St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-13

ISOLATION and was Investigated. par
ticipated in the Investigation"
Mr.. Walsh pressed for full and COM
plete statement of the methods en-
ployed to prevent the contract going to
Gill, and the witness said that he did
not think it right to 20 into the details.
"When testified before" SAID Mr..
GoOdnow, the question was asked me
what / paid for the coal, and declined,
and will still decline"
Mr.. Walsh stated that the committee
had remedy, and that the witness
could be disciplined, but he thought
that possibly tie desired evidence could
be adduced without resOrtlng to heroic
action.
Finally the witness agreed that he
contracted for the coal at the summer
price. when Mr.. Walsh insisted that,
according to the rates sworn to, the wit
ness must have lost enormously.
Il might have got some concessions"
explained the witness.
WAS the concession by, Mr.. Rhodes?"
asked Mr.. Lockwood.
No, Sir"
"Was the coal you supplied the city
with the damaged coal testified top
asked Mr.. Donnelly.
1T was tour years ago that the coal
was damaged at Duluth by fire on the
docks. %
The witness said he attended meet
ing of the association when Rhodes was
authorized to bid for the government
contract.
j. Ii. Sylvester, of Minneapolis, a for
mer retailer. who mas recently sold out,
cOrrOOOrated the testimony concerning
the money paid by dealers TO the asSOei-
ton. Then ne testified tbat he was
compelled to go out of the business, for
the reason that he could not buy coal
longer save at retail rates. His teamSter
had been positively refused coal by
Armstrong IL Co., and witness knew
enough about the power of the bureau
to know that he could get no coal from
any other dealer. The association gives
81 off OH ton. Rhodes had called upon
witness and Insisted upon his Joining
the bureau.
The Rhodes Letter Book.
AT this juncture the correspondence.
copied from the Rhodes letter book,
complaining of Mr.. Sylvester and ar
raigning Armstrong for selling him
coal. was read.
The witness said he knew there was
a good deal of correspondence about
him. He explained that the combine is
a great detriment to the small dealers,
for they could not take an order for IA
carload of coal. The wholesalers WOuld
not give it at wholesale rates, so the
small retailers were tied up and their
profits cut until there is no money i'll
the business.
In answer to Mr.. DonneIly. Mr.. Syl-
veSter said he had not sued Rhodes to
In III al 10
coerced into paying it,.
Those Rhodes Letters.
One of the Rhodes circular letters,
dated June 6. 1881, notified Mr.. Good
now that the Anthracite Coal company
had resolved that thereafter all new
members taken into the association
should be required to show that they
had not been receiving orders for coal
in violation of the rules; otherwise the
applicant was refused. Thereafter all
commission to retailers was to be re-
fused. On Jan. 80, 1892, Rhodes sent
circular fixing the price for both hard
and soft coal for the month of February.
a letter dated Nov. Is, 1891, stated
that the association had resolved not to
furnish any Minneapolis dealer with
coal who had made bids for the city
contract. except at full retail prices.
This was followed with the celebrated
NJ. J. Gill correspondence of November.
1891, which is in direct conflict with his
repeated testimony that he never knew
of an ASSOCIATION at that time. One of
these letters contained a formal notice
that the price on coal had been
raised. Then came the dictum of
prices at which dealers might
bid for the Minneapolis contract.
Another letter explained that dealer
WHO had made cut in bidding for the
contract in question had been regularly
complained of. ana that an investiga
ton had promptly been inaugurated,
but no letter was in the collection show
ing what the investigation resulted in.
These letters were followed from time
to time by letters giving price lists and
instructions of minor Importance.
The committee went into executive
session to complete its report.