Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-07
ADVERTISEMENT
Coal Company Answers Editorial
and Asks Fair Treatment

sale for one million four hun
dred thousand dollars at oyer
EIGHTY-SIX MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS. For such services
has already received from
the taxpayers of the county
the sum of NINE THOUSAND
DOLLARS. Surely he cannot
properly be called a disinter-
ested expert in view of the
lack of interest he has mani
tested in making a true and
just valuation of this prop
erty.
Furthermore. why does the
editor request that the Com
missioners accept estimates
which do not even amount to
a good guess and, if the COM
pany continues to object, to
let the matter be threshed
out in Court" particularly in
view of the fact that the COM
missioners. in an honest effort
to perform their sworn duty
in making an equitable assess
ment of this property, have
requested the company to pre-
sent its side of the question?
If they follow the advice given
them in the editorial, such pro-
cedure will be useless. No fair
minded citizen will desire the
company to present it's evi-
dence before a packed jury,
yet such would be the result
if this advice were to be fol-
lowed.
These Coal Mines mean more
to the Upper End of Dauphin
County than do the Steel Mills
to the Lower End and the City
OF Harrisburg. Why do you
not send out your reporters, or
some competent disinterested
person to investigate, learn
and report to the citizens of
the Lower End of this county
what relation these mines bear
to the life of that community
The assessment recommended
by this expert will result not
in grievous taxation, but
actually and truly, in a con-
fiscation of the property; and
1t is just as idle to say in this
editorial that the public will
not permit the company to
cease operations, made fnan-
cially impossible by such taxa
ton. as it is to say that the
steel plants will not he per-
mitted to close down for lack
of orders.
The Editorial column of q
newspaper is a very great fac
tor in moulding public senti-
ment. Personally, l believe it
to be the greatest human
agency, or power, either for
good or evil, in existence to-
day. All that we ask in this
matter is fair treatment and
that judgment be suspended
until both sides are heard and
all of the facts submitted. Mr..
Humphreys has renewed the
offer to the County Commits
sioners to lay the books and
the records and the mines
open for inspection. For pub
lie information, pending the
present offer of sale and its
acceptance, | desire to say that
l will submit to any or all of
the local newspapers any and
all facts that they may request
concerning this mining prop
erty-the acreage, the coal
measures, the coal mined out,
the coal believed to be yet re-
naming in place, the costs OF
operation and all other mat
ters, so far as ] am able, that
will throw any additional light
upon its true value, and, in
support of these facts to be
submitted, the records and
maps of the Company will be
open for inspection.
This offer of sale has been
called bluff" Let me again
say it is no bluff" 1t is a
bonafide offer. Let me also
say that this offer to submit
facts for the information of
the public is no stage play"
or theatrical" or bluff" nor
is it intended to be "spectacu-
lar" 1t is made in good faith
and in the hope that it will be
accepted and the coal situa-
ton in this county placed be-
fore the citizens and taxpay-
ers in it's true light.
If you consider the offer a
bluff" call it. To purchase
the property will require one
million four hundred thousand
dollars. To call this bluff
will not cost the taxpayers of
this county ONE RED CENT.