The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-19
The Coal Trade Is q Great Public
Interost-A MOnstrous Monopoly.

1
One year ago this month we asked the
United States Senate to attend ''to the fact
that certain chartered corporations were and
are buying up the anthracite coal lands of
Pennsylvania and stealthily acquiring mo-
nopoly of the coal traffic" At that time the
Senate was too much engaged with the Schurz-
Sumner squabble and with preparations for
the coming political campaign to attend to
practical matters, and although we have reason
| to know that many Senators were in accord
with our views regarding the importance OF
the question and the duty of the Senate, no
action was then initiated. The consequence
is that four great railway corporations and
one canal company now practically control
the anthracite coal production of the United
States, and especially control the avenues by
which coal reaches the great central and dis
tributng markets OF Philadelphia and New
York. Their plans being perfected, the note
of preparation for the great monopoly feast
begins to be sounded Meetings of coal
operators d. e., agents, under various
names, of the railway and canal owners
of the coal lands) are being held,
and the public is informed that strenuous
efforts are being made to confne the produc-
ton and marketing Of coal to the demand,
and thus avoid the great loss now said to be
incurred by all engaged in the traffic. In
other words, the monopolies are endeavoring
to prepare the public to submit quietly to the
first increase of one dollar per ton in the price
of coal, which is to be the prelude to
future advances, to be limited only by the
pleasure or policy of the coal coalition.
rise in the price of coal means increased cost
of living to those who have plenty of power to
purchase, and decreased comfort to those who
have barely wherewithal to live. The rich
will grumble at the expense of warmth, and
the poor will chatter out their curses in the
cold.
There are two ways to meet this attack on
the rights of society. The first is through the
courts of law. The whole scheme in reality
stands on an illegal foundation. These cor
porations were not chartered to buy land.
They were privileged by the Legislatures of
their respective States to hold in trust for the
use of the people certain public highways,
over which highways all coal operators were
and are entitled to send their coal produce on
equal and fair terms. The Legislatures which
gave privileges to these corporations did not
part with the right of the people to say
through their representatives, what tolls shall
be charged for the use of these public high
ways But the public has been INDECENT
while the corporations have been active and
aggressive. From time to time new tariffs
and new regulations have been made, always
bearing heavily on private rights and tending
to aggrandize the corporations. Partial sue
cess on the part of one or two of these monop-
olies which became possessed of coal lands |
stimulated the appetite of the others, and they |
surreptitiously obtained from Legislatures
charters for ''coal and iron companies as dis
tinct corporations. The roads then furnished |
the capital and took the shares of stock, OBJ
tanning in this way privileges and powers
which they dared not ask for in their own
proper capacity of common carriers and trus-
tees of public highways. This action is be-
lieved to be unlawful, as corporations have no
right to hold stock representing land when
they would not be permitted to hold the land
itself In all correct legislation the right given
to corporations to hold real estate in improved
portions of the country has been jealousy con-
fined to the amount necessary to the conduct
of the business incorporated But these cor
porations having become possessed of
large quantities of coal lands, which
enabled them to influence the coal
market, have used not only this power but
also the enormous enginery of their monopoly
of the carrying trade to make it a necessity
for nearly oil the private coal producers to part
with their lands and mining rights to these
hybrid corporations-half landlord and half
common carrier When the public have pluck
enough to test the question in the Supreme
Court of either New Jersey or Pennsylvania,
the monopoly fabric will fall to the ground.
But there is another view Of the case from the
legal standpoint which should not be over
looked. These corporations are, in fact con-
cocting conspiracy against the public, and
are liable to be indicted and punished, as in
the case of the canal companies Of Pittsburg,
the officers of which were imprisoned for
similar offence. So much for what the people
can do, when they become sufficiently aroused
to the danger that threatens them, to make an
organized resistance.
In the meantime there is the second mode
of meeting this public evil, which is for Con-
gress to Immediately remove every vestige of
duty from coal. To tax light, heat and mo-
tive power is SO stupid and impolitic that no
excuse can be found for the folly Take the
duty off bituminous coal, and whenever the
monopolies raise the price of anthracite to an
unreasonable rate bituminous coal will take its
place to an extent sufficient to regulate the
market. Bituminous coal cannot be brought
from the British Provinces free of duty and
comneta with anthracite while the latter is fnr-