The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-02-24

to be indicated, but it is a question
whether the American people are to
own and control this. the very las
great coal field of America or wheyn-
er 1t. like all others, is to be turned
over to the absolute ownership and
control of private corporation, Did
1t ever occur to you, members of this
congress, what the United States
would do at some future day if we
had spent our hundreds and hun
dreds Of millions in building up a
great navy, should war be declared
and great quantities of coal be re-
Quired, where would the government,
go to get it without paying the price
just such as a great corporation
might be pleased to dictate. No
country can surpass ourselves in the
high and noble character of its citi-
zensship and yet it has been the ex-
perience of all the past that when a
private corporation found itself the
sole dictator of a great necessary
commodity, they did not fail to let
even the government pay heavy
tribute. l do not know what you
may think, but it seems unbeliev-
able to me that now that the govern
ment owns these wonderfully fine
coal beds that she will without COM
pensation simply give them away to
a scheming corporation. 1t is not q
question of politics, it is a question
of citizenship; 1t is not problem of
loyalty to party, it is a problem of
loyalty to the American republic.
The increase in the production and
consumption of coal in the United
States is really marvellous. A CEN
fury ago we did not produce dozen
tons of coal. Ninety years ago this
country did not either dig or con-
sumo a thousand tons of coal. When
many of you were children the total
compensation of coal in America did
not exceed million tons year
Thirty years ago We were producing
less than 100,000,00O tons per year
A decade since our production was
perhaps 250,00O,QOe a year, while
in 1910 the American nation consum-
ed 500, 100000 tons Of COAL A CEN
fury ago the entire production OF
coal in this country would not keep
more than two families warm out in
Dakota while last year We consumed
over five tons for every man, woman,
and child in the country. This I'M
PARALLEL growth in the increase OF
the coal used in the United States
has set many of our staticians to
work calculating the time when even
our marvellous supply of this fuel
will be exhausted. Like most scien-
tific problems where there is an un-
known element, very different kinds
of results have been obtained. Some
believe that we are within fifty or q
hundred years of the exhaustion of
our coal supply. Others basing their
conclusion upon facts as they see
them, believe that we have coal
enough to last five centuries. and
many would even increase this per-
Tod. Hon. l. c. White, State Geolog-
list of Virginia, who is an acknow-
lodged authority on the question of
coal in this country, has declared,
and in fact the best men Of the I'm
tied States Geological Survey agree
with Mr.. White, that from forty to
seventy per cent. of the coal area is
never utilized. Mr.. White also de-
clares that the Appalachian coal field
which is the best in our country, has
been greatly over-estimated, and by a
calculation which he is willing to
submit to the public he reaches the
conclusion that cheap fuel in the
state of Pennsylvania will be at al
end before the close of the presen,
century.
VAN ACAOAO " Su0 COdl AL OuJ
own area, known sometimes as tn.
Dakota coal field, which is located IL
western North Dakota, northwestern
South Dakota and reaching over int,
our neighboring states on the west
This coal is Ignite in character, poss
essing from twenty-five to thirty pc
cent. of carbon, about fifty per cen,
moisture and around twenty-five pc
cent. of ash. In it's analysis and il
its actual tests it has proven to b.
as valuable coal for many particu
lars as the bituminous deposits
Iowa. Kansas and Missouri. The UD
tied States government has given tn.
following analysis of a sample of Liz
mite coal taken from Cave Hills II
Harding Ciunty of our state, carbon
27.17 per cent; moisture 40 pc
cent. volatile material 25 per cent
ash 1877 per cent; sulphur, one-hal'
of one per cent; which shows q
once the value of our Ignite beds. 1,
South nakota in 1QOQ our Ctoto o1,r