The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-03-12

Tho coal operators OF West Virginia
are in state Of righteous indignation
over tho attack upon their Intelligence
contained in tho six.coIumn article
which appeared in tho Wheeling daily
Register OF February 81.
have just had all interview concorn-
ing tho article in question with Mr.. NJ.
,Erskine Miller, whose viows no doubt
represent those OF nearly every operator
in tho stute-certainly OF those whose
interests will DO affected by free coal.
Said Mr.. Miller: "This attempt TO show
that the coal operators arc lot Of igno.
r0muscs is calculated to bring upon its
authors ridiCulc rather than tho mp
provnl and endorsement OF wcii-ln'
formed and iair.minded men"
Tho coal operators, however" Mr.
Miller went on to say. could well
afford to treat with silent contempt the
attNck upon their intelligence II that
was all, because tho people OF West
Virginia know very well that thoy are
not as class quite so ignorant rs the
Register makes them out. But that is
not all. The article in question, the
burden OF which il 10 show that FREQ
coal will not hurt West Virginia, is n
cunnin2ly devised scheme 10 mIsdl-
rect public sentiment and put the coal
operators in fa!so light, to the end
that their business may be taken away
from them and turned over to the
Dominion Coal Company, whose field
OF operation is in Nova Scotia and
whose market is New England, and
Whose promoters, calculating that the
duty would bu removed from coal, or
gained 1t expressly to run out OH.
Goals from the New England market.
The rc0! object OF tho article is TO all III
accomplishing what the Dominion Coal
Company ia fighting for, and the
method pursued is one that is likely to
excite more or less suspicion, unless
the public is prepared 10 ADM: that
two hundred or more operators in NIr-
gtuia and West Virginia arc, ms the
EcJlSitr claims, too deeply stepped in
ignorance to know what will be the
effect on their own business OF re-
nioval Of this duty"
This attack" no declared, upon the
intelligence OF the Goa! operators and
attempt to destroy their business, and
TO taio the bread out OF tho mouths OF
West NlrainiH miners, starts out by adj
uniting that, with few exceptions, tho
deludcI operators arc opposed to free
coal, and that many OF those among
them who arc Democrats have resolved
to lorsnke that party in the event that
coal be placed upon the free list. Listen
TO the conciliatory tone it adopts to
MAKE the ignorant. crring Democrats
lcel that they may yet hope 10 be for
given.
Men who have tens and hundreds
OF thousands Of dollars" Mr.. Miller
read from tho article alluded to, are
not to 10 blamed for using all the means
NJ their command 10 preserve their
capital from losses. They would not he
considered business men ii they did
aot.' And here would ask the REGISTER,
il free coal will not hurt, how can there
be any losses? when party principle
conflicts with personal gain or business
Interests, the Register proceeds to admit,
the former is quickly deserted, and,
under the general rule that every man
must look after himself or he will not
be looked alter, such action is not en-.
tirely blamcworthy.'
Following the foregoing apology for
those who arc asking and needing no
apology comes the remarkable discovery
that all business fears and apprchen-
sions are due to Ignorance. This extra
ordinary theory is contrary to the opin-
Ion OF Napoleon Bonaparte. who onco
declared that fear was the resut OF Wis
dom rather than ignorance. But let US
read OIL from the Register:
But as fear Is almost always caused BY igno
rance SO III the case OF the Goa! schedule tho
Tear OF Tree coal manifested By many Wet Nir
gina operators has been caused in inrg" meas
lire, II not entirely, by lack Of Information GS &c
inc ieal situation or by Misrepresentation made
by republican p0rtiSans or those persons who
lniGht reap u benefit from retention Of the
However" Mr.. Miller here suggested,
iii free coal will not hurt West Vir.
ginia, as the REglS'e- devotcs six Of its
good columns OF bad matte to the ut
tempt to prove, then how can thorc be
anyone who can reap n benefit from O
retention OF the duty2 Consistency
thou art n jewel. u veritable electric
light to illuminc tho beiogCed intellects
OF the West Virginia operators"
AIR. Miller then read from tho Register
ne follows:
From tho results OF tho Rt0istrr'S invcstigR
tons which nrc here given for the perusal oil
the public; Il will be seen that all such ienr on
ne par o. West Virginia coal operators has been
absolutely SronndlrSS; that Nova Scotia does Tot
now and never can compete with the coal from
our slnte, aud that, nsteRd OF being injured by
teuuctlon OF tarlN duties. our coul business
WI hclunIiy he benefited: so that lifelong
Democrats who have been wavcring in tGcit
henei may return 10 their party with q lively
ihith IN itS doctrines aud principles. aud with
tue assurance that their business will be as safe
in The hands Of the Democracy MS 1t hnS ever
been, and that the Wilson bin, against which
they nave been induced to protest, IL as fuvora
bH 10 inc coal Industry Of our state rs any meas
uH whiSh could be enacted ut the present. time
Alas, Tor the bcsotted ignorance OF
the coal men OF West Virginia!
The RtqiNer next proceeds, with an
lmpertlncnce IN sharp contrast with its
conc'Ilatory invitations to tho erring
coal men to return 10 tho Democratic
fold, 10 finish its lecture by an array OF
figures which arc for the most part mis-
leading and tallacious, and OF oracular
utterances by two or three iuialliblv
wise coal operators, the light OF whose
wisdom is lifted like the brazon serpent
in the wilderness OF ignorance.
"As TO its figures. the cost OF Cane
Breton coal, run of mine. is given n,
81 50; OF Pictou, run OF mine, Acadia,
S225; Drummond, 81 90; Spring Hill,
run OF mine. s. 90. The Register argues