The Washington times., 1902-06-23

Chronicle, commenting on the report
OF President oliphant. of the Delaware
and Hudson, says that the average OF
anthracite selling prices for 1901 must
have been 30 TO 10 cents higher than
tor 1900. and the profits frnm the coal
mining operations of the Delaware and
Hudson in 1901 were s1.i07.3 307.'
President Baer. the recognized
spokesman of :he coal trust, made the
statement that he was ready to sub
Tor our examination in order to prove
that wages could rot be increased. This
proposition. on the surface. appears
reasonable. but when dissected and an
a;yzed 1t is positively absurd.
High Railway Rates.
'Eightyflve or ninety per cent OF all
ccal produced In the anthracite regions
:s from mines owned and operated by
various coal carrying railroads. The
freight charges for hauling a ton of
anthracite coal one mile are three
times as great as those OF other roads
for hauling ton of bituminous coal
one mile. and as a consequence the coal
departments. while actually earning
enormous profits on a legitimate busi-
ness, may and do appear to be losing
money. from the reason that the rail-
way departments absorb the profits OF
the coal departments by charging the
coal departments exorbtant freight
rates. They thus rob Peter to pay Paul
THE miners have asked that the coal
they produce shall be honestly weighed
and correctly recorded. This recital of
facts Cisposes OF the operators claim
that they cannot afford TO pay living
wages for faithful service and unceasing
toll. amid surroundings constantly
fraught with the gravest danger.
Yearly Fatalities.
THE reports OF the mine inspectors
bureau of the State of Pennsylvania
show that during the past decade the
average yearly fatalities in the anthra-
cite coal mines were 49, and that for
1901 there were 4S4 fatal and 1,256
non-fatal accidents; this means that for
every 10000 tons CT coal brought to the
surface, one person is killed and more
than two seriously injured; it means
that for each day the mines are in op-
Grafton more than two persons lives
are sacrificed and more than five per
sons are injured.
IF one were to credit the stories
that appear in the columns of the daily
press it would seem that the men who
constantly risk their lives working in
he bowels OF the earth were a lawless
class, who have no conception of the
duties of American citizenship. That
they have been grossly maligned is
proved by the records of the police
courts and the testimony of the chiefs
of the police departments OF the four
largest mining communities. namely.
Scranton. Wilkesbarre. Hazleton and
Shamokin.
Strikers Lawabiding.
The reports of these cities and the
statements of the burgesses and chiefs
of police prove that there have been
less infractions of the law and fewer
arrests during the time the strike has
been in progress than for like period
preceding 1t; in fact a person passing
through the coal folds and mining towns
Of northern Pennsylvania would not
know that great Industrial contest was
IN progress but for the presence of a
perfect army Of coal and iron police
Who proudly display their rcvslvers and
rifles, and faunt their authority in an
effort to oyerawe peaceful strikers or
provoke them to acts of violence.
1T is now apparent that the real pur
pose Of the coal operators is to destroy