Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-02-11

the price Of soft coal in the United
/ States" The Democrats have been
| pledged, for years, to repeal the
duty or soft coal whenever they
should get into power Last Novem.
/ Der the Democrats carried the
election and the repeal Of the coal
duty was foregone thing. And
now we find that the coal fields of
| Nova Scotia have been bought by a
trust, Of which Ex-Secretary Will
lam c. Whitney, Mr.. CIeyeland's
millionaire manager, is the head
and which trust has been denounced
in the Nova Scotia legislature as ga
greed grinding monopoly"
Ono day last week Charles IL.
Cahau, a prominent leader in the
Nova Scotia legislature, spoke for
three hours against "the ratification
Of the Whitney coal deal" He
said that "the American combine
to-day controls the coal trade Of
! Ontario, New England and all the
! Northern States. That gigantic
combine openly and unblushingly
purchases and controls legislatures
and supreme courts, and by corrup-
ton paralyzes every arm raised to
strike it down. The government of
Nova Scotia, instead of wlping from
the statute book every yesLige of
law that tended TO make monopoly
possible, actually FORCES the massive
chains which will crush the province,
the Dominion and New England
under the most grinding monopoly
of modern times. They not only
give Mr.. Whitney undisputed pos.
session for a century of unlimited
areas, bat actually sweep away every
safeguard and check hitherto i'm
posed" Mr.. Cahan intimated that
the Whitney combine had made
itself solid III some peculiar way
with the government. He instanced
the calling OF The Legislature in
special session to ratify the Whitney
deal as evidence Of the power of
the Whitney my. He affirmed
that the Whitney ring and the exist
ing coal companies IN Nova Scotia
would combine A. soon as the Whit
ney deal was ratified. This report
of the closing part Of his speech is
from The New York Worlds
Halifax pendent:
THUS this gigantic monopoly of British coal
mines and iron industries, MIR. Cahan contend
ed, can be controlled and operated by foreign
ers, who will, of course, operate the mines in
conjunction with and as II part and parcel of
the great Reading coal and railway combine
The moment the Whitney deal is ratified by
the legislature that moment the other four
companies in Noya Scotia enter into alliance
with, If they do not become absorbed by it,
! They will then Tx what price they pl t3e in
| the local market and viii have no difficulty in
annually squeezing SLOOO,JO0 extra out of
local consumers. This alone would enable
! Mr. Whitney not only to pay the forfeit royalty
aud interest on his seven millions of de-
bcnures, but would also enable him to put an
| additional half million in his pocket. There is
mo- possibility OF competition with this giant
corporation, said Mr. Cahan, and Whitney will
rule Eastern Canada as the Pennsylvania coal
burons now rule New York and New England
with rod of iron. The politicians who were
making this huge monopoly possible, 10y selling
| ont the best interests and great heritage of the
province. would be held up to eXecration for
all time TO come
Now, is not this an astonishing
thiug-that the real leader of the
Democratic party, William G. Whit
ney, the manager of Mr.. Cleveland s
campaign both before and after the
nomination, should be the first TO
prevent repeal of the duty on
blImuinous coal working to the
advantage of this country? OF
course no sane person has even
doubted that the moment the duty
should be repealed the Nova Scotia
mines would pass into any combine
there might be in the United States
but that Mr.. Whitney of all men
while urging Cleveland and the
Democratic party as the enemies OF
monopoIies and combines, should
himself "infuence" the Legislators
OF Nova Scotia to grant monopoly
to him-well, it is rather shocking
The cheapest and most trsuspar
ent humbug of the Democratic
leaders has been this railing against
trusts and combines. The late Con.