The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-01-16
The Voice of
The People
THE MATTER OF FREE COAL.


Editor Providence News:
Put coal on the free list That is the
cry OF the people OF Rhode Island, Free
traders always said 1t. but even pro-
tectionists agree that free coal would be
"A benefit now.
IL not. why not In the past. and why
not I'm the future. There is no scarcity
OF coal. IL costs no more TO produce
than II ever did the facilities for distrib'
utlng are just as great as ever Then
why Is II "A good thing 10 put n Cn the
free ,,.s list now and only for the present! :.
much greater than the supply and coal
prices have not only gone out OF sight
but IL Is almost impossible TO get any \
any price. and as result the industrl.i
or the country arc suffering, and In add
tion the people are enduring such per-
sonal discomfort that i'm some cases IT has
produced sickness and even death itself.
The misery and destitution resulting
from the scarcity OF coal and the high
price Of si2 to 81. per ton is only create, e,
individuals. The former price OF So per
ton did the same thing; the difference Is
only In degree, Six dollars ton wa, was
just as prohibitlve TO some people % Slf.
What is coal any way?
A product of nature. Dirt. Its nrst cost
Is nothing, either in the United states or
I'm Europe or any other country, and Yet
for lack OF il people ia the United states
OF America are freezing to death, and cur
industries are held in check There must @
be some great cause for this, and tne
question is, what is the remedy
A remedy TO be OF any permanent Roo1
must go TO the bottom Of the thing; ana 40
10 get at the coal trouble must get az
the source Of supply. Ihe source or sup
ply IL he coal lands.
Coal is product of nature. and is in;
tended equally for the use OF all, ana
should be equally owned by all II Is
not equally owned: IL is owned by rev.
Coal, a product of nature owned by
= q
Most people believe U remember one
who did not believe IL, or so he arAled)
that Il would be wrong for one man TO
own the entire earth. but II that is true
and most people do believe II, then IL Is
wrong -feF-aHy- man,-or-an number OF
men to own any part Of the earth, ana
that is the great wrong in the coal ques-
tlon. Some few men own that portion or
the earth which contains our supply or
anthracite coal, and the remedy for our
present coal famine. and the only per-
manent remedy is one which will take II
from the hands OF the few and give it to
all Ohe all including those few to be
mined on equal terms.
The only remedy that has ever been OF
fered is the Single Tax. Government
ownership, free trade, or any other rem
edy that has ever been proposed, Will be
"A failure. for none hits at the root OF the
trouble, and none is so simple. The SIM
gle tax proposition is this: The use of the
coal lands being the right OF ALL what
ever the value OF that right Is. Is also
public property. Let the value go 10 the
people This value can be taken. or
rather collected by our present method
OF taxation. At present each state and all
municipalities, collect their own taxes
1t Is up To the great coal producing
state of Pennsylvania Let that state tax
it's coal lands on the full value of its
coal mines. Ii is reported on good au-
thority that they are now taxed at - per
acre. and are valued at $1,000. To increase
their tax one thousand times would
bring the price and the supply OF coal
within reach OF all hut the poorest. As,
however. the government OF Pennsylv'-
MIA is practically owned. body and soul,
by the coal barons. and that remedy.
which strikes at the very vitals Of the
barons. is apt, naturally, to he slow In
coming, let congress put 1t Immediately
on the free list. Free trade means compe-
tition and competition. even under such
disadvantages as must exist between
home production and foreign will bring
some relief but II will be very little