The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-03
THE ANTHRACITE COAL POOL.
Gov Pattison Directs Attorney General Cas-
sidy to Move Against 1t in the Courts.

HARRISBURG, Pa, Oct. 2-Governor Pattison
has addressed letter to Attorney general Cas-
sidy in the action of the anthracite pool. and
requesting him to move against it in the courts.
In the course of his letter the Governor says:
NY attention has been directed to the fact within
past fortnight that certain corporations chartered
by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, acting in con-
cert have ordered two advances in prices of anthra
cite coal 1t has been ascertaned that these corpora
tions comprise what is known the Anthracite Coal
Combination, which created in its present form
at meeting held in ,i New h York city
present representatives of the Delaware Lackawanna
& Western Railroad Company. the Lehgh Valley Rail
road Company. the Philadelphia 81 Reading Railroad
Company the New York, Lake Erie & Western Rail
road Company. the Delaware & Hudson Canal Com
pany, the Pennsylvania Coal Company, the Lehigh
Coal & Navigation Company, and the Penn
syivania Railroad Company At that meeting an
agreement entered into by which six of these
poratons in effect pledged in writing to restrict
and regulate the production of coal and to maintain
and advance its price An apportionment of the total
production then allotted to each company for the
year 1885, and on Jan. l, 1886, new allotment
went into operation, based annual production of
8, 500, 600 tons.
After referring to the advances of thirty cents
per ton on the price Of coal since July 2, 1886,
the Governor says:
Recently through the Offices of a syndicate of cap
taists there has been strengthening of the anthra
cite coal combination, and the claim is now made by
some of its members that they can mark up coal
by subjecting the public to their mercy,
iniuriously and unwarTantaby taxing every fireside
and imposing upon coal consumers the financial bur-
den which the speculat ons of of these compan
les have engendered Although the State Constitution
declares that IN corporated company doing the bust
of common carrier shall directly CT indirectly
prosecute engage in mining or manufac-
turing articles for transportation its
works." yet all, nearly all, of the
common carriers represented in the anthracite coal
combination engaged directly indirectly in the
mining Of coal The anthracite regions of the State
are racticay under the control of this combination
For long periods it has kept the mines running on
threequarters time thus putting nearly one hundred
thousand workers on what amounted to three
quarters pay By hinderng competition, it has re-
stricted the development of mineral wealth.
1t has advanced or depressed the price OF coal as
best suited its purpose 1t has maintained the prices
of coal supplied to line and city trade at figures
ranging than dollar per ton over and above
the price at which it sold the article to
located further from the mines but in territory
that did not within the terms of the agreement
It las advanced the charges for transportation
in face of the fact that the net earnings of the
ing companies belonging to the combination amounted
to about 10 per cent per annum of the cost of the
roads and their equipment, and of the further fact
that charges are higher than they wero twenty
six years ago. though the cost of transport
ing ton of freight does not to-day, amount
to more than onethird of its cost at that time BY
crippled vast iron interests, increasing the demand
for anthracite coal in the reduction of iron ores fore
ing iron furnaces out of blast and placing nearly all
the industries of eastern Pennsylvania at the mercy
of the managers of these companies.
The Governor also calls attention to the trunk
line pool. which, he says by its arbitrary power,
holds perpetual menace over the material inter
ests of the country. In closing, the Governor
says:
Against such combinations the individual is help
less. TheCommonwealth of Pennsylvania in Great
ing the corporations that members of the Anthra
cite coal combination and of the trunkine pool vested
them with the right of eminent domain and other
franchises of public nature. They owe
certain duties to their creator, and of
these is to avoid an infringement rights of ndi-
viduals the general ellbeing of the State Their
interference with the natural and conditions
of trade has been in violation of what is believed
to be sound policy and against the best interests
of the State. 1t preiudices the public and op-
presses individuals. 1t is perversion of the pur-
pose for which they were created These facts,
which have been reported to me, and measurably
thenticated deem of sufficient importance to refer
to you for yonr consideration, and such action the
circumstances may warrant
1t is understood that Attorney general Cassidy
will at once proceed against the coal pool but in