The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1897-09-04
sssaeHEaOBtBer aEEssso Ms.

Whatever may be the outcome of the
coal miners strike, the people OF
America will have the benefit of an
object lesson. by it from which they
may profit. The mines that are af-
fected by the strike are in what is
known as the coal trust, q combina-
tion that is organized for the purpose
of limiting the output OF coal to an ex-
tent that prices of coal may be kept up.
while it is also possible to keep down
the wages of miners. Members of the
trust have entered into two agreements
one as to the minimum price at which
coal shall be sold, togethers with an
understanding as to the amount OF
coal that shall be mined so that the
market may not be glutted, and as to
the scale of wages that shall be paid
miners. In short, those in the trust
have combined so as to keep the price
of coal up and the price of wages down.
By this argument the consumer can
not possibly derive any benefit from
any cut in wages, for no coal can be
sold under, the minimum price, but
were the demands of the miners to be
met, the consumer would be called up
on to pay the advance in wages in every
ton of coal he buys.
The strike of the deck hands in this
state also furnishes food for reflection,
and supplies an object lesson froll
which something can be learned. 1t
is a well known fact that there is a
tariff agreement between nearly all, if
not all. the transportation lines in the
state, fixing uniform rates on freight
and passenger traffic, so as to prevent
competition. This agreement is moth
ing short of a trust to Keep up prices,
and to prevent patrons of transporta-
tion lines from deriving any benefit
from competition. The union to
which the .deckhands. belong is a
similar TRUST intended to protect the
interests of those engaged in a certain
line of business by keeping up the
wages of its members, the same as the
trust among the transportation COM
panies to keep up the earning power
of their different appliances.
Ia the one instance there is capital
in the trust, and it's business is con-
Quoted by men of experience in busi-
ness affairs, consequently they are
able to prevent the violation of the
contract into which they have entered.
With the striking deckhands it is
different. There is no capital back of
them, they have not the advantage of
business training, nor are they able to
control the labor market. When they
quit their jobs, their employers are
able to fill the places they leave va
cant, for there is plentitude of labor
ers. As q result the business of the
transportation companies will go right
along undisturped and the agreed
rates for handling the traffic will be
charged, because there is no one to en-
ter the field as competitors. Should
even their patrons-those who employ
them to carry their freight-demand a
reduction they could not enforce it, be-
cause they are not IN position to go in
to the markets and employ other means
of transportation. From these object
lessons we may as well learn now and
forever that nine-tenths of the pop
ulation is at the mercy Of the other
tenth who are able to form trusts and
corporations, and we had as we'll learn
to take our medicine one time as an
other. Take what they are willing 40
Uive no and he saticf;od