The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1902-10-10

| order usually occur when men at
tempt to work in and about the coal
mines, he will see that all men who
desire to work and their families have
ample militia protection. He will
protect all trains and other property
from unlawful interference; he will
arrest all persons in acts of violence
and intimidations and hold them
under guard until their release will
not endanger public peace; will see
that intimidation, assault and ali
acts of violence end at once"
1t is declared that Governor Stone's
action means that he has decided t"
accept the challenge laid down by IT,"
coal operators in their conference
with President Roosevelt. They said
that if sufficient military protectio"
was given them to suppress lawless-
ness enough men will voluntarily re
turn to the mines to avert all danger
of continued famine 1t is asserted
that the Governor is skeptical of an
absolute fulfllment of the pledge
made by the operators to the Presi-
dent. He is not sanguine that a ma
jority or even a large proportion of
the striking miners need only the en-
couraging presence of a large
military force to persuade them to 60
to work again. He felt however,
that the shape in which the contro-
versy had now assumed left him no
alternative but to take the coalroad
presidents at their word and give
them the opportunity they seek to
demonstrate the soundness Or un-
soundness of their prediction.
The coal situation has assumed
serious shape, especially in the large
cities. Soft coal is now bringing So
per ton in New York City and an
thracite has no price whatever as it
is simply matter of how badly it IS
wanted. One lot of FIVE tons recent
ly sold for $125. Speaking of the Sit
uation the New York World says:
"To make the hardship and suffer
ing more acute because of the famine
in hard coal, the presidents of the
great coal-carrying railroads have
banded together and now refuse to
haul soft coal to New York in suffi-
cient quantities to give partial relief.
With thousands and thousands of
empty coal cars lying idle in yards
and banked upon sidings, the presi-
dents of these roads refuse to permit
the soft coal miners and operators to
ship their product. The railroad
presidents insist that their freight
business is now so great that they
cannot afford to haul coal and that
they must wait until a more pro-
pitious time.
$50 completely have they tied up
the coal cars that the soft coal OPERA
tors here have made a Joint appealto
President Cassatt, of the Pennsvl-
vania, to treat them fairly and handle
the usual quantity of soft coal which
they ship to tidewater. New York
has never been a soft coal market
until this fall All soft coal coming
to the Atlantic seaboard has been for
export purposes until the famine in
hard coal made it necessary to use
bituminous coal.
"Bituminous coal operators hold
the railroad officials responsible for
this condition. They say they can
mine sufficient coal to supply the en-
tire market if the railroads will only
deliver it. While the coal famine is
on the Board of Health will not en-
force the laws against the use of soft
coal.
1.-THE price of oil has also advanced.
The American and Journal says:
"The Oil Trust, owing to the in
creased demand on account of the
coal famine, has increased prices one
half cent a gallon. The trust sells
45,5OO,OOO barrels of refined oil a
year. This is ,41O,5OO,OOO gallons.
The increasein price adds 81 ,052, 500 |
to the trusts annual profits. Most
Of this will be paid by the poor, al
ready victims of the Meat and Coal
Trusts. Another increase in oil is
promised.
"Therc is nothing more pathetic in
the life of the tenements of this city
than the appearance of their inhabi-
tants in these times of present hard
ship and threatening famine. There
is the grim realization everywhere
that coal as an article to be purchased
no longer exists for them, and so
with a stoicism almost marvellous,
the children and the fathers al d
mothers, yes, and even the grand
mothers, gather in every material