The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-09
THE INDIAN TERRITORY COAL GRAB.


correspondent of the Eagle in central Kansas writes
that dispatch from McAlester, T, states that the
Dawes Commission is considering the proposition to
lump sale of the Observation-Disclosures coal lands
without competition, to coal combine of which H. G..
Frck Of Homestead Pa notorety is the moving spirit
Our correspondent then goes to that if this fore
cast becomes fact the people of southeastern Kansas
will be facing the same condition that perained in the
Pennsylvania anthracite region last winter This Dropo-
sition is up for immediate consideration Are the
people Of this locality going to permit Mr.. Frick who
now the railroads doing business at McAester
to consolidate this property with his roads and snap
his fingers in the consumers of state gov
errors and of congress- did the president of the Read
ing railway last winter? We hope not Kansas has
representative upon the Dawes Commisson-exGovernor
stanley-and would like to have light upon this propo-
stion.
This article further states that the Dawes Commits
son has yet three years in which they hold these coal
lands from sale We hope they may held these three
We believe when the people get the full report of
the coal commission lately doing with
the Reading railroad Mr. Fric they will devise some
conduct the coal business upon basis in which
the public viii be consulted Natural coal deposits in
measure like air and water public property is
every other universal necessity Like the railroads. the
coal company will stand watching and regulating The
first step after the organization of railway the road
management starts some coal and fuel grab Coal is the
universal freight The people have to have coal and
yet the weight bulk this great necessity enables
the common carrier to absolutely control all markets In
the railroad commissioners and continuous egs
everything their way freight charges but what
the people going the railroad also owns the
coal in the mine? Every reader knows what the people
in the had do The paid $40 to $40
ton These people did business with Reading railway
winter in this locality the best of the
McAlester and Arkansas Goals by the car cost
to exceed $3.50 per ton To be there is difference
in the COAL but the difference that the prices would
indicate
Again, what have the people of the Indian Terri
tory for Mr. Frc and his class of coal operatives? This
McAester district like the gas region in Kansas ought
to be built with manufacturing plants and full of
busy, prosperous American citizens If owned and man.
aged by Mr. Fck this cAester district would be built
with screen houses surrounded with miles Of shacks
and novels and peoped with Dagoes and Poles the scum
of the Old World-a people who pay no taxes develop
nothing but bad government and best only return
whence they came taking with them what money they
may have saved.
The history Of the territory Oklahoma has been
one continuous struggle with grafters upon the public
For fifteen years past the Standard company has had
coal oil lease upon the entire Usage Nation and has
prevented all oil development in promising district as
large four average counties in Kansas The original
settlement Of Oklahoma itself now magnificent state
was deferred fer twenty years the dctaton of
than dozen cattlemea