The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-12-21

Il AbSO. MEMBER Am. so. Y. E.s Z
sion; President Southern Appalach
Am. Asso. of State Highway officiall
A recent. editorial In the Railway
Age Gazette referring to the col stu
alton says that the coal shortage and
fuel difficulties are due to the coal
operators not organizing, is not borne
out by the testimony OF active rail.
road men, high in railway councils.
leading coal operators, secretaries Of
coal ACCUSATIONS, or government Off.
Gals In touch with the situationf nor
by the fact as seen from one con.
versant with the coal field and the
transportation problems relating to
development enterprises. We should
not be surprised at such utterances
from a country weekly edited by a
designing partisan, whose field OF
training and intellectual horizon did
not reach beyond the borders OF his
local district but from great journal
representing great interest and q
great industry, such productions are
misleading. The business man must
form his conclusions between the
following thoughts:
First: The railroad as represent.
ed by the Gazette as their spokes-
man are trying to deceive the public
and shift responsibility in the pres.
ent crisis.
Second: That they are trying to be
unfair to the public by misrepres.
enting the shippers and their custo.
mers.
Third: That the Gazette is prejud.
ICED IN Its statement or ignorant OF
the facts governing the situation.
Neither OF these questions should
be raised in the public mind because
the raising of such questions leads to
dfstrust which destroys it's field OF
usefulness. Ever professional or trade
Journal should be careful to at all
times state the facts and base claims
Tor position on the truth of the stu
alton and II it cannot win in the pub.
lie mind on truth as its basis, there is
something wrong with the contention
or the position of the journal.
The statement that the coal men
have failed because they have not
organized recalls the fable story of
the contrary dog relating his first
visit to town. "If he stood still he was
bit by the curious and Jealous by.
ISLANDERS and IL he tried to run he was
bit by the coward-now pretending
bravo and the vicious" 1t has not
been a year since nearly all of the
bituminous coal operators, especial.
ly in the southern West Virginia and
smokeless field, were accused of VOL
ating the antitrust law and at much
expense and Inconvenience were haul.
ed from their work to face a Judge
and jury that found them mot guilty"
IN lmoanneling the jurymen refused
to serve stating that they were pre-.
JUDGED against these local operators,
SO prejudiced that thea could not
give them justice. Why: Because the
public mind had been SO fed mis-.
statements that honest men admitted
their minds were SO poisoned that
they could not render fair and i'm
partial verdict. Some of these state.
ments were of evil design but many
were the products of constructed
prejudice based on insufficient knowl.
edge OF the facts.
1t is an easy matter to keep the
fire going that is once kindled and
the reporter who makes his living by
selling space can be excused in a
measure for jumping at conclusions
in connection with subjects that the
flames of public passion are ready to
consume. But the steady, careful,
thinking editor back of the technical
trade and professional journal is ex-
pected to be, more careful and should
be looked upon as an honest molder
of constructive opinion.
=. The recent statement by the fuel
administrator is to the effect that
there is sufficient coal being mined in
this country if it could only be dis
tributed.
Only recently Mr.. Thompson, vice.
president Of the B. & o. Railroad
and head OF the Eastern Railway
Pool, stated that the problem was not
with the coal operators but the lack
Of transportation.
Mr.. Jerry Wheelright, president Of
the Consolidation Coal Company, in
a public letter recently stated that
the mines in the Fairmont field were
operating only 5 per cent. OF their
time owing to the lack of cars.
The secretary Of the Central West
Virginia Coal Operators Association
corroborated that statement and the
newspapers covering that field set
forth such facts practically each day.
A. NJ. Land, secretary OF the Guyan
Valley Coal Operators Association
in a letter dated December 10, to
Governor Cox, of Ohio, stated that the
mines in that field were practically
shut down for the want Of cars and
that loaded cars had been standing
in the Guyan Valley yards from oc.,
tober until the date Of that Letter.
In the latter days Of November, Mr..
Lyons, General Manager OF the Kama
VIVA G Michigan Railroad, informed
the writer that they had more than
5000 loaded coal cars upon their sid.
ings between Gauley Bridge and
Corinth, Ohio, that the capacity OF
the mines along the K. & M. lines