telegram at a late hour of the night , before the St. John letter appearedjthat the important document - , ment would reach a waiting world the next morning. They were not disap pointed. Chairman Finch did not accomplish all that he expected to do in that hard contest. Chairman Barnum , and even much stronger men in the democratic leadership , could not see the importance of that prohibition vote until it was too late to fully organize Ohio and Indiana for the state contests in October. I be lieved then , and I believe now , that if Mr. Finch had received at the outset , the support that he received months later , Ohio would have come so near going democratic and Indiana would have been carried by such a decisive majority that ij jfj&V no such meagre and dangerous plurality ffe as a thousand in a vote of twelve hun dred thousand would ever have been re- ' 1 i < corded. GEORGE L. MILLER. ' . * * Omaha , Neb. , April 25 , 1901.
