Show COAL AND THE RAILROADS RAI R DS During the course curse of otan ah Interview with The Herald H the other oth i Gen General General eral Manager eway of Ort the o Rio Grande system stem declared that to cut oft off the railroads from the th ownership of ot coal mine would be disastrous in Utah because It would produce a short shortage shorts age ofen s in fuel that would be worse lor ore than the coal famines from which the state stat has already suffered A morning paper takes Mr Ir Ridge ways wars friendly conservative talk and mid distorts it into a it t threat and says It his language means anything It seems that the state of Utah will vill suffer if IC It does not grant the legislation demand demanded ed by the tho railroad companies An honest consideration of the th whole Interview would show that there was wa wano no suggestion of a threat on the con contrary contrary contrary Mr Ridgeway distinctly said that his railroad was encouraging in tn independent n dependent de operators and would afford them every facility for shipping hat he had to say about the danger of r worse coal shortage Ihor age was a plain truth truthful truthful truthful ful statement of or an obvious tact fact To prevent the ownership of coal mines mine ami and their operation by railroads tn In n this state now flow is to invite a famine and every one conversant with the facts knows It With all the labor obtain obtainable obtainable able and imd with the utmost exertion to supply tho the demands of or business the railroads and their allied coal compa companies companies companies nies have boon been be n unable to furnish the thu fuel needed in the mildest of winters Cut off oft that supply and depend upon independent companies alone ard Utah will havea have a much worse coal coat famine than it has ever known To state this asa fact Is not a threat and amI to ac accuse accuse cuse cuBe Mr Ridgeway of threatening a state e is to suppose he has lost hs hIs senses lemes which no one suspects who knows him The coal question is an economic problem as liS well as unfortunately a apolitical apolitical political issue On its economic side u k amounts to this the railroad compa companies companio nies nio have been operating mines ml es to the limit of their capacity with the labor laboz available they cannot supply the dr d mand mend To open and equip an Independent ent coal mine in Utah requires an out outlay outlay outlay lay of from OO to and nd a e considerable length of time for devel development eYel before production n can begin begin Some independent t companies are in lii L operation and others are beginning de but if i all of or them th m were working to t full capacity hy could make no Impression Jm on the Uie demands for or fuel Now NOv comes a pro proposed proposed posed to put the railroad mines s out of business or shut them down or do what nobody can foresee by refusing to per permit permit permIt mit railroads to own coal mines and operate them The economic result of or such a proposal carried out would would mean a still stilt further shortage in fuel Cuel supplies and nd no blatherskite blath construe construction constructIon tion can change chang that th fact 4 4 So 81 long as independents cnn can c n have hare fair Calr fairplay fairplay play from transportation companies get the sanle freight rates and facilities facilities facilities ties and t for business on even ev n terms It seems cems suicidal to invite indus industrial Industrial industrial trial depression by legislation against tho tha th railroads merely because they are railroads and regardless rega of orthe the effect on the th state The newspaper comment on Mr I interview seems seeing to be b founded on the conception n pt on thata that a rail railroad railroad railroad road is naturally an enemy of f the state bent on destruction and ang confiscation and piracy tJ Utah h has had no such no notion notion tion although some of ot its people have hae sought to cultivate it Certainly when Mr Jeffery and Mr Gould were con considering the th construction of ot the West ern em em Pacific from here her to the Pacific there wes was no objection when Senator Clark contemplated the expenditure ex of or millions to connect Salt Lake and Los Angeles the people here expressed their delight with the prospect When the Rio Grande Grando and the Harriman lines projected their great terminal improve improvements ments m and station buildings here the tone of ar 3 the the people cople Was vas as altogether cor cordial cordial dial T No apology is 15 to be offered for the wrongs charged fairly to the coal com corn companies companies panics or ot to the transportation lines but when the balance ei If drawn between ben and md Injuries li urie the railroad com companies c chin iu panics o ot of the west have a n largo large credit account ae due them and they the ought to tobe tobe tobe be entitled to just as fair treatment treat ent entas as any factor in the growth and devel deel of or the state stat They have ava aban abandoned abandoned done their opposition to independent coal operations they are ire spending mil mU millions millions lions in und and about Salt Lake some of their investments may not yield re returns reo returns turns for years others may be b profitable ble bl but taking their policies as a whole holt thy they have hae done clone more for the of Utah and nna the territory contiguous I Ito to it than any other power or combination tion Uon of or powers pow rs and ve a right to expect fair laIr even considerate regard for their rights t |