Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1869-10-07
The Coal question in a Nutshell.
From the Free Tender.

Practically speaking there is only one
great coal bed from which the whole
Northeastern portion Of the country is
supplied with COAL This bed used to be
owned by say fifty different mining COM
panies. The coal was brought to market
by three leading lines Of railroad These
roads maintained a healthy competition in
freights, and kept the rates pretty low.
When times were dull, one would put
down the rates lower than the rest, and
get all the trade, SO that the others stood
idle. To avoid this. the different lines
began to buy mines Of their own, so as to
be always sure OF supply to keep trains
running. In this way they tried to do
away with the competition among them
selves. But they soon found, that there
was other competition. They did not
own all the mines, and some of these,
when times were dull, would undersell
them, even after paying them high
freight for bringing the coal to market.
So, to put an end 20 that, they gradually
bought up most OF the mines themselves,
so that they have no competition at all now.
And then, of course, came that frightful,
never to- dissatisfied greed, which always
grows up out of monopoly. They could
sell the coal in New York at $5-but they
asked $6-They found the people paid it;
and they asked $7-The people still paid
it, and they saked Sand $9-and they
had glorious time, and paid splendid
dividends. And if some few poor people
shivered through the winter nights, what
of it !?
But they forgot, these coal mo2opolists,
that greed makes greed. The coal-miners
were we'll enough off, there is no doubt
about that; but they saw the companies
making such enormous profits, and they
grew just as greedy as anybody. Said
they, if the Companies can pay US ST.
when they sell their coal in New York fol-
$5,-they can surely pay US $2-when
they get $10-Of course, they could, but
they didn't see it in the same light as the
miners did, nor do we. If the coal-men
were greedy, that was no excuse for the
miners being greedy too. But the min
ers thought otherwise, and were determin-
ed to try it on. They struck work, and
for weeks no coal was mined, and no
miner earned any money, but ate up his
savings and ran into debt, and got te
drinking and swearing ; and the woman
were hungry and cross, though they stood
it bravely, growing thin and pale all the
while, and the children cried and died like
flies. and looked sad enough, every body
thinking they were fighting for principle
instead of for greed. Well and what was
the upshot? Why, of course the miner;
gave out, and went to work again at q
nominal advance in wages. You see the
miners, who did not know any better, and
great many other thoughtless working
men like them, all voted for protection and
high tariffs, not on coal only, but on
everything else, because they Were made
To believe they would earn better wages
greed again. So they everywhere elected
protectionists and monopolists to the State
Legislatures and to Congress, and these
gentlemen have, Of course, everywhere
made laws to suit, and under these laws,
the iron monopolists, the railroad monop.
olists and the coal monopolists do with Us
just as they please. You miners and Ia
boring men everywhere have laid US down
at the feet of the monopolists, and they
put their feet on your necks and ours, anc
they are not the kind Of people to take
them off for the asking. You can't shake
them off with strikes, you can only shake
them off at the ba Hot box. Vote for the
men who are opposed to monop'lists aac
high tariffs, vote for the free traders ;ther
We will have cheap coal and you gooc
wages.