Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-03-03
The Tariff on Coal.
FRosTBURG, MD, Feb. 3, ls9


that I must ask you to ndulg" me with this
reply.
paper that ventures upon any parallel be
tween farming and mining. however well in
formed concerning either calling ordainS itself
to error in vital particulars, for there is nothing
SYNONYMOUS in operation or results between
them. The farmers work is above, the miners
underground. To the farmer the earth yields
its harveSts year after year: to the miner once
for all time. The farmer works in the sun. i'll
the rain even in the storm. in perfect safety
compared with the peril which pcrpctuallv be
sets the toiler in the midnight, wet and falls of
the mine.
Hence, nothing could have been more in
apropos than your your questions:
How many of you farmcrS) would agree TO
contribute money to cultivate Il farm so poor
that the crops raised on it would not pay for
the labor necessary to raise themt And if you
should do so for, say ten years. would the com
munity be richer or poorer by reason o1 lcaN-
ing that farm i'll cultivation at the end Oh that
period!
Before your farmers answer they must first
understand that the farm you describe is good
only for one crop; that it is cultivated only one
acre at a time, and that at the end of ten
years" it is not only not lin cultivation,' but
cultivation has absolutely destroyed it.
Upon these premises join you in inviting
your farmers to reply.
But your editorial suggests weighticr matters
for me to deal with. You say
This demand is characterized by virgin mod
esty when compared with that of coal barons,"
who plead for duty on coal which is nearly
double the wages paid to the miners.
This inference is not fairly drawn from your
rendition of my statement-that in the Georges
Creek coal region of the - cents which the
tariff adds to IA ton of coal "at least 20 cents go
to the labor which digs and places the coal on
the cars for shipment; hence, ~ per cent of
the small protection afforded finds its way
exactly where it beongs-into the pockets of
the labor which produces it."
If - cents is nearly double 70 cents, you are
right; if not, then you err when you regard the
- cents as an addition to the cost of the coal.
The IS cents, as | shall show hereafter. con
titutes no accumulation of cost of the coal,
more especially to the people of shepherds
town. 1t is simply and only II bar put up to
continue to us the custom, not of shepherds
town people. but of the manufacturers of New
England. who otherwise threaten to go outside
of the country entirely for fuel.
Now ask the farmers whose poor farms they
prefer to patronizc-those of the United States
n those of Nova Scotia!
Again you force ii dangerous deduction:
This is admission that the consumer is
forced by the tariff to pay the whole of the
niner's wages; and that the mine owner gets
his coal #. o. b. with a vengeance; without
one cent of expense to be paid out of the price
which the coal will bring in the market, less
che tariff duty!
To make Il long matter short, will you name
single commodity in any line, developed or
manufactured. for which the consumer does
not eventually pay all the wages of develop
mput or fuhritationt The whole realm of in
dustry is submitted to your sweep of vision
| including the farmers bushcl of wheat. and |
| challenge the citation of IA single article whose
purchase does not embody the whole of the
factors wages, whether the price of the article
| the labor cost tluctuates or not. Once in
| the consumers hands, the wages which pro
| duced it, the transportation which moved il
and the merchants profits on all are paid by
| him.
| Speaking further to your clientele you say
You, Mr.. Consumer are forced to pay oven
| and above the true value of the coal the Who'll,
| wages of the men who dig and load it on tn,
| cars; and the mine owner and the railroad
company pocket the whole value of the coa
| for all charges whatsoever.
What is 1.-THE value of coal?' As il close oh
server of the expense and danger of mining
| regard it intellectually high. But measured
| in dollars and cents coal, like wheat, is wortl
| just what it will bring, and, in answer to tn,
| prcteXt set up against the tariff IA subsidy
| to transportation, it gets cheaper proportion
! ately the farther it is carried. Let me tssur,
Mr.. Consumer" also, that if the tariff. which
~" coy h'' '''' i'"'' >o''' "o ~ W,
i>s - > :, - w > W. ,,, n'''
."N' ' WI "''' ,'' .,i'7 "1,
| w P"' l'Ni7''' ''''''' '''''' ''"'' ''''''
| "N ,' P., ,''~ ""7N INV '''i'' f"' Wv
| nv " - ''> - P'' -" ''''
- ~ S''''''- '''"' NV eo''''H "'' wv
'i'' "'' '' sunny i'i',''s '"''' "
,.'e7 "''' 'i'''''iH' "
-ii' '"' nv '"'" vi .''i' Vi ','"
"''s "i'i ''iie'''' '"e status 'l"o vi MS P''N''
neN' anu last you observe
vi ~, ~. " ; iio'us " ioi ,iit !'., Ven
| duet of the EMPLOYERS which chal1cterize,
| that blessed georges Creek region may not bt
,, II. TOW Iall We m % CON
goodness of their hearts, they have hitherto re-
| sisted all temptation to be otherwise thar
tins M it the tniie " hS ,hI nnd n,a
is handed over to Them without costing then
| one cent OF wages beyond the tribute which is
tLI i' ~ 'ii'' p' l''' WI 'ii'9e " io ii''' "''
I have ma do,ht +b,t i, ,o,,,. .,,.,n,m.rt,
.,,inst nr,tacti,n NOR So won, h,,.o indu,,ol
the wo,l- -founded ,l,or,ti,n tb,, in m,n,, in
d,,s+;os tho omn,o,,o.s b.,.o mot mid i,ho,
tho honus tbo t,r;tp ,,,cos in +bo;, hands f,,
I.bor.s hano6t Nor onI, i, mar,, but fo,,
in , ,.s+ ,n,i,r;,, ,f ;,,st.,.os ,.,,,r ,,,o, j.
fn,pdod an fac,
Rut coal is nor sneciaI,v motectod nor ,r,