The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1894-10-31

articles were placed upon the free
list, and the duties on coal, iron-ore
lead-ore, zinc sheets, etc, were re.
duced about one-half, instead of be
ing placed upon the free list.
1t is needless for me to say that
am IN full accord with the Demo.
cratic party in the issues made be.
fore the people at the last election
and upon which the Democratic
party came into power. 1 voted
with my party then, as 1 have al
ways done, and 1 shall stand by the
declared principles and policy OF
the party as one of its represents.
tiyes in Congress. 1 voted for free
lumber, free salt and FREQ wool, and
in the Democratic caucus for free
iron ore. The question of free coal
was never presented in the Senate
ina form in which could take a
position or express an opinion by
my vote, as it became necessary in
order to pass a bill through the
Senate that the report of the Com
mittee of Finance should be sustain.
ed and adhered to. l will say, in
all frankness, that 1 did not attach
as much Importance to the duties on
coal and iron ore as many others in
terested in those products have
done. l do not believe that there is
any country that can come into
competition to any damaging ex-
tent in our home markets with our
own coal. The States of Pennsyl-
vania. West Virginia and Virginia
and indeed all the Appalachian
chain contain the finest coal in the
world. 1t takes precedence even
over English coal for steam purpos-
es on the fast ocean going vessels,
and these mines in the Fairmont
District are now shipping, and have
been for months, weekly cargoes of
coal and coke to Mexico, Cuba and
other countries, in competition with
all other Goals. at all events, 1 feel
that our coal interests will not suf-
fer under the benign influence and
directing control of the Democratic
party, bill.
1t has been freely circulated
throughout the country that the re-
cent reduction of five cents per ton
for mining in this district is the re-
suit of the reduction of the tariff
upon coal. i toll you frankly and
emphaticalIy, fellow citizens, that
this is not the case. The tariff on
coal has nowise affected the price of
mining or the sale of coal, either ono
way or the other. There has been
no coal imported into the United
States under the present law that
would not have been imported un-
der the Mckinley bill in the same
period of time.
The price of coal is regulated by
the competition in our own home
markets, and unfortunately at this
time coal is lower than it has been
known for years. These mines are
shipping and storing large portion
of their output at this time at docks
on the Lakes, and L have just read
a letter received by the President of
the Monongah Company stating
that it was impossible to make sales
at the prices which he had hereto
fore obtained, and that the stock
would remain and lay over unless
the price was greatly reduced, and
strongly advising him to sell at
prices that would leave little or no
profit, rather than hold it and run
the risk of loss. But this is not the
result of any reduction in the tariff
on coal, for no foreign coal what
ever is coming into competition
with this coal, but it is entirely due
to the fact of an over-stocked mark
ct, the production being greater
than the demand. Under these cir
cumstances the Mononga Company
and the Fairmont region, have
simply had to restore the prices of
last fall that existed under the Nc
Kinlcy bill, this region having dur
ing the active demands of this
spring and summer advanced the
price of mining five cents, and l am
assured by coal mon who are con-
versant with this subject that these
mines are paying fully as much, if
not more, for mining than the re-
gions of Pennsylvania and Ohio,
which control the accessible mark-
cts upon which this region depends
for its outlet.
They pay in this region for run
of mine coal and other competitive
regions pay only for screened coal,
and hv raooop of thar 11rox-ir,;E,- 10