Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-12-19
"Cheap Coal for Knoxville"


Nh. EDITOR: The Tribune, under the
above heading, publishes an editorial in
their paper of the 18th, and processes to
show the reason why coal in Knoxville does
Dushel, instead of sixteen cents, as is now
charged.
AS is usual in such cases, the railroad is
the evil genius standing in the way of pros.
perity, and preventing this SO much to be
desired state of affairs.
Assuming that the Tribune" editor can,
with few strokes of his pencil, raise the
necessary million of dollars to build the
Emory Gap Road, (Which he does on paper
SO easlly,) and can then I'd Use the necessary
thousands to equip the same how is that
going to bring the price of coal in Knox
vile from sixteen cents to nine or ten cents
per bushel, when the Knoxville and Ohio
road charges but four cents per bushel
freight on stove coal, and three cents per
bushel on steam or manufacturers coal?
will not say that this four and three cents is
not too much. l think it is. If, however,
they brought it to Knoxville for nothing, "a
competition the Emory Gap Road
could not easily meet, and pay the interest
on that million or more dollars, the Tribune
editor raises so easily it would not bring
the price of coal below twelve cents per
bushel for private consumers ''Give the
/ devil his DUE" is al rays correct maxim,
and it is always right to be Just, even if a
soulless corporation is one of the parties to
! the case.
I l think | have shown by the facts that if
coal is seven cents per bushel tonight in
Knoxville the railroad, which only charges
three and four cents freight, cannot be re-
sponsible for all of it, and the building of
! the Emory Gap Railroad will not bring to
Knoxville the cheap coal we all SO much de-
sire.
am one of those who do not believe that
the high freight on coal has prevented the
building of manufactures at Knoxville.
But it is the high royalty upon coal charged
by the coal land monopoly at Coal Greek,
and also their lack of enterprise in demon
strating whether their coal would or would
not make good coke, as your correspondent
'Justice" stated in Sundays paper.
l understand that most of the coal lands
at or near Emory Gap are owned by some
of the stockholders of the Coal Greek lands.
Do they propose to reduce their ROYALTY in
order to induce Knoxville to build the EN-
ory Gap Railroad? If they have 1 have
failed to hear of it.
Would it not be well for Knoxville to heal
something from those gentlemen upon tina
subject before they spend large sums O.
money in building railroad to their Goa
bank? When parties were in the city las
summer looking for a place to locate al
iron furnace (and since have done SO a
Gadsden) they said ''the railroad company
offered them all they could ask in the way
of freights, but that no iron furnace coul(
spare one cent per bushel royalty for thei
coal" The railroad company, understand
offered to freight their coal to Knoxville fol
that purpose, at two cents per bushel. Die
the coal land owners consent to come down
Oh! no. they must have their full price, ne
matter for what purpose the coal is to b.
used.
say with the editor of the Tribune, o.
with anybody else, Cheap coal for Knox
vile" Let Us have the Emory Gap, ant
every other road we can Luild or get bull
on business principles and fair represen,
tation of the facts, but don't let US bankrup
ourselves to build two railroads to the landl
of one coal company, unless it can be shown
in some better way than by the editorial Of
the Tribune, that by SO doing, we are get
ting cheaper coal for Knoxville.
OUTSIDER"