The evening times., 1900-09-19

1t is evolution in business, (Trusts.l
| There is no such hing
% I say there are ~ trusts. If there
| are. proVe it
We know our business.
a. We, not wee-wee, but we, giant
| we that was not made ne downed
| as long as the RepUl lican party is in
power, State or nationll Senator Hanna
has said
i " The trusts have the best men in the
1 country at their head.
1 believe in their organization.
The formation of trus is is a step for
ward.
THE combination of corporations is
| simply the evolution of busliness.
| - I am not defending the trusts, nor am
I repudating q single word or phrase in
| the Republican platform
/. Who did repudiate your (Ohiol plat
| form against trusts upon which Mr.. Nash
| was elected governor last fall? Your Re-
/ publican Legislature. at the dictation of
! the Bosses at Washington and trust mag
mates at New York, by killing the Rus
| sell Bill No. 10
| The strike of the anthi ecite coal min
ers has increased the dema nd for Truths
About Trusts written by Francis A. Ad-
! ANS and which is being circulated as
Democratic campaign literature In this
pamphlet it is said of the Gal Trust:
In point of power there is not anoth-
| er combine in the world to compare with
! the Coal Trust. It is formed~for the pur
pose of grinding the consumer. underpay-
! ing the coal operatives. and protecting the
| coal mine owners in the nefarious work
| they carry on in the purchase of LegisIat
ures and Congresses, From the enormous
| revenues that the Trust collects annually
1t lays aside a sufficient sum to defray
the expenses of the committee OF bribery
and fraud. This committee has for its
| special function the regulation of the re-
| tail price OF coal. The uItimatum of the
| committee sets the price for coal for the
| whole country. Its word is law
The price is raised arbitrarily 50 OF
10 cents d ton The retail dealers are
! powerless to contend with the coal min
ers, and so have TO advance the retail
! price. Coal being d necessity. the ueo-
| pie must pay the price.
What is the reason for the advance?
/ Is 1t because the domestic mines have to
compete with foreign mines? No: there
is a tariff which keeps out foreign coal.
! Is it in order that the coal mine opera
tives. the men in the shafts. may be given
! lew cents more wages a day that the
! price to the consumer is raised? No: the
/ coal digSers' wages are reduced from
time to time
How the Coal Trust Works.
Then why is the retail price advanced
Because the coal barons have it in their
power to control the entire output of the
mines. and as coal is a necessity, they
are able to wiring from the people an cx-
tortionate price. On the annual output
of coal, which is on the average 40 600 900
tons. the coal barons for the past fifteen
years have arbitrarily put a bounty of
from 25 cents to 81 a ton The consum-
ers have had to pay this bounty. On 49,,
Geo. geo tens, an ad Vance of 80 cents per
ton amounts to $20,0t0 900. This sum goes
into the pockets Of tie coal barons.
1t costs less than 4 dollar to get a
ton Of coal to the surface of mine. This
includes the wage of the miner and the
wear and tear on the machinery Allow
ing for an ordinate profit for the coal. it
could be transported from mines within
three hundred miles of the coast and sold
at retail at $3.50 ton. But at this price
the coal barons would have no spoiis to
divide. So the price is put at SO to Sc a
ton, according to cor6,t:ons. When there
! is the least prosperity in the land the
! price Of coal is put up TO the limit.
In order to make the coal combine all
, powerful, the managers effect private traf-
fic rates with the railroads. These private
understandings, the purpose of which is to
defeat free competition, are Illegal. They
| could be prevented if the Attorney General
of the United States would exercise the
power that the Interstate Commerce law
vests in him as a public prosecutor.
The great coal industry of the country,
| instead of being the means of supporting
half a million men on good wages and of
affOTding thousands of men OF moderate
wealth an opportunity to enter mining
projects, is now controlled by a ring OF
less than one hundred men They de-
crease the wage of the miner until the
, / starvation point is reached: they extort a
tribute from the consumers of the land
The coal mine owners have given the coun-
, try the most vivid object lessons in what
corporate wealth will do when in posses
: sion of absolute power.
The murders at LattimeT are not for
? gotten. The record that Senator Mark
Hanna made by his fendish treatment OF
the coal miners in the Spring Valley mines
l is neither forgotten nor condoned What
interest can the people of the United States
have in protecting coal barons? Let it be
, understood by the man who goes to Wash-
ington 10 represent you that he must work
for the abolishment of the tariff on coal
; and also for the enforcement of the Inter
state Commerce laws.
If this be done, then the Coal Trust will
be unable to extort Sc per cent tribute from
the consumer. Tie wages of the coal mi
ners cannot be put any lower than they
, are. for they long ago reached the starva-
ton limit. With unrestricted trade op-
poFtuhltieS the coal Industry would con-
t1nue to grow. and the profits would go to
thousands. where now the profits and blood
money all go to the coal barons
The condition of the coal miners is one
that calls for immediate reform AS a class
they are undeTpaid. and they live in 2
manner that is degrading and alien to OH
ideas of civilization
Three reforms in the coal industry must
be effected, and that without delay. The
coal miners must be paid a decent wage:
they must not be forced to work twelve
and fourteen hours day The retail price
OF coal must be reduced. The profits from
the coal industry must no longer go to I'LL
the purses of a few men who rule the peo,
pie with power surprising any tyranrs
All of these things may be brought abou,
by one election. Vote for men who will &c
to Congress with a specific purpose in view
Let that purpose be tbe good of the people
} "a strict enforcement of the law would
break up the coal combine. Can homes,
enforcement of the law be expected from
an Administration that is dominated by
Mark Hanna, the President Maker and the
: King of the Trusts?
Can anything be expected from At
! torney General Griggs, who openly ad-
mits that the trusts are too powerful
for him to cope with? He is a tool OF
. the trusts. and is unwilling to enforce