Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1914-02-07
What Do You Think About the Oil and Gas Business?

stations and hundreds of miles of pipe lines. with the
idea OF making it permanent business costs heavily
Do sou luw lLa. ,t,.ra gas is not necessity.
but luxury; that for heat and light and manufac-
turing purposes. herc plenty Of other fuels such
as hard coal loft COAL wood coke, oil, producer gas
and electricity, and therefore, since there plenty
OF other such fuels bu natural gas preferred because
1t is more convenient cleaner simpler to use and i'm
some cases less expensive don't you think the people
who want to it, whether they be i'm West Virginia
or elsewhere ought to pay enough for it to return
the money invested in the business after taking into
account that it is business of great present risks
and future uncertainty
If you had something valuable to sell for which
there great demand, wouldn't you try to find
market for it, matter how far away which
would pay you reasonable interest ON your invest
ment and eventually return the money invested?
Would you invest millions and hundreds of millions
in any business unless you could expect your money
to be returned and profit for your rskl
Don't you think that you the taxpayer the farmer.
the landowner, the manufacturers, the merchant the
professional man. the furnsher Of materials, the
employee, and all of you who compose the population
of West Virginia, and who benefit rs shown above
from the gas business hope to have these benefits
increased only by allowing natural gas to be sold for
reasonable and profitable price, wherever there is
a market, within the State without, for industrial
domestic use2
Do you think it good policy for State that has
great natural such timber gas coal and
OIL and produces them, to insist that they shall be
sold cheaper within the State than elsewhere?
Don't you know that you cannot prevent q pro-
Queer from taking bis product for sale where he
chooses whether that product be corn, wheat pota-
toes, COAL timber oil gas, and that to attempt to
make him sell his product cheaper in West Virginia
than he sell elsewhere would force the sale of
these natural products elsewhere, and cripple the
industries of your State?
Don't you know that the great industries OF your
State which use natural GAS would have just cause
to complain ii by such penny wise, poundfoolish
policy the gas companies forced to take their
gas outside the State and thus compel these factories
to shut down away?
Don't you realize that the great industrial and
manufacturing States of this country have become
and continue only by treating fairly and squarely
those industries which situated within their Dor
ders; and 'lso that capital. which is proverbally
tmid, will not 60 where it fears it will not get such
treatment
Don't you think that the prosperity of the indus
tries and the people of State is the Prosperity OF
the State and that the State can have no interests
except the interests of the people of the Slater
These are the questions we ask you, and
we will appreciate it greatly if you will dis
cuss them among yourselves and then COM
municate with us and say frankly what you
think.
p Write to us on a postal card, or send ~ a
letter. We aoiU appreciate hearing from, yoa.
This Is our first letter to you. 1t ac;N be
followed By others. So give us your piews.
I'VE auaU aoelcome them.
We can answer your questions in our next
letter or possibly direct to the interrogation.
Ask us anu reasonable r,,ouf ;apo orl -