St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-02
A WAsrE or ENERGY.


The citizens committee are still en-
deavoring to fetch the coal combine to
book. There has been some travelling
about; some Investigations into cost and
freight and so on pushed, and they are
now asking railway company, which
frelghtS most of the anthracite, to eX-
plain to the board of railway commits
sioners how it is that it can carry soft
coal at two-thirdS of the price it asks
for carriage of anthracite. Nothing
will come of that, we hazard the predic-
ton. The astute and erudire attorneys
of the railway company will come
before the board and say to it,
i'll potter lingo, though, that it
is none of its business, because
the railway cuts across corner
OF another state, and, therefore. it is be-
You'd the jurisdiction of this state and
its boards or its laws. Or they will ar
que that the road is an insurer of what
ii carries, and as the damage is greater
if it miscarries relatively more eX-
penSlve freight, it must charge for it
higher rate. Some way and somehow.
depend OH it, the lawyers will befuddle
the board, for that is what they are
there for, and, perhaps. what the board
is there tor, or major palt Of it at
least
A little time ago one or more of the
coal dealers offered hard coal for S7.75 a
ton, and the citizens committee pricked
up their ears and looked pleased and
self satisfied because the combine was
backing down before their serried and
threatening front. And now the price
has been put up again TO $3.50, and
hints are thrown out that it will go a
quarter higher. And those who did not
buy at the lower price are kicking them
selves and looking black at the commit
teemen, who are not looking as compla-
cent as they did. The coal they all
uniformly ask $3.50 for now does not
cost the dealers cent more than did
that which they offered for S7.75. The
rise in price is as arbitrary as Car
Reeds quorums. The combine ism the
saddle, all booted and spurred, and the
public is the CALLED jade which can only
vince.
And what is the use of spending good
energy in kicking? Ii it would do any
good it would be another matter, but it
won't. About all that is left to the un,
fortunates who are not so warm-blooded
that they can live without fire is what
was left to the smaller boy who told the
larger one: "Well, if | can't lick you |
can make mouths at your sister" Let's
NJ n IN hn0 rf1,
and if we only buy their coal and pay
them for it what they are pleased to
ask, depend on it they will not protest
against our abuse. They may, to be
sure, add an extra quarter a ton just to
salve their ruff1ed feelings, but they
will do nothing more.
And, come to think of it, we have rea-
son to feel grateful that our masters are
as lenient as they are. Why should they
stop at fractions at all; why not make
coal round SO a ton? They have the
power, and nothing but their humanity
prevents them from doing it. They can
make their combinations lawfully and
enforce them, too, and, good fellow
citizen, what are you going to do abo Ut
q
has the advantage of having no other
court to reverse it, said plainly that a
man may do with what he has as he
will; may sell or not sell; may ask what
price he will, and no law shall say him
nay? And has not this same court
plainly said, too, that what one man
may lawfully do two may do or hun
dred may do? What would you have?
A return to those old fogy days when
courts went noslng into the business of
men and said harsh things about fore
stalling and regrating and engrossing?
Bless you, that time is happily passed,
and we have come, with cleo
tricity and steam, into a new Or
der of things, and what was bad
is good and what was good is bad. Did
not very eminent statesman tell US
some time ago-a statesman whom the
chairman of the coal committee veneer
ates as the greatest of his kind-that
these trusts and combines were private
affairs with which presidents nor con-
crosses nor states had any concern?
Did not another statesman of the same
school deride cheapness as nasty"
and did not president of these
United States say that cheap coat
meant cheap man under it?'' And
perhaps-are not our coal lords doing
what these statesmen would in
saving US from the disgrace and nasti-
ness of cheap coal? The courts and the
statesmen are against you, gentle men
so waste no more time and energy in
your fruitless pursuit, but eXpend both
in trying to earn good money to spend
in paying for your winters supply oil
,al what our most potent and reverend
go I'd masters, the coal barons, eonsid.
erately will us to pay. and thank your
stars that you were born and live in a
free and great republic, and not il
autocratic Russia.