The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-02
Democracy and Free Coal.

The following is taken Uer6utin2 ct
6terdtun1 from a strong Democratic
newspaper. We most respectfully
ask the careful consideration of our
friends on the other side, and more
especially the friends of the Hon. A.
p. German. who have been claiming
that the triumph of Cleveland did
not mean free coal. Bro. Singerly
kept very mute just before the cleo
ton, but the true inwardness is fast
coming to the surface:
SIT may as we'll be understood first
as last that free coal belongs essen.
TALLY to the Democratic programme
of Tariff Reform, A free coal pro.
vision should have been in the Mills
bill, and would have been in it but
for an extreme desire to quiet the Op-
position that could not be concliated
by any substantial measure of tariff
reduction. Had coal been put on the
free list it would have strengthened
the Mills bill before the country.
While it would have gained votes
tIC NOhouuIClo vi ldAOil COdl,
it would have lost none among the
miners, who know by sad experience
that the duty affords them no protec-
ton.
"Like the spear of Ithuriel, Sena-
tor Vests motion in the Senate
touched and exposed the tariff toad
in all its deformity. Dawes of Mas
sachusetts and Hale of Maine, who
long ago voted with Blaine in favor
of free coal for the relief of the con-
sumers of New England. were COM
PEELED, in their worship of the new
tariff bill, to vote against repeal of
the duty. They voted not only
against the motion of Senator Vest
but against repeal of the drawback
of duty upon coal for coast-Wise
steamers.
1.-THE molten of Senator Vest also
made some exposures among the
able-bOdied servants of Tariff Mon.
opoly on the Democratic side of the
chamber. Senator German, whose
subserviency to corporate power is
well understood, had the effrontery
to stand up and boast of his Democ-
iQIS "hliO
ment to remove brutal tax from a
prime article of necessity to the
masses of the people. Senator Voor-
hees, who few weeks ago had made
an elaborate speech in favor of Tariff
Reform, every sentence of which was
q condemnation of the coal duty,
turned about and voted against the
motion for repeal. His colleague,
Senator Turpie, was guilty of like
fiagrant act OF Inconsistency. Sena-
tor Vest did well to be angry in
presence of this tergiyersation. With
indignant scOrn he rebuked the half
faced Democrats like German who
were compelled to stand by the 20.
sition of the party in the recent cam
vass in spite of their internal rage.
''The main hostility to free coal
comes from the great carrying mon
opolies, whose greed-inspired fear is
that repeal of the duty would lessen
their power to rig the market against
American consumers, as well as to
control the wages of miners. But,in
the event of the repeal of the duty,
the increased export of Nova Scotia
coal could have no appreciate influ-
ence upon the market, except in en-
abiing New England consumers to
obtain their coal supply at less cost.
With bituminous coal free from tax
New England consumers, when UNI
duly taxed for their anthracite coal
by the carrying monop0lies, would
not be so much at their mercy. This
is what explains the opposition to
the placing vi cCal on the free list.
Taxed coal Is one of the links in the
chain of tariff oppression, and for this
reason the representatives and attor-
neys of Monopoly in the Senate stub
bornly resist the repeal of the duty"