The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-10-10
V..a local Coal Irasf

Leader.
The coal trust or combination which
has been formed among The coal deal
ers of this city ought t. be smashed, If
indeed it is within the power OF the
people to do it. That ii is the purpose
Of the combine t. practically rob the
CONSUMERS OF coal, alike the rich an |
the poor, by forcing prices far beyond
the limit Of fair and Legitimate, even
liberal, profits, is quite apparent Iie
Leader has it from the best of author
ity that all the dealers III the city are
embraced in this combine, those who
were reluctant to join having been
coerced by threats to give i'll ana put
up a certain sum to be forfeited III cisa
:lny one of them shoalI in any Instance
sell below the prices agreed upon.
While it is very doubtful whether such
an agreement would be held legal in
case of it's violation by one Or more
members of the combination, 1t IS
hardly probable that it can he broken
through any appeal to the ldT on the
part of the people whom it IS intended
to victimize to the extent OF 4 couple
of dollars on each and every ton OF co,l
they will be compelled to buy.
But the people have remedy, II
they will but avail themselves of it.
They can, if they Will, successfully
combat the combine with combination
of their own. They can and should
unite in sending for as many cargoeS
as may be deemed advisable, and sap
ply themselves at cost even below
that at which the dealers could sell and
make fair profit, and thus teach the
combde lesson which its members
will not soon forget. Fortunately,
the CITY owns a wharf the Use OF which
it could not consciantionSly dely To
the people in such an emergency, and
it is only necessary that a movement
such as is herein suggested he Nnaugu
rated to Illustrate in advance the ne
fa.ious plan by which the combine
hopes to reap a harvest OF lll,gltlnate
profits
.lha Leader is not among those who
would deny to any class OF business
men fair and liberal rate OF interest
on the money they have invested, o"
reasonably liberal profits Oh the amount
of business transacted by them, be It's
volume large or small T5ut here is a
deliberately and well planned scheme
to eNtort such eNorbitant prices that
they cannot be justified, either upon the
score of llbarallty on the one hand, or
of common honesty on the other.
Were these prices intended to affect
only the rich an / well ID ID among oar
people, The Leader might be inclined
to leave the combine to the care ani
consideration of those who are able
either to fight or SuDlait TO its eXac-
tions. But there are hundreds, if not
thousands, of poor people III the city to
whom the proposed eNaction will be 4
cruel hardship. and it is in their be
half The Leader raises this protest
against d contemplated whOles lie rob
berry wholly at variance with every
principle of moral law, bnt against
which the statutes donot seem to have
erected any substantial barrier, OF 10
have provided any adequat penalty
ThcIe;ttier can only hope that it may
lie mistaken;is = the law premises, and
that somewhere Il statute may De found
by virtue OF which these cons?iratorS
against til" scanty purses Of the poor
can be brought 10 Il realizing sense OF
the wrong they have in contemplation.