Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-03-27
N1NeEeJouRNA1
FROSTBURG, MD ...... MARCH 81, 1897
The Mine Inspectors Report.

man did not contemplate.
The first instance is appended:
Inspector Hohing justly says that in many
respects the Georges creek basin is the 'ban-
ner district of the United States"
Which the SIN accounts for as fol-
lows:
This is largely due to the character of the
miners themselves. They come mainly from
Scotland and Wales. Some are Iiish, few
English and Americans. As a class they are
self-respecting, intelligent men, possessing a
good common school education. They live
well in comfortable cottages their wives,
daughters and young children are never
driven to work in the mines.
A careful reading of the Inspectors
remarks leading to the 'banner dis
trict" climax will show that they do
not correspond with the Suns very just
tribute to the character of the
miners" He enumerates-
|, The regions growing exemption
from fatalities ; and
,, The pleasant relations between
employers and men.
Later he names
l, Prompt pay for wages and
2, The proofs that employment
here is attractive and desirable"
The true implications are
|, The unusual thickness of the
seam and other natural advantages 5
2. The mechanical equipment and
conveniences to men as well as oper
ators by which coal is moved quickly,
cheaply, and
), The comparative ease with which
it is, therefore, wolked out.
With these reasons in his mind, it is
to be doubted whether the Inspector
thought of the tariff, or, if he did, it
was in the way of II reflection that all
these provisions for economy, quick
development and safety of limb and
life ought TO be encouraged rather
than taxed with fierce foreign com
petition.
But as the question Of tariff on coal
is again raised, let us consider it for a
moment. The Sun says:
The effect of cheap coal is to promote in
dnstry, to better enable our manufacturers to
meet foreign competition and so give employ
ment to more and more labor.
Curiously enough, the Bryanesque
democracy cites similar advantages to
be derived from the employment of
"cheap money"
But if "cheap COAL is such a boon
to "our manufacturers" why not first
teach them to endow all the rest of us
with the force of a good example |?
They are our biggest custome.s ; they
are the moving causes of the fact stated
by Mr.. Hohing that "there is no doubt
the Big Vein is disappearing :" they
are the producers of perennial products
at the expense of the only crop our
acreage bears-why not begin preach
ing the gospel of low tariff, or tree
trade, IN the very Jerusalem of pro-
lection The JOURNAL insists upon
this question because it has always
held that as long as reproductive com
moditles are protected, coal, one Of
natures precious few finished pro
ducts, is also entitled to protection.
Whether New England, the home of
"our manufacturers would give the
people of Baltimore the advantages to
be gained from free foreign coal is also
a question. 1t is not the habit of that
section to distribute its profits among
non stockholders.
AS for Baltimore, no free trade in
coal can possibly compete with this re-
gion in that city, where, even now,
the item that mostly makes our coal
costly is local one. While city people
are paying our miners only IS cents,
they are also paying Il drayman nearly
as much for mile haul as they do the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad company
for over POO miles. They are paying
the drayman about twice much for
machine work as the miuer for manual
labor.
The truth is, city people have no
ground of complaint against any item
in the cost of coal that accrues out
side the city. 1t is mined, as before
stated, for half the cost of city de-
livery, and it is carried to the city
cheaper than any other commodity.
Indeed, while they are paying about
81 ton freight, the miners are pay
ing nearly ten times that sum on a
ton of merchandise coming this way.
The conclusion is inevitable. there
fore, that whatever Inconvenience or
costs city people suffer from the prices
OF our coal, not one can be re
moved by either a low tariff or no
tariff.
Gall.
What do the gold bug democrats think of
the new tariff bill that's in the wind? Speak
now.-Cumberland Times.
1t is not matter Of thinking.