Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-03
PRISON COAL MEASURE UP
INFAMOUS PERFIDY OF CALAMITY
TIES FREELY AIRED.
Attention Called to Their Broken
Promises to Miners and Their
Greed for the Profits From
Prison oaI-Measure
Goes Over.

end complete disregard of party pledges
by the Populist state officials was told in
the house this afternoon when Cassins
bill TO prohibit the sale of penitentiary
mined coal in the open market came up
for consideration in committee OF the
whole. Cassin made z great plea for the
Kansas miners. He pictured them in n
deplorable condition and tried TO make it
appear that it was all brought about by
placing prison-mined coal on the open
market.
This gave Fitzgerald, of Ford. a good
opportunity to peel the Pops. He started
out by saying that he had voted for a
bill of this kind two years ago. and pro-
posed to do so again. He then proceeded
to show up the record of the Pops on this
question
You rode into office in 1886 on the Abb
Iene platform. which contained a plank
against the sale of convict COAL" said he.
The miners helped you in. What did
you do? You came up here and, like the
assassin, stabbed your friends. the miners.
in the back. The Republicans voted for
a bill to take prison coal out of the open
market. You voted down that bill, and.
in violation of your party pledge. passed
a bill that threw down the bars and
placed prison coal in open competition with
free mined coal. Your Pop warden of the
penitentiary lobbied for the bill night and
day. Then your browning act of infamy
was to put road agents out, establishing
local agencies all over the state for the
sale of prison coal. This is not all. In
order TO further punish the free miners.
you cut the price of coal and compelled
The free mine owners to come down in
price. In order to do that. they had to
shave the miners wages"
we never had any road agents out"
cried some Pop member.
You did," retorted Fitzgerald. You had
two out whom 1 know personally. They
were Bill Rogers of Washington, and A. A.
Newman, one of the penitentiary directors.
Go to the auditors office and you will see
vouchers on which they were paid for
working as road agents. Now you come
here and profess. at the last moment, that
you are for the miners. This Is not a
deathbed repentance with you. You are
simply throwing dust in the eyes of the
miners and attempting to delude and de-
ceive them again. You have been recreant
10 your trust and deserved the defeat adj
miinstered to you in
Brown, of Cowley, silver Republican, who
worked with the Pops two years ago, but
who became disguised with the Doodle out
fit and returned to the Republican parry,
poured hot shot into the Pops along the
same line. He made it even stronger by
showing that, when the great miners strike
was on in Illinois in 81, and it was a
struggle for life with those miners. the Pop
officials at the penitentiary helped out the
corporations by supplying them with prison
coal and eventually the corporations won.
Had the prison mine been shut down at
that time, Brown declared, the shortage in
the supply of coal would have forced the
concerns to Weld. But the Pops came to the
rescue of the coal trust and thus the miners
were defeated
II challenge that statement" said Mine
Inspector McGrath.
II refer you to the report Of the prison
warden now on file in the auditors office"
responded Brown.
Representative Jameson. Populist, said
the Pops. might as well admit the truth
of the charges made by the Republicans.
I'VE all know they are true" said he. and
there is no use trying to deny them The
Pops were not equal to the emergency two
years ago. We violated our pledges right
and left. But because we did then Is no
reason why we should continue to do so.
We should pass this law. even at the eleV-
enth hour"
Larimer and Brooke. of Shawnee, both
made red hot speeches scoring the Pops.
Barker. of Douglas. said that the present
law. in his opinion, was all right. The
directors of the prison should be given alb
solute control of the output of the prison
mine. There are consumers whose wishes
are to be consulted as Wen as the WISHES
of the miners.
IF a law is passed prohibiting the sale
OF prison coal in the open market, then
the mine owners can combine and raise the
price Of coal and have the consumers en-
tirely at their mercy said he. But leave
the directors free to use their discretion
in the matter, and they can do the miners
good. and can save the consumers money.
Because the present Populist board abused
their trusts and established coal agencies
all over the state. IS no sign that other
boards will do 1t. For such conduct as
they practiced, the people voted them out
of power in November"
Ravenscraft, Populist, moved to amend
the bill by prohibiting the sale of any
other kim OF prison products. This
brought up a spirited debate. The Pops
did not care for free laborers in other
lines of trade: they were simply the friends
of the miners.
Armstrong, OF Wyandotte. said his con-
%stituents We're laboring people, and they
were opposed to labor laws discriminating
in favor OF miners. He wanted the output
OF the shops and farm of the prison all
included in the bill.
The Pops became so uncomfortable under
the heavy fire that Trueblood. in order to
stop IL, moved that the m rise. re-
port progress. and ask leave TO sit again
THE motion carried.
ture without leave.
P0PULISTS BACKED DOWN.