Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-02-08
COMMUNICATED.
THE TARIFF OF COAL.
ERosrnuRs. MD. FEB. 3. 1891

probably Designed 10 De Idir, Detrdys nis-
apprehension of the situation so palpable
that must ask you 10 indulge me with this
reply.
paper that ventures upon any parallel
between farming and mining, however well
informed concerning either calling, ordains
Itself to error in vital particu ars, for there
Is nothing synonymous In operation or re-
suits between them. The farmers wor k Is
above, the miners underground. To the
farme" The earth yields It's harvests year az
ter year. to the miner once for all time. The
farmer works in the sun, In the rain, even
In the storm, In perfect safety compared with
the peril which perpetually bessts the toll or
In the midnight wet and Calls Of the mine.
He nce, nothing could be more in apropos
than your questions:
How many OF you farm ers) would agree to
con rlbute money To cultivate farm so
poor that the crops RAISED on 10 would not
pay for the labor necessary To raise them?
And II yon should do so for, say. ten years,
would the community be richer or poorer by
reason of leaving that farm in cultiva ton,
at tue end Of that period?
Before your farmers answer they must first
understand that the farm you describe is
good only for one crop; thatit is cultivated
Only OuC ~ uuu th'b az VIC Shu
of "ten years" 1t is not only not "ln cultiya.
tors but cultivation has absolutely de stroyed il.
With these premises join you In Inviting
your farmers to reply.
But your editorial suggests wei ghteI mat
ters for me to deal with. You say:
This demand is characterized by virgin
modesty when compared with That OF coal
barous." who plead for duty on coal VIII ch
10 InH nlaI linz. no m
This inference is not fairly drawn from
your rendition of my staten ent that in the
Georges Creek coal region, OF the 70 cents
which the tariff adds 10 "A ton ofcoal, "a least
7Ocents 20 20 the labor which digs and places
the coal on the cars for shipment; he ace 81
per cent OF the small protection afforded
finds It's way exactly where 1t belongs-into
the pockets ofthe labor which produces 1t "
IFS cents Is nearly double 20 cents, you are
right; II not, then you err when you regard
the rs cents as N addition TO the cost of the
coal. The 70 cents, as / shall show hereafter,
constitutes no emulation OF cost OF the
coal. more especially to the people of Shep-
herdstown. 1t is simply and only a bar put
up 10 continue TO us the custom, not Of Shep-
herdstown people, but of the manuf acturers
VI new EuBlhHu, VINO OIneEHlse IuToAIeU
to go outside OF the country entirely for fuel.
Now ask the farmers whose poor farms
they prefer to patronize-those OF the United
States or those OF Nova Scotia?
Again you force dangerous deduction;
This is an admission that the consumer is
forced by the tariff TO pay the whole Of the
miners ICageS and that the mine owner gets
his coai al o. b. with vengeance; without
one cent or expense TO be paid out OF the
price hich the coal will bring In the mar
ket, less the tarif duty,
To make a long matter short, W Ill you
name = SINCE commodity In any line, de-
veloped or manufactured. for which the con-
sumner does not eventually pay all the wages
ofdeveiopmeut or fabrication? The whole
realm Of industry Is submitted to your sweep
Of vision, including the farmers bushel of
wheat, and challenge the citation ola sin
gle article whose purchase does not embody
the whole OF the factors wages, whether the
price Of the article or the labor cost fiuctu-
| ates or not. Once in The consumers hands
the pogeS iVhteh produced IL, the transporta-
ton which moved il and the merchants pro-
| fits on all It's cost are paid by him.
Speaking further TO your clientele you say:
You, Mr.. Consumer. are forced TO pay, over
and above the true value OF the coal, the
| whole wages Of the men who dig 10 and load
| IL ON the cars; and the mine owner and the
railroad company pocket the whole value
| OF the coal for all charges whatsoever!
What is "the value of coal?" AS close OBJ
server OF the expense and danger of min
ing l regard II as intellectually high. But
measured In dollars and cents coal, like
wheat, is worth just what it Will bring. and,in
| N ,,yH
as "a subsidy to transportation." it gets
| cheaper proper: ionately the farther is car
ried. Let me assure "Mr. Consumer" also,
that If the tariff, which you say pays all la
Dor costs above what you fancy is "the true
value of COAL" is removed, then he ("Mr.
| Consumer'D viii have those wages to ply
himself under some other illusion. II tie
| tariff pays the wages now, and he pays the
tariff he will then pay the wages without
imagining that he is groaning under taxa
| ton. That may be some visionary comfort
| to .the artless innocence aud childlike SIM
| plicity" OF "Mr. Consumer" but no such
dream of economy Will amend the statu, quo
OF his pocket-book.
| Next and Las you Observes:
The Mining journal pleads for the retention
| of the duty in order that the "honest conduct
| OF the employers" which characteriZes that
! blessed Georges creek region may hot be IN.
terfered win! How can we sufficiently com
| mend these employe because, In the In
nate goodness OF their hearts. they have
hitherto resisted all temptation TO be other
| wise than honest In their conduct and ami
| cable in their relations with the tOileTs
| whose whole product Is handed over TO them
| without costing them one cent OF wages be-
| yond the tribute which Is evied for that pur
! pose on those who must use the coal?
lhave no doubt that In your argumeD is
! against protection periSe you have INDUCED
the well founded allegation that In many
! Industries the employers have not paid their
labor the bonus the tariff places in their
hands for lahore be neft. Not only In many,
| but fear that in a vast majority Of instances
your plea Is founded on fact.
But coal Is not specl lily protected nor are
| our employers the trustees of an EXPIRE IS
trust, yet, as l wrote to the san. nearly
every cent OF the incidental pro lection our
| industry enjoys is transmitted punctually
and directly TO the men to whom 1t belongs.
1t is a mistake. however. not to say an in
justice, to impress your readers with the
notion that we claim a continuance OF the
duty simply because ouc employers are hon
est. All we demand is that we shall not be
heroed ana slaughtered with those VINO nave
abused and betrayed the tariffs implied and
expressed comm ission 10 employers to deal
Justly with their workers.
The tariff on coal is simply and solely de-
signed TO secure to us the New England
market. endangered by the proximity oftnat
great consuming section TO oieign source
OF supply. IL exists for no other purpose.
With the tariff removed, therefore, we will
lose our best home market. but little else
Tor the further south Nova Scotia coal comes
the more easily we can meet and beat It,
In New York we will grspple with 1t prob
ably on nearly equal terms; in Philadelphia
with some advantage, and in Baltimore we
will shut II out Moreover. the interior will
be inaccessible to the foreign product.
Now let me ask your farmer readers what
hey are to gain by endorsing the notion and
ralra host