The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-01-16
COAL and THE TARIFF
Congress Could Give Relief, but
It Will Not.
WHAT REPUBLICAN LEADERS FEAR

Recommendation Would Open the
Question of Protection to Trusts
and Force the towards to Meet the
Dreaded Issue.
The president, In his message to con-
gress, recommended that the duty on
anthracite coal be abolished. One or
more bills to amend the Dingley tariff
bill have been introduced In congress
to that end, but the committee to which
they have reen referred has taken no
action. 1t is stated, semiofficially, that
the Republicans in congress have deter
mined not to report any bill that will
"meddle with the tariff" rs even such
an innocent bill as one to remove the
duty on anthracite coal would If re-
ported be open to amendment and thus
start up the whole question Of reform
ing the protective tariff.
A vote upoli an amendment to sucn a
bill would put all the members of con-
gress on record. INT most of the Re!
publicans do not care to be recorded
as being opposed to taking off the duty
on trust protiuctS hat are being sold
to foreigners cheaper thar to the
American people. A great many Re
publican congressman would be be-
tween the devil and the deep sea If
they were compelled to record them
selves on this issue. Some Of them,
perhaps enough to carry an amend
ment, might vote with the Democrats.
To have a number OF Republicans vote
to place trust products on the free list
would be disastrous to that party, as
it would show a split on an important
issue and would perhaps lead to fur
Their demora ,j.ation.
Thus to save the Republican parry
from exposing it's lack Of unanimits
even the recommendation Of President
Roosevelt for the removal of the duty
Oh anthracite coal remains unnoticed
by the party leaders, and this slight re-
lief to the people is denied.
If the president hnd also included
bituminous coal in his recommendation,
his case would have been much stron-
ger, fc' free soft coal would give great
err relief to the coal consumers than
free hard coal. There have been some
importations Of what is called Scotch
and Welsh anthracite coal under the
stress Of the present coal famine, but
as 1t ranks but little better than the
good qualities of bitumincus coal 1t is
not very saii,ble at the price which is
demanded for it. nor would it be If the
duty of 81 cents per ton Was not added
to It's cost. On the other hand, free
bituminous coal would greatly relieve
the distress now prevailing at the sea-
board cities, for the Nova Scotia coal
would compete ut New York and Bos-
ton, and every ton imported would re-
duce the demand for anthracite by one
half or two-thirds. the relative value
of the Goals varying somewhat for
heating purposes. The importation of
Nova Scotia coal. free Of duty. would
therefore relieve the situation and help
to regulate the price and keep it within
the bounds of reason. 1t would allow
more coal to be shipped from the mines
to the western states by reducing the
quantity needed ut the seaboard. Il
would also relieve the railroads of that
much freight and allow them to hurry
forward the much needed coal, which
they now say they are unable to carry
in sufficient quantities to SS@8pply half
the demand.
Free coal, both anthracite and btu
minous. is therefore an immediate ne
cesstty to every one, and yet congress
delays to pass this most necessary leg
islation. For partisan reasons the Re-
publicans nave decided that the tariff
Issue must not be opened for discus
sion. This may be letting well enough
alone" from the standpoint of Senator
Hanna, who is a mine owner and who
is piling up riches by charging exor-
bitant prices for his coal, but it is cruel
and inhuman to the suffering poor and
Is robbery Of those in better circum-
stances.
The political necessities of the Re-
publican party are SO interviewer with
the trusts, It SO relies upon the trusts
for campaign funds, that the leaders
who dominate congress will not allow
any bill changing the present tariff law
to come up for consideration. The
Democrats would have the right to Of
fer amendments to such a bill when 1t
reached the stage; OF committee Of the
whole, and II a bill was reported to
place anthracite coal on the free list
the Democrats would propose to in
clude all coal. Amendments would
also be ofered6to put trust products on
b free list, and that is what the Re-
publican leaders fear. Thus the abb
ject misery that comes from lack Of
fuel Is intensified by the grasping par
tisans who control the congress Of the
United States. The trust; mother, the
tariff must not be touched even to q
hair Of her head to prevent the suffer
ing and loss Of life that are sure to fol-
low II free trade In coal Is not at once
provided for.
Nj TariR ON Coat.
What has become of the nreafdenFs