The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1954-10-07
Democrats Prepare
Open Letter For
McKeldin-Hyde
Oakland, Maryland
q I - An rnF

| An open letter To:
Governor Theodore r. McKeldm
Representative Dewitt S. Hyde
Gentlemen:
WHY HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN
G AR RETT COUNTY'S AND
MARYLAND'S COAL MINERS
AND OPERATORS?
We are a group of citizens Of
Garrett County, Maryland. Demo
Gratis, yes, but first Of all, Garrett
Countians and Marylanders. We
feel that our people have been by
passed by our state government
and our plight ignored by our rep
resentatives in the federal govern
ment. OF course you know that we
speak of the recent announcement
by Harold Stassen of the Foreign
Operations Administration to the
effect that 100000 tons of coal
would be purchased by the federal
government for shipment to Korea,
and that this coal would be pur-
chased largely from Kentucky,
West Virginia, Pennsylvania and
Illinois. We cannot begin to under
stand why we and our neighbors
in AllcEany County were ignored
when these allotments were made.
You, of course, know or could
know by reading the annual re-
ports of the Maryland Bureau of
Mines, that coal production in Gar
rett County has declined from a
total of l,004,000 tons in 1916 to
22l 900 tons i'm 1858. Allegany's
production likewise decreased inI
the same period from 1,02S,000 to-
325,0 tons. The production of
these two counties taken together
represents a drop of IA, in those
years. This drop in production has
been steady and sure each year
during that span.
Likewise, you know, or could
know by reading the annual report
of the State Planning Commission,
that Garrett is the only county inI
the state where a population de-
crease is anticipated in the next
decade. And surely Your Excel
lency remembers reading in every
newspaper published in Maryland
of the plight of the town of Shall
mar few years back.
But these are only so many sta
tistics and so much conjecture. The
important consideration is that dur
ing that seven year period. 592
Garrett Countians and 797 Ale
gany Countians, OF a total of $50
Marylanders lost their only means
of livelihood. 1t means that our
employment in Garrett County has
dropped from 2200 to 1916 to 400
in 1854. THIS MEANS THAT
ONE IN EVERY THREE PER
SONS EMPLOYED IN 1916 IN
GARRETT COUNTY is NOW
JOBLESS OR HAS MOVED
AWAY.
Is our county not then a criti-
cal area, whether officially desig-
mated as such or not? Are we not
entitled to the same consideration
as the people of the States listed
before?
We are full yaware that a study
has NOW been recommended to
explore the possibilities of produc-
ing synthetic fuels from Maryland
coal. Must such a study wait until
election year? We needed the study
four years ago as direly as we
need it now. A study does not pro-
duce jobs now as inclusion in the
Korea coal shipment would have.
An allotment to Garrett of only
one-twentieth of the total ship
ment to Korea would mean enough
for all Of Garrett County's miners
to work a full year. This would fill
the gap until action could be had
on the results of the Singewald
study and would feed all of our
coal miners dependent families in
the interim.
We do not know whether it is
too late to be included in the Ko-
rea order, nor do we know what
future orders for coal might be in
the offing You, Governor Nickel
din, and you, Mr.. Hyde, should be
informed on these matters. What
we do know is that we have been
given the brush off" and now are
expected to be pacified with a
study. We will not. We will look
for first, an explanation from you
why we are excluded from the Ko-
rea order, and secondly, for action
now and studies for the future.
Respectfully,
The Southern Garrett
County Democrat Club.
ID. NJ. Wotring,
Pros iIppt