The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-08

| to temporize with great question:
which will be regarded with contempt by
the American people.
The anthracite coal strike began on
Nav IA. 1902 1t terminated on October
20. 1902 having lasted nearly six months.
The miners demanded at first that wages
should be increased 20 per cent. This
danand was subsequently modified into
a reouest that wages should be increased
/ 10 per cent and that a ton of coal should
consist of 2240 pounds, and that a man
should be appointed by the miners to
witness the weighing Of the coal In
! 1GCO. | believe, the miners had secured an
advance of 10 per cent in their wages,
| but this slight increase did not cover the
| increased cost of living. From 1896 until
! 1902 the cost of living had increased
nearly 30 per cent. Republican orators
| and the Republican press of the country
! during those years were constantly re-
Winding the people of the unprecedented
prosperity which the country was enjoy
ing, and especially the lahoring men.
He was the especial pet of that party.
The great Republican heart beat for him
as for no other human being in the uni
verse.
All. Mr. Chairman, they wanted his
vote. But when the toilcr, who spends
most of his life in the bowels of the
earth Shut of from pure air and sun
shine, demanded en- increase of 10 per
cent IN his wages, and ,..dt 2,240 pounds
should be received as ton of coal, and
that his representative should see that
he was not cheated III the weighing of
the coal, the trust said. NO, this de-
mand is unreasonable. Republican pros
perity has not yet reached this point.
You must continue to dig, and you must
/ continue to dig out a 5000 ton of coal
and my representative, not yours, shall
! sayy whether the product of your labor
is correctly weighed" Seven great rail
road corporations control nearly 20 per
cent of the total anthracite coal pro-
| duced
! Under Republican protection there has
been an enormous increase in the value
| of stocks in these corporations. Repub-
| lican statesmen have been constantly
! congratulating the country upon the
enormous increase in railroad earnings;
but when confronted with the PROPOSE
| tion TO increase the wages of the miners
| 10 per cent, these corporations fatty
refuse. AS a result, 900 miners quit
work. What then? Cold weather came
on and with it great suffering. Anxiety
was written on the faces of the poor in
the cities and towns all over the
country Even food products were burn
] ed in order that life might be sustained.
! Churches, school houses aud other pub
! lie buildings were thrown open in order
that the poor might not freeze to death.
Even in Washington it was difficult for
the Government to procure enough coal
to heat it's buildings. In Boston and
New York coal went to S. per ton, in
Philadelphia to 81 per ton, 10 $50 per
ton in numbers of places. Did anybody
suppose that publicity would relieve this
situation? Does the Republican party
propose to answer this cry of distress
with a stereotyped statement showing
the officers of these seven corporations,
the amount of their cash stock, how much
money they paid in and how much prop
erty conveyed, the name and address
of each officer, and a true and correct
copy of their articles of incorporation?
Do you gentlemen upon the Republican
side think you can satisfy the moral
sentiment of this country by any such
subterfuge?
In the midst of all this distress what
did you do? Did you then dare to say
that your publicity law, this iridescent
idea of your President, was sufficient?
Not at all But in the mist Of it all you
adopted a Democratic idea. applause on
the Democratic side.) You invoked a
great Democratic principle when you
were forced to repeal the duty of 81
cents per ton upon anthracite coal for
enc year. You got that suggestion from
the Democratic platform of 1900, Which
| will read: Tariff laws should be
amended by putting the it-oducts of
trusts upon the free list to preent
monopoly under the plea of protection.
Your President had said that there was
no duty upon anthracite coal. He found
he was mistaken, and with great pro-
fessions of patriotism, favored with tears
of pity for the distressed, you came in
here and admitted that in the extreme
cxigency of the hour the best you could
dc was to put coal temporarily upon
/ the free list Before | conclude | shall
return to this subject with some furth-
er observations
Now what is the second remedy which
cur Republican friends offer? It is this
That any person, carrier lessee, draw
er, officer rcceievr, agent, or rcpresen-
tatve of a carrier, subject TO the act
to regulate commerce, who or which snail
offer, grant, give, solicit accept, or re-
Ceive any rebate concession, facilities
er, officer, receiver, agent or represen-
tion of any property in interstate
foreign commerce for any common car
rier subject to such act whereby any
such property shall, by any device what
ever, be transported at a less rate than
that named in the tariffs published and
filed by such carrier, or shall receive any
advantage by way of facilities or ser
vices, shall be deemed guilty of mis-
demeanor, and shall, upon conviction
thereof be subject to a fine of not less
than 81 900.
Mr.. Chairman, this section is terrible
in it's impotence. Our Republican
friends propose to answer the demand
OF the people of this country for relief
by saving to the common carriers, You
shall not transport articles of commerce
from one State to another at less rate
than YOU publish. This is indeed a po-
tent requirement. 1t is creditable to the
conscience of the Republican party. This
bill does not offer any plan by which
these agencies of interstate commerce
are prevented from putting up their rates
nc b;ob &C thew see fit but they become