St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-22
PICKING WITNESSES
TO Testify to the Inwardness
Of the Alleged Coal Bar
onS' Combine.
Che Committee UnearthS a
Few More of the Sample
Letters.
Gembers Wild Over the
Course Of Judge Brill
Yesterday.
4 Mass Meeting Called for
Market Hall Tomorrow
Night.

The coal combine investigating COM
mittee held a meeting at the Astoria
hotel last night. The committee was in
executive session the greater part of the
evening, making a further examination
Of the famous letter book and the papers
in the hands of the committee. This
was done for the purpose of deciding
1pOu the witnesses who should be sub
penaed to appear at a meeting to be
held tonight, especially the several sub
scribers to the bureau, retail dealers,
who have expressed Willingness to tell
what they know. From this it is to be
inferred that they have been unwilling
victims of the combine.
The committee permitted the report
ers TO take extracts from some more of
the copies of letters from the book.
In a letter to G.. w. Adams, manager
of the Lake Superior Coal company, of
Ashland, Wis. who are not subscribers
TO the bureau. Mr.. Rhodes says "notice
is given all wholesale dealers OF the time
TO meet and adjust the prices and di-
visions" The shippers put
up $500 and the retailers S25 each to pay
for maintaining the bureau"
Mr.. Rhodes in his statement 10 the
committee said that the wholesalers pay
$500 per year. Does the association
have two prices for the wholesalers;
did he intend to ''cinch'' Mr.. Adams to
the extent of 800, or was the statement
TO the committee untrue?
According to Mr.. Rhodes statement
10 the investigating committee there are
169 retail subscribers, who pay S25 per
year, and seven wholesalers, who pay
IL, I, rol
income sc. .325.
OF the retail subscribers there are:
in Minneapolis. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 50
In Duluth and West Superior. .......... q
IN saltwater. ...-......... .--.....-...--
In Midway. y...............-.......- .......... 1
Total. ......... .169
The wholesalers who contributed $500
each are: Lehigh Coal Il Iron com.
pany. Northwestern Fuel company,
Pioneer Fuel company, Philadelphia &
Reading Coal company, Ohio Coal COM
pany, St. Paul d Western Coal COM
pany, YOuhighany u Lehigh Coal COM
pany.
Tne following letter explains itself,
and is found on page one Of the letter
book.
ST. PAUL, SIinn.. May 4, 1892.
MI. y. L. w di6S, L 1I6Stu6ul, Mluu6-
apOliS, Mimi. - Dear Sir: Enclosed
please find agreement to subscribe to
the Minnesota Bureau of Coal Statistics
and Information. | will say that have
submitted this to Mr.. Bum, of Lusk &
Bum, and ne informs me that there is
nothing Illegal about it. Please sign
and return same at your earliest con-
venience, Now. as there will not be,
probably, many retailers join this aSsO-
citation for the next thirty days, to put
this bureau in proper shape. will you
please send me your check for 500 on
account?
Hoping 10 hear from you very soon,
1remain, yours respectfully,
JOIN j. RHODES.
In one of the letters to Mr.. Adams,
manager of the Lake Superior Coal
company, Mr. Rhodes writes: THE
division is generally equal, except occa-
SiUnally the Northwestern Fuel COM
pany has been given small percentage
of advantage, which seems to have
been entirely satisfactory"
This evenings meeting will doubtless
bring forth some more very interesting
testimony, and there will be more meat
for the mass meeting at Market hall.