Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-28
SC0TT'S VINDICATI0N.
Erie's Noted Citizen Writes an Open
Letter to Governor Fifer.
THE ILLINOIS COAL TROUBLES.
Charges Against the Spring Valley Com
pany Strongly Refuted.
FIGURES TO BACK UP HIS ARGUMENTS.
All Malicious Statements Have Been Made for Partl-
san Effect.
THE ILLINOIS COAL TROUBLES.
'IGURES TO BACK UP HIS ARGUMENTS.

W. L. Scott has written an open letter 70
Governor Fifer, of Illinois, concerning the
trouble in the coal regions OF that STATE
He ascribes the charges that have been
made against his company to partisan
malice. and denies all of the more damag-
ing statements Comparative hgures on
the wages paid are given.
CHICAGO. September N.-Congressman
W, L. Scott, of Erie, Pa, President OF the
Spring Valley (Ill.) Coal Company, has
written long open letter to Governor Filter.
1t is defense on the course of the company
in closing its mines on the LIST of May last,
because no agreement could be reached with
its miners rs to the price to be paid for
mining. The men have been idle ever since.
and Mr.. Scott and his company have been
subjected to severe criticism in the public
press. On this subject he says:
Venal and partisan papers, as well as politi-
clans, desiring to serve political ends, together
with few honest and charitable citizens and
misguided clergymen have, without the neces-
sary facts or knowledge to enable them to form
a correct opinion, heaped upon this company
and its officers, through the press, an amount
of falsehood and SANDER that is perhaps with
out parallel in the industrial history OF TINS
country.
SCOTS SHOWING.
He goes on to say that no Illinois capital
ist would risk his money in these mines;
that the Spring Valley Company, knowing
it could hope ior only moderate return, In
vested S65O, 600 in them, of which about half
went to the farmers of the surface above
them to lit the mortgages on their land. He
then shows the vast capacity developed in
these mines for the production of coal, and
continues:
"The ability of the company to operate its
mines, to give steady employment to its
men, and to sell its coal, is contingent upon
two factors-frst, the cost of mining at
Spring Valley, as compared with the cost at
the mines in the other Illinois coal fields
with which we come in competition; second,
the cost of railroad transportation from
Spring Valley to competitive markets, as
compared with the cost of transportation
from mines in the other fields to the same
markets.
1.-The price of mining in the Peoria mines
last wear was 60c ton, as against 90c
paid at Spring Valley. The distance from
Peoria to Chicago is 161 miles, and from
Peoria to ST. Paul, via Chicago, 571 miles.
Now ton OF coal shipped from Peoria to
st. Paul, via Chicago, distance of 581
miles, pays only the same rate per ton for
transportation as a ton of Spring Valley
coal pays for 420 miles, with difference OF
80 cents per ton in cost of mining in favor
of Peoria"
SOME CONCLUSIONS.
Mr. Scott then proceeds to compare the
character of the work and weigh the ad-
vautages and disadvantages at Braidwood
and Spring Valley, handling the matter in
a technical way. He reaches the conclu-
sion that, with mining at Braidwood at the
present price, 871Zc cents per ton, the
equivalent price at Spring Valley should
be 6SX cents. Here, however, he saws the
miners demand S21Ic 'or mining and zoe for
brushing, making 81 O21z. The entire let
ter is a very lengthy document. Toward
the close he saws:
We have never asked. expected or desired
miner working in our mines to mine coal for MS
at one cent a ton less than fair relative price
as compared with what was paid In other fields
in Northern Illinois. As every intelligent coal
operator and miner knows. in fixing rate for
mining coal, there are advantages and disad-
vantages to be found in the same veins. even
in tile same field which must be taken into con-
sideration in arriving at what are fair and
practically equal prices to be paid for mining
at the different mines in such field. IL would
be clearly unreasonable to expect, and unjust
to ask, miners to mine coal at Spring Valley at
wood field, if it can be shown that the disad-
vantages at Spring Valley are greater than
those at BraidwOod; and of course the forego-
ing applies equally to Braidwood if the condi-
tons be reversed.
There is not in the State of Illinois, nor in
the United States coal property where men
can work with less discomfort and greater
safety to life and limb than they can in the
Spring Valley mines. During the four years
that the mines have been in operation not one
life has been lost. The mines are practically
fr.aa from af Trn not
the comfort not only to the miner, bat to his
ability to mine coal therein.
ONE EXPLICIT DENIAL,
This company and its officers have been
charged with closing down the mines and re-
fusing to negotiate with the men, with the OBJ
ject in view of obtaining reduced and unfair
price of mining, regardless of the welfare of
the men and their families. To this 1 answer
that it is false; that went to Chicago in April
on the invitation of a committee representing
our men. TO meet them there and after 1 had
travelled 1000 miles to comply with their re-
quest the committee could not travel 100 miles
TO meet their own engagement.
If the statements herein and the conclusions
drawn from same are reliable, you. sir, and an
intelligent public will admit that the closing of
our mines on May last was not for the pur-
pose OF forcing our miners to accept starvation
prices for mining our coal, but that we were
justified In SO stopping until some fair and
equitable basis for the mining of our coal could
be agreed upon, based on the price paid for
mining at other mines in the State where the
conditions are similar.
In offering our men 75c per ton for mining a
ton of coal in our third vein, including 80 inches
of brushing. if they desired to go to work,
which is 215c more than is paid in the Streator
field and 6.o6c per ton more than an equivalent
of the price paid in the Braidwood mines we
felt and still believe that we mad made all the
concessions that we can possibly make to our
men and be able to maintain ourselves in a
competitive market
Respectfully yours,
w. L. SCOTT,
President of the Spring Valley Coal Co.