Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-30
A HARD COAL TRUST.

Altho President Roosevelt has au-
thorized denial of the statement that.
he had requested Attorney General
Knox to submit an opinion as to wheth-
er the combination controlling the an
thracite coal output is not trust with
in the meaning of the Sherman law
and supreme court decisions thereon.
yet such an inquiry would be interest
ing and profitable at this time.
II the attorney general were to probe
into this subject carefully the Times
Republican is inclined to believe that
he would find a large-sized negro in the
woodpile or coal pile in the shape of a
trust, if not within the meaning CT the
Sherman law, then according to the
popular and legitimate conception of
what constitutes trust, for having a
| monopoly of the hard coal output and
trade, as we'll as of it's transportation, it
has the power and has exercised the
privilege of fixing prices to suit its. own
| ideas of profit. Whether these prices
are exorbitant would be the debatable
ground of the contention. Having the
entire business in it's own hands, it is
safe to assert that 1T makes good
profit on the coal alone. In seeking for
the profit, however, it will be necessary
| to INQUIRE into certain railroad earn
| ings, which constitute a part of them.
| In his recent statement of the differ
ences between the coal miners ami OPP
! orators. President Mitchell, after claim
ing that big profit was made on the
coal alone, said:
Eighty five or 90 per cent of all coal
produced in the anthracite regions is
| from mines owned and operated by the
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 a ton of bituminous coal one
mile: and, as a consequence, the coal
departments, while actually earning
enormous profits on a legitimate bust
ness, may and do appear to be losing
money, for the reason that the railway
departments absorb thes profits of the
coal departments by charging the coal
departments exorbitant freight rates.
| They thus rob Peter to pay Paul. 1t
| can not be said in eXtenuation that
| there is any peculiar necessity for this
| triple charge on hard coal, for all other
kinds of freight--vew much more trou-
blesome to handle ard more perishable
are carried at a far lower rate"
The Delaware, Lackawanna & West
ern is one of the Leading roads re-
ferred to as a coal carrying company.
| It's stock is quoted at present as high
as 27S, or higher than any other railway
/ stock, indicating that it very valuable
because of enormous earnings. This
| would seem to bear out President Nit
| chells statement. IT. looks like & di-
version of profits to conceal big prices.
! This may pc the uaEheS coiiSeaied III
the coal pile" The mine and railway
operators have decided not to reply to
Mitchell, and therefore this statement
is not refuted in detail Is this weak
point?
Sympathy for striking miners should
not constitute ground for an inquiry
into this alleged trust. Good ground is
afforded outside the merits of either
side in this unfortunate controversy.
The people would approve an inquiry,
and if it should prove that this COM
bination is violative of the Sherman
ant trust law they would also say les
the axe of justice fall.