Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-05-25

toto the wisdom of Gov. O'Ferrall's
policy in dealing with the Pocahontas
strike, but there is feature of his Of
fetal character to be admired-one
always knows where he is at. He is
just as open in his expressions Of SYM
pathy for wronged miners as he is
candid and decided in condemnation
of strike methods. For instance, after
an exhaustive personal look at the sit
uation, he says:
The West Virginia miners have been badly
treated and are being made the cats paws of
the coal operators, for this is coal oper-
ators' strike
Prior to April the coal in that section was
sold by operators to the Pocahontas coal com
pany. Under the contract in force, the pro-
ducers received for their coal in cars at the
mines an average 72l cents per ton, and the
Pocahontas coal company disposed of the
product and paid the railroad company the
net balance for its freight charges.
The price of coal went down to such a low
figure during the panic that while the coal
operators regularly received their minimum,
price per ton the total receipts Of the railroad
company for transportation were less than
three mills per mile. So that while many
operators earned 25 per cent. on their capital,
tie rdilroad company ~aS forced into tie hands
Of ,ccei0erS.
1t would have been impossible, therefore,
for the railroad company or receivers to have
continued to guarantee so large price to the
operators, but apart from this a law was
enacted by the last Sc sion of the West Vir-
gina legislature prohibiting railroads from
selling coal and compelling the Norfolk and
Western to retire from the business.
When the companys freight rates were
raised by the receivers, the operators reduced
wages and forced a strike with the evident
object of crippling the railroad and COM
pelling it to return to the old rate schedule.
AS indicated by the italicized SEN
tence, the particular object Of this
notice of the matter is-not to discuss
the merits of the strike-but whether
1.-THE tariff on COAL" as alleged by Hon.
w. l.. Wilson, sis subsidy to the
railroads."
Gov. O'Ferrall a lawyer as well as
an honest man, ascertalned that the
Norfolk and Western carried the coal
about 400 miles for less than $l.20 per
ton. Take IS cents-the subsidy,
from this and the coal itself paid only
45 cents per ton of its own freight
But this wont do, for, in spite Of the
subsidy, ''the railroad company was
forced into the hands of receivers"
Hence. instead of taking the Sub
sidy" away, let us add it to the 81. 20
and make the freight to Norfolk 81 .95.
But here it sold for not over So %,
or only 30 cents over the freight.
Now, how are we to get out of that
80 cents the y! cents which the oper-
ator must have at the mine The so
cents, however, will barely pay the
miner, even for a ton whose weight is
guessed at; the operator, then, gets
nothing, and ''the railroad is forced
into the hands of receivers ?"
Where is that subsidy?
Echo answers-where
And the fact responds-if anywhere,
it is in the pockets of the operators.
1t affords the JOURNAL unalloyed
pleasure to clinch its refutation of
Hon. W. l.. Wilson's reckless state
ment upon the testimony of Gov.
O'Ferrall-a gentleman who is as
rabid a tariff reformer as Mr.. Wilson
ever was or can be.
And there is no doubt about the
truth of his testimony, for he says the
"evident object" of the operators was
to cripple and compel the railroad to
return to the old-rate schedule'--an
object they could not possibly attain
had the railroad a cnch on the
government for even 40 cents ton.
Of all the fallacies favoring free
coal, that which twists the little pro-
tective rate OF rs cents per ton to the
miner into a big subsidy for the rail
roads is the most transparent.