Year: 1859




THE Coal DIFFICuLTY.-At the re-
: quest Of parties interested. we publish the
following;


To THE EBIToR oFTHE COMMERCIAL.
SIR Herewith send you tor pnLliea-
ton, a veritable copy Of a set of resolutions
passed at a recent meeting of the Henry
County Coal Town, Coal Valley and Car
bon Gift miners, and endorsed by X. Low
ry, as President of the Henry Co. Coal
Company.


You viii perceive the resolutions which
the miners. headed by Mr. Lowrey, passed.
and now demand that oil the companies
should sign, would, if adopted, bind them
with iron f.tters not to sell coal at anything
but what the miners and Mr.. r. Lowry
think the people Of Davenport and Rock
Island should pay for their fuel Without
consulting the interests Of the twin cities,
these miners do not propose simply to re
gulate the price If their own labor, but ar
rogate to themselves the right Of saying
what the people shall pay for coal. A tai
lor may have the right, for instance to say
what he thinks is fair price for making a
coat, but he would not dare to control his
employer in the price that he should sell
the garment for. 1t is just as absurd in the
coal business as in any other branch of
business. Let us do business on fair, legi-
timate and lncorrupt basis.


VIII the inhabitants of the twin cities,
for they have their rights, as they helped
build these Railroads, allow two hundred
miners with K. Lowry at their he ,d to
/ levy an embargo on all the fuel they need
Are they willing to look calmly on, and see
men combine against them in one of the
necessaries of life and force them to pay one
| dollar ton Tor their coal more than it is
worth by fair competition and free trade
This extra tax is simply to crafty the ava
rice OF X. Lowry, and enable fifty miners
to get three dollars day, while thousands
OF our honest lahorers would be glad to get
seventy-ive cents per day. Would it be
fair or sensible fer the peopls Of this local
ity, in such a season and in such times, to
allow men to raise by unfair means out OF
the people of this city renenue, which
would cause many home and hearth to
be cherries and cold this winter? This,
too, while benevolent ladies are excrting
themselves to minister to the wants of the
poor, and our citizens are subscribing for
the purpose. At such time these men
step in and would raise the price of fuel





would be raised dollar also All is fish
that comes to the net of r. Lowry and
these miners


1t these resolutions are successfully forced
upon us by the Unholy Alliance of K. Low
ry and the miners, then must the people
of this section resign all hope of this beco,n-
ing manufacturing district Fuel would
be then too high. The almost exhaustless
coal beds in this section would be cf
no more value than if they were many,
miles distant from us. For no company,
under any consideration, must sell ton of
coal for less than the price sought to be
established by Mr.. Lowry backed by the
miners. The poor teamster must cell his
coal at the fixed price, and he must haul
his coal back and forth until he gets it
Should he reduce the price he is forever cut
off from getting coal at the mines Is it not
enough to say what he shall buy att But
they dare to regulate what he shall sell for
Is not this tyranny? BY reference to the
I'd Resolve, You will perceive that Com
pany dare to reduce the price of coal, their
miners will stop mot strike) until the Com
pany give satisfaction to the other Com
panies and the miners.


l sir, am large owner in the mines of
the Coal Valley Co. Perhaps my interests
are larger than those of any other person
connected with the coal business of this re.
gion and as matter of course | desire to
make some money out of the investment,
yet that desire is not SO strong as to induce !
me to wish to make money at the expense |
of suffering humanity and at the sacrifice of
this city, the home of my adoption nor am |
| willing to be bound to resign the regula- |
tion of my business into the hands of others |
Any article that | have and wish to sell | |
will claim the right to sell it, cheaply If |
wish, mobs and combinations to the contra v |
Notwithstanding. Common sense, right and |
decency, revolt at the idea OF this compact.
which selfish men would force on u.s. |
therefore call upon you TO use your influ-
ence, this being matter of the Putlics and |
not wholly ours or the miners as a Journal
ist, to crush out this monopoly which would
be so wrong and so pernicious to the city
and the peoples interests. Our company
desire no war with other companies, but
when this City assisted US to build our road
We promised the citizens cheap coal as a
pablic benefit, We conscientiously desire to
fulfil that promise, and l have no doubt but
our company would agree 10 furnish coal for
the next ten years for six cents in Rock Is
land, and eight in Davenport


H. HAkES.


GREEN RIVER MINES, Dec. %. 1858.


Resolutions passed at the delegates meet
ing at Green River:


1st. 1t is unanimously agreed that we.
the miners of Coal Valley, Green River,
Carbon Cliff and Coaltown, do hereby, from
the above date, commence to work on a sill
ding scale, and fix the price of coal in the
ri OF IN ho aif aral o;, IL |
miners DAYS notice of such alteration,


ID. That the standard price of coal shall
not be less than cts. per bushel in Rock
Island, and II cts in Davenport in the yard,
and any Company breaking this bend the
said miners of said Company so offending,
shall have the pow wer to stop work until the
sad Company shall have given general sat
isfaction to the other Companies, and the
miners in general.


Sd. That wess the miners, receive cts
per bushel while coal ls selling at cts in
yard, and if any advance is put on coal we
are to receive one third Of every cent that
is put on the price Of coal. We take Rock
Island as standard price.


4th. That the Coal Valley Mining Co.
shall be allowed to pay as usual, 20 cts. per
ton with the privilege as they had before.)
to our 8 cts. per bushel, but in case the coal
rises over the standard price, 9 cts. the said
miners to- have one third of every cent so
put on the price of coal,


5th. That Goa. Town teams shall not sell
coal for less than 10 cts. bushel in Rock
Island and IL cts per bushel in Davenport


9Th That in case any company breaking
any of the above resolutions, and their men
have to strike until such company shall set
tie the matter, agreeable to all parties, the
said miners that strike against said Comps-
nv shall receive from the other miners q
liberal sum of money, to sustain themselves,
their wives and families, each married man
to receive in proportion to single man as
the number Of his family requires.


7th That it is unanimously agreed for