The Labor enquirer., 1886-10-02
INCONSISTENCY.

The Commercial" column of tie Re-
publican at times contains an article
such as would lead one to think that il
was the adopted policy of that paper to
have its editorial opinions in direct con-
fict with the tone of Its writers in the
commercial review column. a.
In the latter it discusses the action of
the coal operators of the east in their
policy of restric ing and limiting the
production of coal to a certain amount
in order to compel the people to pay an
advance in the cost of coal, of rs cents
per ton.
The Republican says: "This arbitrary
raise in the price of coal will net the
coal operators in the eastern states be-
tween $50 OOO, 900 and $4O0O0OOO." Con-
tinuing 1t says: There is no pretense
that there is any reason for that raise in
prices except the desire of the operators
to make money, or that the public OBJ
tains any benefits in return for the
added price. They simply say that
without the organization of coal pool
the competition will be so great that we
will make little moneY-not near 30
much as we want
artistic robbery has taken the place
of the and-bag and the revolver, though
there is little apparent difference in the
principle underlying ihem." This from
the Republican sounds like a passage
from A. R. Parsons speech before the
jury when explaining what he said at the
haymarket.
This paper and most of its class will
occasionally make themselves ridicu-
lous by their inconsistency.
They will and do maintain that those
coal kings "own" this coal yet rail at
them for doing with their own as they
please, If the coal king owns the coal
cannot he justly say how much or how
little of it shall bedug and sent
on the MARKET
In this instance the Republican ar
CUES from the standpoint of a Socialist
notwithstanding the fact that it con-
demns unreservedly all those who
openly acknowledge themselves as such.
If the coal king justly owns the coal he
has right to say to the people, "Pay me
lust what ask for this coal or freeze to
death"
Common sense and Socialism says that
the coal king has no more right to say,
II own this coal" than he has to say,
II own this air, pay me for it or choke
for want of it." The closing paragraph
of the article demonstrates so clearly
the safety some enjoy in giving utter
ances to Anarchistic sentiments, such as
have sent men to prison in Chicago,
that it is given entire:
1T is possible that the dav may come
when the people will wake up to the
fact that robbery, no matter under what
guise it comes, and that the robber shall
be punished whether he wears broad
cloth or fustian. But where is the
prophet who can say when that good
time coming will put in an appearance
There is something in this question that
goes deeper than the price of coal or the
profits of a thIevlng pool. There is
something in 1t that strikes at the very
heartof the nations welfare, and that
makes the boast of the advancement Of
the age seem like an absurd satire"
But where is the prophet who can
say when that good time coming will
put in an appear lnce?" asks the R9pub-
hcan. The ENQUIRER would suggest
that it can find the prophet lying in
prison IN the city of Chicago for giving
voice to the prediction that the people
will rise, awakened to the fact that, as
the Republican says, robbery is rob-
berry"