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Show COAL. Tim 1'nj list niscriiuiimtioiH of the l;uion Faciltc- Siieslious Wurfliy 0f lunsiil-vratiou. lunsiil-vratiou. What the City Pays for its Fuel. Shall tho People Support Thorn salvos or Peed a (iriudiiig, Oppressive Corporation ? Letter. from itlzen or sli l.nLe uud tuulvlllc. ! Coalviixk, Utah, Nov. 24, 1876. Editors Herald: Tho excitement in our little town consequent on election issues is over. We have aettlud tho fact that Uncle Sammy will take the chair in March, IS77, and that the "good times" as a natural consequence will follow. With the exception of one ease ol varioloid in a mild form, the health of our town is good. The wouilirr for this season of tho year is excellent, and many of tho farmers in our couuty are taking advantage- thereof plowing their farms, etc., and preparing pre-paring for winter. Our crops the past season were very scant, being injured to a vory great extent by eurly frosts. A great majority of the citizens of Coalvillo depend wholly upon the coal mines here for a hviug, boiog employed em-ployed Borne in mining and others iu shipping the coal, aud now is the seasou whoa thoy are generally the busiest and expect employment, but I regret to say that over three fourths of them are lying idle, but willing and anxious to work. The U. P. li. L. company refuso or neglei-t to furnish fur-nish the necessary transportation foi our coal. The Summit county nil-road, nil-road, connecting our mines with the U. P. R. R. at Echo, is compelled to leave its cars, loaded with coal, standing stand-ing on the side track at Echo station, week after week, for the want of U. P. K. R. cars to transport the coal to your city and other markets. During the month of October tbey did not furnish transportation for one-third of the coal that could have been shipped; and so far this mouth less than one-fifth of the required transportation trans-portation has been supplied. So far this week only six cars have been furnished fur-nished at Echo, when at the same lime, nearly 300 tons ot coal was lying there awaiting transportation, 1 whilst at the same time, I was reliably informed, over fifty empty cars were standing on the U. P. company's track at Aliny. Within the last twenty-four hours over fifty empty U. P. coal cars have passed Edio station for the company's coal mines east, to be loaded with their coal for Sail Lake city 'and other markets, thereby compelling the consumers to support a coal monopoly to the exclusion ex-clusion of a better article of fuel. The people ot this county, io good faith, worked to open the mines in this neighborhood, and built a railroad nine miles to connect with the U. P. R. R., believing that that company would foster such an enterprise, as it would furnish them with a large amount of coal traffic. As they entered no protest against building the railrcmd, and being common carriers, we had a right to expect they would do ua justice in the matter of transportation; trans-portation; but find we have been deceived. Our road is not paying expenses, the mines will be closed, ment. j Wc, in Summit county, will not be the only sufferers. The people in your city and the people in the territory, terri-tory, more or les, will sustain a loss. Most of the mont:y paid for U. P. R. R. coal ii a direct drain upon our resources, amounting to over $100,-0U0 $100,-0U0 annually. The coal trade is one of the principal industries of our territory, ter-ritory, and if it could bo controlled by its citizens, as it should be, will Bave a fczreat deal of money and labor to Utah, and thus aid in further developing devel-oping its resources. As the U. P. R. R. have unjustly discriminated against us, both in freight charges and also in withholding withhold-ing transportation for coal, with a view no doubt to monopolize and contiol that trade, we have reason to apprehend, if they succeed, that they will not be satisfied with the present prices of that staple, but when they get it in their own hands exclusively they will demand a much higher price for coal, which we will be com nelled to Dav. With a view of entirely controlling this important branch of industry they have offered to purchase the Summit county railroad for less than 30 per cent, of cost. It is Baid if they succeed in celling control of the Weber road and mines, the people can prevent a coal monopoly by building build-ing a road from ome point on the Utah Souturen railroad to the coal fields in Pleasant valley or the Sanpete San-pete mines; but that objection can be disposed of by the fact that the same unscrupulous organization has a con-trollina con-trollina interest in the Utah Southern and we have every reason to behove, that they would inaugurate the same illiberal policy, with results no doubt similar to those we are now experiencing. experi-encing. There is only one chance to protect ourselves, so far as our coal interest are concerned. Let the people of Salt Lake, Summit, Davis, Tooele, Utah and Wasatch counties unito and build a narrow-gauge road from this place by way of Park citv to Salt Lake city, and there connect with the other narrow-gauge roads, ' and still control the col business. By doing this we retain in the country coun-try over $100,000 annually; we furnish fur-nish employment for hundreds of our citizens; we have a better and cheaper article of fuel, and we prevent a gigantic monopoly from placing its iron heel upon our necks. Much more can be said in favor of building a railroad from here to Salt Lake city, as it will enhance other interests beside coal, and reasons would be brought forward to show the necessity of the people of Utah taking decided and earnest steps m this matter; but not wishing to be wearisomfcto your readers, I forbear (or the present. Citizen. A SALT LAKEK'S THOUGHTS AND SUGgestions. SUG-gestions. Saj.t Lake City, November 25th, 1S76. Editors rkrahl: Your correspondent, "Summit," in th'n morning's Herald, proposes that, if a narrow gauge road be built from the Summit county coal fields to this city, its route should be by wj of Kama. Hebcr city and Prove canon. To my mind this route, whatever its advantages, has one insurmountable in-surmountable objection it is loo fai around. The Kreat object efbuildim this road is u. supply "8 city witt cheap Weber coal. The Coalville miners want a market for their coal Salt Lake city is their market; w want their coal, but we do not wan to have to pay a greatly increase prica caused almost entirely by hfiftv railioad frt'ight on such a number is union of road. Wo want a road a din'(U i.ntween the, twu point a oiigin")-nng difllcultits will permit Tnen wii shall havo cheap coal Acain, hus your correspondent con siderfd the question, aru wo sulli ciently s rung, financially, to Imu: tuch a i uud without outsido help for weihould get no aid Inun iht Union Pacific company, but on the contrary, their strongest opposition. Has ho Ukon into consideration thai wo should have to build the entire road to Bait Lake city? Perhaps in his mind he says this road would tap the Utah Southern at Provo. But the Union Pacific holds a very largo, if not tho coutroling interest iu Iho Utah Sou t hem, Jay Gould and Sidney Dillon are two of the Utah Southern board of directors. Can we expect that tbey would freight coal on this road, (except perhaps al ruinous rales) when they will net let the Coalville people have cars to-day? I think not. They would not be liable to checkmate their own game of monopoly in any such a way. 11 the new road be built, it must bo so that it will be entirely within the hands of the people of this territory, and where the Uuion Pacific cannot frcezo it out or gobblo it up. R. |