Mr. DRIGGS. I move to amend the para graph in relation to co perore by striking out “fit an%.” and inserting “ 20%.” Mr. Chairman, on the'22d of June last I offered the followin resolution from the Committee on Mines an Mining: “Resolve Thatfhiscommittee respectfull recommendto the ‘ommitteeefWuys and fennel e necessity which. in their opinion. exists for an increased duty on foreign copper, with a view to securinzto the home production fair and just protection. at least cpual to that which wasalrordedpreviousto the war of the rebellion; and that in their 0 inion a duty of at least 6 centsper pound should ffe imposedupon foreigningot copper and not less than 3 cents perpound on the pure copperin foreign ores.” 30 million dollars are invested in my district in copper mining. The business supports a population of nearly 50,000 people. The 15%. in the bill does not more than counteract the effect of the indirect taxes in producing the article. It is not better than free trade would be without internal taxation. The duty proposed by the ComWays&Means is too low. It ought to be at least 20%. This would be no injustice to the smelters. because the duty on the cop perafter it is smelted much more than covers the whole duty on the ore. The manufacturers of copper cannot complain, because they are protected enough to cover the duty on the co per and the abor they employ in addition. '10 strike off the duty on ore is to robthe poor miners of the necessaries of life and the Government of so much revenue and all to swell the dividends of the capital invested in working up the ores. f this policy be adopted it will depopnlate the Lake Superior district, and by destroying one of the largest sources of supply it will injure the consumers of copper. whi it destroys the producers. It can be demonstrated that the losses in the Lake Superior region in a single year, owing mainly to the legislation of Congress, have been more than all the capital invested in smelting foreign copper ores in the U.S. I appeal to this House to consider the 30 millions of capital invested in mining copper on Lake Su etior, to consider the 6 large smelting wor s located in the West; 3 on the lake shore, one at Detroit, one at Cleve land, and one at Pittsbur'g, all smelting do mestic copper. For all these and the toiling 1000s employed by them, including 50,000 of my own constituents, whose very bread is involved, as against the avaricious demands of the 3 establishments on the whole Atlantic coast that smelt foreign ore. To strike off the duty would be an outrage. I ask that the duties on foreign copper ores be raised to 20%. advalorem. I ask it as an act of simple justice to the miners and the capital invested, and as indispensable to continued and successful mining.