The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-10-18
RnRE COAL.


uoukAue OSSSSSt ~ 1--.'S- s4s--
things the following: "No coal is linz
ported into this country, aud the price
depends upon our owu market"
Mr.. Camden is senator OF the United
States. and it would be discourteous and
supplementary To call him prevar-
icGtor. He is also q man Of average
Observation-Disclosures not amenabls to
the suspicion OF being ignorant nt the
geography Of this country. Nothing re-
mains, therefore, bat the assumption
that be was talking through his hat"
The Pacific slope. consisting OF the
states OF Washington, Oregon and Cali
fornia, is within the boundary OF this
country, and in the average years OF
prosperity under the stimulating inttu-
ence OF the equitable system Of protec.
ton TO American industries, bred and
nurtured by the Republican party, con-
sumed Of coal and coke not less than
one million OF tons per annum. Fully
one-half oil this was Of foreign produce
ton, and paid into the treasury OF the
United States u rate Of 20 cents per
ton as import duties. The people OF
'.the coast" being whole.souled and
patriotic Americans, made never kick
at this protective duty. The general
treasury was enriched, and the citizens
OF the states l have named not i'm
poyerished, for tho simple reason that
the coal resources OF California. Oregon
and Washington. rating IN Importance
in the order named. were being de-
veloped by the stimulus OF the protec'
ton afforded by the duty on
the foreign Goals. and the thousands
OF miners, railroad men, sailors,
steamboat men, merchants, clerks, Ia
borers, cartmen, stevedores and long
shoremen employed in the industry
earned good wages. and spent them like
| good fellows, making what is called
good times" by rapid circulation OF
money, taken originally out OF the mill.
ions invested by the capitalist, filtered
through the innunerable busy hands OF
labor directed by brains, and with in
terest returned to the investor to be
again put into productive enterprises
and used in the development and Elm.
bellishments OF those states. AS
stated before, the people Of the Pacific
coast are predetermined and patriotic,
and they preferred to pay the 70 cents
per ton duty on the hntt million OF tons
OF bituminous coal they had to obtain
from outside sources, that they might
retain all the cost and all the profit on
the half million tons OF Ignite mined
within their own borders. and found to
be in quality and price we'll calculated
to meet the demands OF commerce and
tho domestic consumer.
The high water mark OF prosperity on
the Pacific coast was attained in 1897.
In that year were paid the highest
average wages ever paid in sound
money, and the regularity and ampll.
tude OF the Saturday night pay roll
caused no comment, because the people
were used to them. They were matters
OF course.
What arc the conditions to-day? For
eign Goals are as easily obtainable rs
before, and the quantity imported
shows but little falling OF. But is tho
price to the consumer any lower? No,
it is not. Why? The answer is sim.
pie one: Because the foreign coal oper.
ator, having waited until the most OF
the Pacific coast mines had been closed
down because OF the tilnidity OF capital,
which was withdrawn. and the scatter
ing OF the miners, who we're forced into
other fields OF labor-on farms, still
further reducing the low cob Of farm
wages by competition; in the forests.
to be starved out now by the influx OF
the still cheaper Canadian lumber
given free access 10 our home markets
by the infamous Wilson bill, aud into
the fisheries to work with the odiforous
Siwash. and at Siwash wages-has
now put on the screws - the
British screws-the screws that caused
the uupatriotic Wilson to lose control
OF his tongue at the London board Of
trade dinner, and they have put M the
price OF foreign coal, by just tho differ
encei in the amount OF duty we have
taken oil; i. e. 50 cents per ton. in
other words the sailing ships and
tramp steamers, nearly all foreign bot
toms, which formerly brought coal from
Sidney, New South Wales, and from
Hull, Hartlepool, Dundee, Glasgow and
other ports in tho United Kingdom al
most frce-practically az balIast-seck-
ing return cargos OF wheat, salmon,
fruit and wine, now nsk and obtain tho
diilerential price as payment for
freight. That is, tho foreigner gets not
only all the cost of the coal and his
profit thereon as he always got it, but
in addition, the amount OF duties stolen
out OF the treasury.
The people Of the Pacific coast are no
gainers-losers rather-f0r in addition
to tho cost Of the coal they now pay a
rise OF 50 cents per ton on freight, and
tho people Of the country are robbed by
the free traders, in that the amount oil
duties heretofore collected aud OK.
pended in the regular routine OF gov.
ernmeut must now be levied aud col
lected from other sources; such sources
as tho "porfidi0us aud dishonorable"
senate bill which Mr.. Camden helped
incubate amply disclose.
But not alone does the foreign ship
owner profit by the good Offices OF Will
lam Letlmrip Wilson. The British
Columbia mine owner-our next door
neighbor, for whom we have always had
q friendly feeling, born OF proximity
gets in his little drill, and by tho lorna
ton OF gigantic trust. which now
owns and controls all tho British
Columbia mines, notably those at M.
naimo. Departure Bay and Comox, oil
situated OH the island OF Vancouver,
whose area is nearly that OF Wost Wiz.
GINA, has put up the price Of that
product go that the consumer on tho
American side Of tho limo pays just as
much rs he did before. But it is the
mino owner that gets it-not the trans
portation communication, look you,
nearly all OF the tonnage employed in