Mexico weekly ledger., 1903-01-22
ROR Want on COAL.
Tw0-HUNDRED THOUSAND IN
CHICAGO ARE SUFFERING
FROM EXPOSURE.
CONDITION BECOMES VERY SERIOUS.
Farmers in Adams County, Neb., Are
Burning Corn and There is a
Shortage of Fuel in Omaha
Plenty Of Coal Being
Mined
CONDITION BECOMES VERY SERIOUS

blizzard and the coal "faminer brought
keen distress to thousands OF families
In Chicago to-day. Zero whether is
likely to continue for several days
| with consequences In death and suffer
ing that are little short OF appalling
The efforts OF the state and city
authorities and a special grand jury
have been Ineffective In relieving the
fuel shortage, Notwithstanding the
fact that miles and miles OF cars load
ed with coal and billed for Chicago are
| lying on the tracks OF several railroads
with an hours haul OF the city. Some
idea of the situation may be gained
from the following bulletin issued to-
day by the health department:
"Fully ten per cent, or nearly 200,-
900, residents of Chicago are to-day
suffering from ailments of grave
character, caused by privation and ex-
posure resulting from the coal fannie.
Already these ailments are reflected in
the enormous increase Of deaths
Iamong those at the extremes of life
the young and the aged, in both of
whom the powers Of vital resistance
are at the lowest. Since the first OF
the year there has been an increase OF
nearly twenty-nineteen and two
tenths per cent In the number OF
deaths among those under five years
OF age over the number in the cores
ponding period Of last year, r,when this
death rate was about normal. Among
those over sixty years OF age the in
crease is much greater-twenty-fonr
per cent last week over the week pre-
vious and thirty-six and seyen-tenths
per cent over the normal rate Of the
corresponding period Of 1902"
FAvoRs PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.
The Rev. r. A. White, Chicago's
! representative on the standing COM
mittee appointed at the Detroit sect
Coaln convention which voted yester-
day to reconvene the convention In
Washington at an early date to Inn
press on President Roosevelt the
necessity of taking immediate action
to relieve the situation, declared In
his sermon to-day for government
ownership of the mines and coal carry
| ing railroads. He said in part:
aUnder new guise we have the re-
turn of medi9vel feudalism. Seventy
million people are absolutely at the
mercy of the few holders of natural
i opportunities. Whatever the inn
J mediate reason for extortionate prices
| for coal, the final difficulty rests in the
fact Of the private ownership of public
necessity. Settle the present situa-
tion and leave the private ownership
and the evil will return almost any
unexpected time. Little use to dag
nose symptom without investigating
the disease. High priced coal is a
symptom of the disease which is pri-
vate ownership of practically all the
I coal mines in the country. The cure
, is public ownership or control of what
belongs to the people. Whatever the
! citizens previous opinion about state
Interference, now is proper time for
la revision. State control Of coal
mines is not socialism, and, If 1t were,
socialism is no longer specter which
, frightens thinking men. A man is
not Socialist because he advocates
state control or ownership Of public
necessities" ("
Il BURNING CORN IN NEBRASKA.
II OMAHA, Jan. 1l.--During the past
} fortnight coal has been so scarce in
/ the southwestern part of Adams
D county that the farmers have been
5 compelled to burn corn. At first they
/ started burning fence posts, loose
, timbers, ETC., but now they have moth
: ing left to burn but corn, and this
: they have been feeding to the flames
e regardless of the fact that it is worth
r thirty-iive cents a bushel. Omaha
also faces critical situation. At one
time yesterday the street railway
/, company had only an hours supply Of
coal on hand. The number of cars
running was considerably reduced ant
relief came In time. However, they
: are now only day or two ahead ol
the hounds. The electric light com
pany and other large coal consumer
are facing the same conditions. Las
$ night the thermometer fell to one de
9 gree below zero. II the cold wav'
I materializes 1t will cause much suffer
ing in this city.
d At Sidney, Neb., 1t is reported thu
people have been standing guard 70
E three days over several cars of Goa
d belonging to the Union Pacific railroad
r to prevent them from being takeE
+ out OF the city until supply is ii
:. efuht frnu1 soma othar unarfar