The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-28


 ing seriously damaged. Rival fuel prod ucts are making daily inroads upon the anthracite market and markets thus lost are never fully recovered. The strike has already given tremendous wrench to the traditional preference for anthracite | coal and will accomplish much toward in creasing the use of bituminous coal. Texas fuel oil, wood and soft coal are already bidding for successorship to an-
 thracite in the markets and are gaining | converts and patronage every day. The trusts can not afford to allow this strike to educate the people in the use of the rivals of anthracite.
 There are many indications that the an- | thracite operators will have more com petition than in years before, when the strike is finally ended. Newspapers from Maine, New York and similar regions contain advertisements for wood chop pers, with promise of steady work for the winter. This is accepted as evidence that | wood is to be brought into competition | with the high priced anthracite in those regions. Soft coal operators throughout the country report that there is an in- creased demand for their product and the great coal fields of Illinois, Iowa, Mis- souri, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming promise to be more active during the coming fall and winter than ever before | in their history. Hardware and stove men l report that there is an unprecedented de- | mand for soft coal grates and that many | anthracite grates are being changed for grates that burn soft coal or soft coal | and coke mixed. People who make these ! changes will not speedily return to the | nf mt hro n prices. Officials of the geological survey report that there is increased activity in | the output of soft coal and that reports | from the field show that wherever smoke ! ordinances are not too strictly enforced { many former consumers of anthracite are | now turning to the use of bituminous | coal.
 Texas oil is another great fuel commod- ity which is knocking at the door of the | consumer and asking a trial on its mer- \ it's. Tests that have been made by rail- road companies, by the navy and by large | manufacturing concerns have all been most satisfactory and have encouraged l the change of burners from coal to oil ! and promise to rapidly open a wide field | for the use of this oil in manufacturing establishments and in all places in which | a cheap convenient and effective fuel for | steam producing purposes is desired. Ev- ! cry burner ana STdle CIldIlStu lOl lllS ii- l troduction of fuel oil Is customer hope lessly Host to the coal operators. It is a | safe assertion that the anthracite opera | tors, no matter how they felt at the in- | auguration of the strike, are now very anxious to have it ended.
 The effort to have the coal strike drawn | into politics has failed and all classes are probably glad of it. To have labor | strikes settled through political influ- | ences would be disastrous to all concern | ed and there is much qualification among | the politicians of both parties that the issue is to be settled without reference | to the political complexion of the present House or the next one. Neither party has been officially drawn into the controversy and both will keep out of it if possible | The political effect of the strike will not be noticed. The economic effect promises | to be far-reaching and the anthracite op- l orators promise to be the greatest suf- | ferers. They are losing trade that can | never be regained and an effort, which | they will probably make to recoup their losses by increased prices in anthraci will only result in hastening the success of their rivals, wood, soft coal and fuel | oil.
 This is the first time in the history of political campaign when campaign I committee in publishing its campaign text book found it necessary to apologize for the language of the President of the Uni ted States in his message to Congress, '' said Charles A. Edwards, Secretary of the Democratic Congressional Committee This has been done by the Republi- cans in their campaign book concerning \ the language used by President Roosevelt l in his message to Congress last Decem- Der where he touches upon the trust ques- tion. In explaining the Presidents atti- tude upon the trust question the cam paign book explains that the President did not mean what he said.
 '"The campaign book says: President Roosevelts discussion of the trust ques-
 tion in his first message to the Fifty eyenth Congress. was conservative but fearless. He did not arraign the trusts as wholly bad, but conceded that they were part of the industrial development of this country as they were of the in- dustrial development throughout the civ iiZed world
 Tn his message in speaking of the trust question the President says: It is alse true that there are real and grave evils, one of the chief being over-ca pitaliza- ton because of it's many baleful conse- quences, and q resolute and practical ef- fort must be made to correct these evils He also says. There is a widespread conviction in the minds of the American people that the great corporations known as trusts are in certain of their features and tendencies hurtful to the general wei fare
 He says further that Corporations en- gagged in the Interstate Commerce should be regulated if they are found to exer- else and license working to the public in- jury, and that it should be as much the aim of those who seek for social better ment to rid the business world of crimes of cunning as to rid the entire body pol tie of crimes of violence
 He again says that. Tn the interest of the whole people, the nation should, with out interfering with the power of the states in the matter itself, also assume the power of supervision or regulation over all corporations doing an interstate husiness,' and last but not least the Pres dent says In his message:
 " The first essential in determining how % deal with the great industrial combi-
 rations is knowledge of the facts-pub- icity'
 The foregoing paragraph from the Repub- Tan Campaign Book it will >he seen apolo- ;izes for the strenuous words of the President oucernng trusts It also is silent concerning he last quotation from the President which