Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-02
Government to Put @
Coal BdrOns on Rock

Continued from Pate Ono
policy. In this way the trust rat. ~.
public both going and comins 'pse
gamblers parlance It "whipsaws ,s,n,,
whichever way they turn. ="
District Attorney Lewis IL n, ~.
opinion that the only recourse omen h.
the public from the exactions ~ AZ
anthracite coal trust, is to rise I'm sns .ns
demand full and exacting eoyernm.nt.I, cI
investigation, and the enactment
adequate laws for the punishmen, y,
those guilty Of eKtortionate proAtee,,n.
and the exploitation Of the public In NV.
necessary commodity. '
Only Told "You Secrets"
/ called upon Vice President Roh..,
s. Feeney at the Offices Of The So,i.s
Coal Co., 30 West street. II was ~.
crisp. out-spoken testimony before M
district attorney that made the trnse
people dizzy for few days. nn, a.,
Feeney was disinclined to discuss IN.
incident. '"e
II have nothing to add to what T.
have already said and no comment ..
make" was his reply to my Invitation
to talk.
~ merely told District Attorn.,
Lewis what everybody in the coal buI,
ness already knows. I revealed y,
secrets and betrayed no confidence.
cannot see why there should be 60 much
surprise and comment over my state.
ments." .
II is impossible to get any rsspou.
sible coal man, middleman, or retAils
in New York or Philadelphia, to discus
the situation for publication. They sr.
obsessed with fear Of the consequence AZ
This Is why the fearless statement
of Mr.. Feeney attracted such wide At.
tention In the trade. I find, however.
in talking privately with coal men thai
there Is feeling Of satisfaction. com.
miseration or Indignation expressed
over Mr.. Feeney's statement, do.
pendent entirely as to how their In.
terests are affected. One dealer said -,
Everybody In the trade knows that
the trust plays favorites. Both IN
Philadelphia and New York there hay,
been dealers who hadn't a pound of coil
In their possession, while others had
their yards full and were doling it out
under pretense that they were short,
They were the pets Of the trust
trust never loses n trick"
The gentleman quoted above mirht
also have added that the coal trust hod,
q club over the head Of every dealer,
unless he is an independent G. Is con.
tract bound to an independent. As for
the sales agents Of the companies they
puff up, get red, and swear that It l.
the independents who boom the prices
and do the pr0fteering. .
1t Is amusing, that shrek about tie
independent, when the world knows
that the trust produces about SO per
cent of all the anthracite that Is mined
and can and docs fx prices to suit itself
saving sometimes under exceptional
circumstances.
The situation reaches tragic climax
though, when District Attorney Lewis
catches "the companies" in the trust
| CORY handed In what appears TO oe Z
clear case of remorseless profiteering,
and blaming it on the independent.
| Not only that but It has involved the
altering of invoices by them 80 that coal
bought at the company's mines for
50. 10 was resold to its Representatives
as Independent" coal at prices up to
$40 ton.
All the waybills, changed invoices,
and other evidence, from the Lehish
and Wilkes Barre Coal Co., together
with the testimony have been placed In
the hands of the government. 1t isa
very remarkable expose.
Tomorrow shall tell Of the greatest
of these commercial outrakes. 1t
affects not only Philadelphia but New
York. in fact, the entire anthracite
using public.