Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-02-02
THE COAL TRUST
W. r. HEARST EXPOSES ILLEGAL
METHODS OF THE TRUST.
The New Congressman Writes President Roose-
welt on the Subject of Pennsylvania
Criminal EvasiOns OF the Law. Says He
Furnished Proofs to Attorney General.
Why No Action?

An interesting letter was recently writ
ten by w. II. Hearst to President RI ose-
velt More than three months ago Mr..
Hearst addressed a letter to the president
notifying Mr.. Roosevelt that he, Mr..
Hearst, had asked Attorney General
Knox for permission to furnish him with
conclusive proofs of the existence of a
coal trust. Mr.. Hearst says that he sub
mitted the proofs to the United States
district attorney Of the southern district
of New York and that these proofs
demonstrated "under the hands and
seals of the corporations constituting the
trust that 3 combination of the coal-car-
rying railroads absolutely controls the
country's supply of anthracite and fixes
its price to the consumer"
Mr. Hearst reminds the president that
the law officer of his administration has
been and is renlss in his duty in not
preceding against trusts. He appeals
to the president to command his attorney
general to proceed against the coal trust
both civily and criminally or explain to
the people of the United States his
reasons for not doing so if reasons suita-
BILE for puolic avowal he has. The presi.
dent is further reminded that the peepe
have right to expect action agains, the
trusts in general and the coal trust in
particular.
Mr.. Hearst reminds the president that
the coal trust continues TO exist and con-
tnues to plumber because the laws are
E not enforced and he concludes that the
attorney general is responsible to the
president and that if the president shall
uphold him in his refusal to act against
the coal trust, the president will be re-
sponsibe to the American people.
Mr.. Roosevelt will find it difficult to
avoid this question much longer. 1t is
significant that when Mr.. Knox delivered
his famous speech at Pittsburg he did
not undertake to explain to the people
why he did not enforce the criminal clause
of the existing law and although demo-
cratic newspapers all over the country
Gale upon republican organs to explain
the administration failure to invoke the
criminal Indictment no republican editor
has undertaken to provide an expana-
ton.
Mr.. Hearst's letter is as follows:
To Theodore Roosevelt, President Of
more than three months ago, | had the
honor OF addressing letter to you, in
forming you that | had petitioned your
attorney general for permission to furnish
him with conclusive proofs OF the exist
ence OF a coal trust.
At the request of your attorney general,
submitted my proofs to General Bur
nett, United States district attorney for
the southern district OF New York.
Those proofs demonstrate, over tie
hands and seals OF the corporations con-
shutting the t'ust, that combination OF
coal-carrying railroads absolutely controls
the country's supply of anthracite and
fixes its price to the consumer.
In the judgment of lawyers whose pro-
fessional competency is quite as unds-
puted as that OF your attorney general,
those proofs if presented in court would
suffice to dissolve the coal trust and sub
ject it's members to the civil an criminal
penalties provided y law.
Continuously since the submission Of
those proofs the coal trust has robbed the
people, extorting famine prices for coal, a
prime necessity OF industrial and domestic
life. yet no action has been taken against
this trust by your attorney general for
the enforcement OF the laws and the
relief OF the public.
So remarkable has been the lethargy Of
your attorney general in the face OF a
condition of things which reaches the
gravity of widespread public calamity
that in both houses of congress resolu-
ton has been introduced calling upon
him TO disclose the evidence submitted
by me through my attorneys in October
last.
These proofs aside, sir, neither you nor
any other we'll informed citizen can doubt
the existence OF the coal trust, nor be
ignorant of the organized brigandage
which it has practiced and is practicing.
You have hut to consult the final re
port of the industrial commission to learn
that the eight lines OF railroad comprs
ing the trust own nine.tenths Of the an
thracite deposits and mine three-quarters
of the yearly product. From the same
report you can ascertain that in order to
crush out competition these railroads
have charged extortionate freight rates.
Compared with the charge pr ton Of
bituminous coal the rate for carrying an.
thracite is so high that, in the Language
industrial Commissioner Phillips. the
excess charge "is greater every year thar
the interest on our national debt" and
is "made possible by the railroad monop
oily, now euphoniously called community
OF interests
The fact that the coal trust exists il
notorious, and its character is universally
understood.
A former attorney gene, al Of the Unitet