Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-12
Fair Coal Prices Must Be Charged.

When a mob of hundreds of prominent
citizens Of a town. led by bankers and cler-
gymen. holds up a coal train and proceeds
to distribute the contents to the freezing
people il is time for those In control of the
fuel supply to pause and consider their,
methods carefully. For such a spectacle,
Just presented by the citizens of Arcola,
ILL.,. Is significant of a rising Impotence on
the part of the people. The seizure OF the
coal at Arcola was, according to the dis
patches. literally an act Of necessity. Fuel
could not be had. people were suffering and
drastic measures were Imperative. Fortune
favored the cold town by causing break
down of the engine at that point. Every
thing was done in orderly style, the coal
was carefully weighed and accounts were
kept of the quantities taken by the people,
SO that payment can later be made.
During the past few days the belief seems
to have become general that the coal trust
and the railroads are not dealing fairly
with the people in this emergency. 1t Is
of course recognized by Intelligent men and
women that the winters product Of anthra-
cite is not sufficient to meet the winters de-
mand, and on every hand there is a dispo-
sition to be reasonable, to pay properly ad-
yanced charges, to economic, to buy In
small quantities and to use substitutes. In
short, the consumers throughout the coun
try Of all classes have displayed under
provocatlon a patient submission to the ne
cessities
But when once the suspicion that unfair
dealing Is the rule on the part Of both the
trust and the Independent operators gets
abroad this patience ceases to be virtue
and becomes an Offense against the public
interests. For every dollar paid for coal at
! ts,, ,ra6f hatt ha
coal actually cost that extra dollar to mine
and to transport without giving any inter-
est an excessive profit. is a robbery Of the
people. Every consumer who unprotest-
ingly pays such rates Is weakening the
cause of the thousands who cannot afford
to pay them.
AS long as the trust operators held to
their agreement to sell at fair rate by
marketing all of their coal at those prices,
there was little inclination on the part of
the people to object to the nefarious enter
price of the independents. who took advan-
tage of short market here and there to
sell their coal at doubled or trebled profits
But az soon as 1t was demonstrated that
the Independent coal. aggregating perhaps
ten per cent Of the total output, was doml-
mating the market, then the time came to
protest and to question and to demand cor
receive inquiry.
The coal trust it Is to be feared. is fol-
lowing the suicidal policy of the Standard
Oil Company. The latter afforded for years
an example of the beneficial effect of trust
combinations upon the price of necessities.
In this fuel emergency for time the coal
trust stood as the bulwark of the people
against extortion by the independents Sud
denly the Standard Oil took advantage of
the fuel shortage To add millions to its an
nual profits without the slightest warrant.
and now the coal trust appears to be at
least willing TO stand suspected of mulct-
ing the public through the independents,
while preserving an appearance Of fairness
or the two the Standard OILS maneuver is
the less contemplate. II 1t is indeed true
that the trust coal is being sold at
famine rates as the product of independent
mines. For the oil trust is at least bra
zenly frank in its position.