The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-04-09

| cash no less than $1t 900 900 in raw sugars.
| Tho management hold their sessions In SO.
| cret, and no one but tho HaVemeyers and
their intimates arc permna, permi.tGaa .o Know ;t, any
| entitled.
Even more outrageous is that great com.
biuation OF capital known as the Coal
| Trust.
! The entire hard coal district is comprised
within a very limited area. That area is
| traversed by tho lines of eleven railroads
known as "the coalers." They have
| formed a combine and centrol absolutely
tho entire matter Of coal consumption.
Many of them own large areas Of coal lands
and are miners as we'll as transpOrteys.
ners, but they arc entirely under control
Of the roads embracing the coal combine,
since they can get no transit to market or
tide water except over these roads.
Once each month the sales agents Of these
roads meet and fix upon the output Of coal
for tho coming month and the price at
which it shall bo sold. This combine in
cludes several roads now in tho hands of
receivers and therefore under the control
OF the United States courts.
These roads enter into tho agreement and
arc greedy for their share of the coal out
put and price is fixed by tho weather, tho
demands OF trade is generally about as
much as the roads think they can squeeze
out OF the public. The consumption is
about 1900, 900 tons a year, so thata rise OF
only 10 cents q ton means an extra 81 ,OOO,-
wv II year III IHe pockets OF the coal DarOnS.
dollar means S40,O 900 600 u year.
A private mine owner is compclled to
turn over his coal to the railroad company
at their own price as soon rs it comes from
ms PIT; Any attempt on his part to send it
to market and sell it at his own price would
he met by refusal to give him cars in
which to transport it.
The farmers of the land, representing
many millions of people, after long agita-
tion and enormous pctitti0us, have sought
,nnDrpSS tn OF 1iS r;,
lra1hc. The cotton, produce and other cX-
chanBeS, whose members number less hum
drcdS than there are millions of farmers
and persons dependent on farmers, have
OntwalBheu III the councils of the nation ut
washington the cry for relief that has come
from the sufferers.
Yet there arc statutes which make it OBJ
ligatory upon tho Attorney General of the
United States to protect the people against
these unjust combinations. How many
| suits has he brougct? Not one.
What fnrthcr proofs do wo need that tho
govcrnment 1T Washington is absolutely
street and that the President, the Cabinet
officers, tho Senators for many Of whom
seats are purchased, tho Congressman and
the courts are the tools and agents Of the
octopus which has itS tcntaCIcS iaStcncd |
upon the people throughout this vast coun-
try, sucking their substance year in and
year out?
Following close on the heels uf the de
Oh SILVER talllc tnt
of specie payments, cntailing an enormous
contraction of the circulating mrtiunI
The two causes have steadily hammered
prices down until to-day they are lower
than ut amy time within the last three cen
turtles. Lhe MASSES Of the producers
throughout the country, the men who ere
! ate its wealth, are being rapidly waupcr
lZrd. Farmers who have struggled to OBJ
tain homes are driven To the most dcSpcr-
ate straits to keep from losing them, or
have already lost them, while these iilltn-
cial vampires, who produce nothing are re-
Yelling Sn wealth undrramru Of in any past
| age OF tlc worlds history.
Wa are rapidly coming to br Il country in
which wheat should he Il large, wcll-tn-do,
contcntrd class of NrUIncn, such as must
ever be the strength uf 4 nation, are hope
lrSSly staggering under burdens Of debt
with no prospect Of relief, slaves bound to
the sail 10y murtg cages.
The growth and development OF the
nitru States since the war has hrcn tho
wonder uf the world. One of the most
remarkable things in connection with that
development has been tho expansion in
railroad building.
Who owns these roads, and in whose in
tcrcst arc they run? Built ~ many of
them were originally, by the aggregation
Of capital in small amounts from genuine
Stockholders, they have been absorbed in Il |
manner almost phcnOminal until today it |
is safe to say that three -fOurthS of the rail |
road mileage of the country is owned and |
controlled by few score uf men, most of
whom have their Offices on Wall street.
How could such things happen? VIII
be asked. They simply stole them, that is
all.
Concluded next week.