The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-06-28
Scranton Bottled Up.

our esteemed contemporary, the
Truth. believes that the commercial
outlook on the American continent is
bright, and that if our commercial
expansion in the world brings with it
great espOnsbiities, il will bring also
with it great honor and great profit.
Truth goes on to advise Scrantonians
content with developing the future of
this city and leave to others the work
Of digging holes in New Mexico" and
securing options on the auriferous ice
fields Of Alaska" This is very elo-
quently and elegantly put. 1t requires.
however, some qualification. Men of
money, brains and energy seek an out
let for their expenditure along the line
of least resistance. They will take
their brains, their energy and their
capital to those places, whether in
New Mexico or the "auriferous ice
fields of Alaska" where the returns
for their investments ara quickest and
most profitable. The very notion of
energy and activity implies a field of
operation in which to exercise them. or
they will become atrophied as they al
most seem to have become in Scran-
ton.
The sad fact is that Scranton will
scarcely participate at all in the COM
ing big revival of business throughout
the country so long as its great an
thracite coal fields are bottled up by
the railway companies. The prosper
lty of Scranton and its neighborhood
depends upon their working and de-
Nc!opmcnt. The men who have made
Scranton what it is, and whom Scran-
ton has made what they are, reached
prosperity through the anthracite
mines Of this region OF course other
industries contributed i'm their degree
to the same end, but they were inter-
dependent at the beginning, as they
are yet and are long likely to be.
The coal operators of this region re-
quire and ask only a fair field and no
favor They do not seek preference
rates for the haulage of their minerals
10 tldewatcr. They seek only an equal
ization Of rates on the bituminous and
anthracite Goals. This equalization of
traffic conditions they have not OH
tained nor are they likely to obtain it
under prevailing circumstances. An
thracite coal is the fuel Of the house
hold and the city. 1t is clean. il is
economical it gives out the greatest
heat in the smallest expenditure of
mineral matter. II Is relatively more
expensive weight for weight, than BIZ
luminous coal, and this brings it into
disfavor with small retail dealers and
hucksters in large cities, whose GUS
toners prefer bulk as measured bv
cheapness 10 the superiority of consti-
tuent elements which makes anthra-
cite the cieaneSt and most economical
fuel in the world, The people, how
ever, require only to be educated BY a
very short experience in the use Of the
two Goals TO find this difference out for
themselves, Anthracite coal will not
drive the bituminous article out of the
market but If it is given a fair chance
It will replace the softer article in one
direction by giving it larger scope as
a steam generator, which is it's proper
function.
The first thing the men of money.
brains and energy in Scranton must
do TO secure this fair chance is to
build the line of railway to New York
which will give access 10 tide water
at fair rates FOR haulage. The chief
reliance Of this city as a commercial
center is upon the mines. Our labor
ing population depends upon them al
most wholly for subsistence. Every