The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-28
WAGES MUST 60 DOWN.
What Senator ElkinS Has TO Say
About the Coal Miners.

The Philadelphia Times prints an in
terview with Senator Elkins, OF West Nir-
GINA, which will be interesting reading to
the miners of the Pocahontas conl fields
of which the following is in extract:
'Mr. Elkins, what is the state of the
coal trade:'
"a coal rate war for the first time is
declared all over the East. 1t embraces
the Norfolk and Western, the Chesapeake
and Ohio, Baltimore and Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania and Beech Creek Railroads, all soft
coal carriers The anthracite coal field
is not in contention, and that lets out the
Erie, Reading, Lehigh Valley, etc.
"What caused the coal rate warp
'Jhe entrance of new fields into the
market. An overproduction was the con-
sequence. Such railroads as went into
receivers hands, like the Norfolk and
Western, ana were reorganized, having
little else but coal To carry, broke out
against the pool. AS II hundred Ameri-
can railroads ''are bankrupt, their bonds
virtually their only stock, they are bound
to haul for all they are worth The Nor
folk and Western is now largely owned in
France. Bituminous coal, therefore,
which mine AT the headwaters of the
Potomac is carried four hundred miles to
Philadelphia for SO cents ton. They
get but mill and IL half to two mills u
ton per mile, whereas of old it was con-
tended that one cent per ton per mile was
the lowest which would pay. Soft coal
is now put down beside steamers and
vessels for little over two dollars per ON.
This is ruinous, but such is the fact "
"And still we do not export coal."
owe send to Canada from one million
to one and n half million tons per annum
of anthracite and bituminous, say three
million tons of both. We do not export
coal to Europe because we have wages
against us and that is the kernel of the
whole coal fruit-wages
"You think wages must 90 down.
inevitably. ms everything else has gone
down. Wage earners do not wish to see
il or believe it, but it is so. In the irt-
Gle Of coal have spoken OF wages Is ABOUT
all; coal yields no royalty; the railroad
gets one cent for hauling IL ton of con five
miles, for one hundred miles twenty
cents: less than coal shovelcrs get for
putting il ton of coal into your shoot from
the cart. Wages in America stand against
any revival of business. The nation of
Japan where wages are eight and twelve
cents II Hay is putting coal into San Fran
cisco from Japan; think of that -
You have developed Il great field lust
in time TO meet this great gorge and WARP
Our coal field is said to have two
hundred and fifty thousand million tons
In it, We deliver the coal to the Bald
more and Ohio at Piedmont, to the Penn
sylvania ut Cumberland. We coke it ALTO
and forward the coke as we'll rs the cod.
Having to dix ide the rate of IS cents ptr
ton for 400 miles to seaboard, the yield 10
our railroad is almost atmospheric. VT
here steps in the Supreme Court aul
Judge Peckham and pronounces that 10
pool no peace, no compromise is legia
lie makes it apply to everything. Yd
cannot join any man in an agreement 10
keep compensnting rates and prices.
Therefore, labor cannot combine any
more than railroads"
This was To construe the ELmunds
Sherman bill:''
Just so. Edmunds drew it aud Sher-
mans name went TO it, The intention
was to correct the Standard Oil Com
parry. Now the railroads each it: next
the miners will feel it. They may resis..
but it is what farmers and 'aborcrs ami
all have asked for Y0u shall not agree
or combine even for IL good end; that Is
the decision of the justice whom Mr.
Cleveland ard Wall Street aelected."
"What do you think OF 1.-The decisionT'
II think the railroads erred greatly in
fighting the inter State commerce bill.
They had much better have left to the
government the filings Of rates of trans
portntion thnn to oppose the commission
and make rates Of their own, which they
did not mean to keep. would rather
trust Bill Morrison to make coal rate
for me than TO let the general manager
of any railroad in the country do it, BY
rebating, favoritism and cross-cuttino
each other the railroads have TEMPT
ed this decision, and it is war without
I and ONLY CIV CT IF H..
America are able to stand up, the Penn.
sYlvMnia and Pierpont Morpan.N