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Show MINING REVIEW. INTER-MOUNTA- IN INTER-MOUNTA- profit, but they were playing for a ever adopted by this country, but not- IN MINING REVIEW. Devoted to the Mining and Smelting Interests of in West. the Inter-Mounta- Published Weekly by C. T. H ARTE, Room 223 Atlas Block. One Year 3 TERMS: (Payable in Advance.) Biz Months Three Months To England, Mexico and Canada, postage prepaid. 32.00 1.00 50 33 per year, Entered at the Salt Lake City Postoffice as matter. s second-clas- San Francisco Office : 64 and 65 Merchants Exchange, where this paper is kept on file- Advertising contracts can be made with E. C. Dake, Agent. Ernest and Cranmer Denver Office: 711-7Building. - 14 Salt Lake City, July Mining promotors unquestionably perform important service to the mining industry. It is their business to keep themselves in touch with those who have money to invest in mines and with the people who have mines to sell. They bring capital into new districts and through their efforts properties are transferred from weak hands to strong syndicates, with sufficient means to develop them and place them on a productive basis. Many a good mine has gone a begging for a purchaser because of the refusal of the owner to give an option or have any dealings whatever with a promotor. Notwithstanding all and widespread this, a deeply-roote- d prejudice against the middleman prevails among the of every community. This is due wholly or in great part to the exaggerated notions entertained by the promotor concerning the value of his services, and in this respect he stands greatly in need of reformation. Too frequently he expects and attempts to realize as much for himself as for the owner of the mine. He levies. tribute upon both buyer and seller and when the facts become known each thinks he has been robbed. The placing of property involves considerable expense, but the promotor should be content with a reasonable profit and not undertake to land a great fortune for himself at one single deal. A very frequent result of his overreaching ambition is failure to sell at any price. So long as he continues this practice he may expect to excite the prejudice of and to encounter a narrowing field of operation. Already, at various centers, bureaus and exchanges have been organized for the avowed purpose of protecting buyers and sellers from the promotors, but this movement is not yet a demonstrated success. These remarks are suggested by a recent local incident. An option was given on one of Utahs great mines, the consideration to be three million dollars. The owners agreed to pay to the promotors a commission of 10 per cent, amounting to $300,000. This sum was surely sufficient to pay all the expenses of forming the syndicate and leave to the promotors a very handsome mine-owne- rs two-third- over-playe- The Smelters. 16, 1896. The Soaring Promotor. mine-owne- rs much higher stake. It is stated that the property was attempted to be placed at four and a half millions. In other words, the middlemen expected to receive $1,800,000 for selling a props as erty for $2,700,000, or much as the owners of the property ware to realize. The intending purchasers learned the amount that was to be paid to the owaers and refused to become parties to such a transaction. This .is but one case in wrhich the prod motors the game, as it would be termed by the sporting fraternity. The sale of another famous Utah mine is believed to have been defeated by the same methods, and every mining community can doubtless furnish similar cases. The mining promotor should take a reef in his expectations. Notwithstanding the smelters of this city have been handicapped by adverse conditions, the industry has grown to such proportions that it cuts an important figure in the industrial progress of the city and State. The three smelting plants and the sampling works located in this valley give employment to about 900 men at the present time, the number having been inlaw. If one-ha- lf creased by the eight-hou- r of these are men of families, about 3000 people are directly supported by this industry. There are also collateral industries of great importance that have been developed by the smelters. The product of 104 coke ovens at Castle Gate is consumed by these plants, and the production of this coke involves the labor of many people. Large quantities of coal and lime rock are also consumed, and these are produced at home. The aggregate amount paid out in wages by the smelting companies cannot be less than $600,000 per annum, and the amounts distributed by them among all the other industries will probably swell this sum to nearly a million. They produce base bullion valued at between four and five million dollars, and render possible the operation of mines that, without them, could not be worked at a profit. The Opportunity. The Democratic National convention, by the adoption of a free coinage plat- form and the nomination of William J. Bryan for the Presidency, has given to the people of this country their first opportunity to vote for silver. A political revolution has been accomplished, and if all men vote as they have talked during the past ten years, the readjusted and Democracy will be swept into powTer by a great tidal wrave. Unfortunately, the silver issue is linked with others, particularly the tariff, and for this reason will not command the full strength of the silver movement. It is true that the difference between the Democratic and Republican parties on the tariff question is but 7 per cent, and it Is also a fact that the present tariff lawr, enacted by a Democratic Congress, Is, with one exception, the highest scale re-bapti- zed withstanding this' there is a consider- able number of Republicans wrho profess to believe that the tariff should not be subordinated to the silver question and wrho, with open disapproval of the gold standard, will vote for it. As a friend of free coinage, the Mining Review regrets that this view prevails, but does not question the honesty or sincerity of those who entertain it. When all the circumstances are considered, however, the financial question comes before the people in a shape most satisfactory to bimetalists, and under conditions as favorable as could have been brought about. Should the silver sentiment gain strength during the campaign as rapidly as during the past three months, free coinage will certainly triumph at the polls. The vote of this section will, of course, be overwhelmingly on the side of silver. This is not due to the sinister influence of the silver barons, as Don Dickinson and other goldbugs will assert, but to the fact that the people have taken a deeper interest in the financial question than their countrymen of the East, and investigated it more thoroughly, and their conclusions have been made up regardless of selfish local interests and with a view- to the best interests of the whole country. The first Bryan Republican club in Utah was organized at Mercur, a gold camp that does not produce an ounce of silver, and which will be benefited by the free coinage of silver only to the extent that every section and every community In the Nation will be benefited. An equally strong silver sentiment prevails at Cripple Creek and other gold camps, and the silver mine-ownehave nothing whatever to do with it. - rs People who desire to know whether silver wrill wTin in the present Presiden- tial contest can determine the matter very easily. The last Presidential election resulted as follows: Cleveland, 5,556,562; Harrison, 5,162,874; Weaver, 1,055, 424; Bidwell (Prohibition), 264,066. The total number of votes cast was 12,150,274, and the Democratic plurality was 383,688. Cleveland received 277 electoral votes, Harrison 145 and Weaver 22. Now, add to the Democratic vote above the probable number of Populists and silver Republicans w'ho will this year vote for Bryan, and deduct the probable number of gold Democrats who will not vote for him. Add to the Republican vote the probable number of gold Democrats who will vote for McKinley and deduct the number of Republicans who will not vote befor him. Divide the new vote tween the two tickets as it will probably go, and there you have the popular vote. Anyone can see that it is simply a matter of guess w'ork and mathematics. As geographical lines will cut some figure in the present contest, the following percentages of strength will be of interest, as they show the relative strength of the parties four years ago in the gold and silver sections: New England States 52.18; Democrats, 44.88; Populists, 1.01. South and Southwestern Republicans, 26.78; Democrats, 57.25; Populists, 15.13. West and Northwestern Republicans, 46.4S; Democrats, Re-pulica- ns, |