The New York herald., 1871-02-25
The Coal Famine Threatening.


The conspiracy on the part of the Pennsyl-
vania railroads and the coal mining companies
still holds its own. The prices have not actu-
ally increased In this city, because the whole
sale dealers are frightened at the popular in
dignation which is directed against the con-
spirators 1t is estimated that only about four
days supply for the consumption of the great
mass of the people is on hand, and when that
Is exhausted the coal famine is upon us with
all its severity, and the rugged month of March
Is before us. The compromise offered by the
operators, at the meeting in Philadelphia, to
the Miners Association for the resumption of
work upon what they call the So 80 basis, is a
despotic measure, which the men have yet shown
thrown out by the operators with the hope
that they would not accept it. Their aim Is
to throw all the odium of this conspiracy upon
the miners themselves but in truth it lies alto
gether between the coal carrying companies
and the operators, who, after all, are one and
the same thing 1t has occurred heretofore,
no doubt, that 'strikes" have been made at
the instigation of the owners In order to
enhance the price of coal; but the operators
have long been opposed to the system of pay
ing wages according to the 'price basis, and
having the strikers in their power at this time,
owing to the exhaustion of the long winter
strike, have now determined to fight for the
abolshment of the system altogether. This
they are doing in connection with the despotic
railroad monopolies, which they own. The
result is that the strikers cannot resume work
with the hope Of any reasonable wages,
and thus a coal famine, as rigorous
as the provision famine in beseged Paris, Is
threatening this city and the other great cities
Of the Eastern seaboard. Indeed, the encir-
cling lines Of King William could not keep
bread out Of the city of Paris more completely
than the conspiracy of coal operators threatens
to keep coal out of this city; and Paris, with
her few days of preliminary provisioning in
anticipation of the siege, was far better pre-
pared for scarcity Of the one than we are
for scarcity of the other.
There must come time when we are to be
well rid of these blood-suckng corporations,
and now is the best time. A monarchical or
despotc government would have obliterated
them at once but in our country, and under
our system, we must follow the regular routine
Of the law in all emergencies. Congress has
already taken up the case, and
motion was made in the House yes
terday to repeal the import duty on
Nova Scotia coal. OF course, some soulless
Pennsylvania protectionist objected, and the
measure had to 60 over under the rules. But
1t will be or ought to be pressed until it is made
a law. There should be indignation meetings
held in this city and in Philadelphia and
Boston and all the cities affected by the grind
ing tyranny of these Pennsylvania corpora
tions, to urge immediate and decisive action
upon Congress. The INSCRIPTIONS monopo-
lists who think to play upon the winter needs
Of the poor and to grind their own employees
for the gain of few thousand dollars must find
that their ''vaulting ambition has o'erleaped
ITSELF" and that their inordinate demands have
proven their ruin. The reopening Of free
trade in coal will do all this. 1t will raise the
coal Siege Of our cities, and leave the monopo-
lists SO much in arrear that they will be glad
enough to resume their operations, with fair
wages for their men and honest prices for
their coal. Congress can alone do this, and
the indignant sentiment Of the people must be
brought to bear upon Congress.