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Show i ---" -- i Tho ' Intorstato Commcrco commis- ! slon spent a day and a half In Salt Lako taking testimony In regard to tho coal combine, tho reprehensible I way tho combine obtained Its' coal I' lands from tho government and how ' It compels tho peoplo of this city to pay $5.25 a ton for coal when a fair ' and reasonablo price would bo $3 or $3.50 and how it throttles all competition. compe-tition. Tho examination was brief and vory superficial. Nothing was . elicited that has not been well known here for years, in fact a great many i things which are of common knowl- 1 edgo in this connection wore not ' touched upon at all. Salt Lako alono consumes half a million tons of coal j annually and tho comblno is exacting I from this community moro than a mil lion dollars a year above a fair and reasonablo proiU. Theso aro all well ' known facts. Now that tho commis si sion has skimmed over tho surface I , and officially obtained an inkling of tho conditions what is going to bo done I I about it? Will any measures bo taken J to afford relief? Wo doubt if any- 'l thing which will bo at all effective ' will bo dono. By .tho way, how was It ' that tho Tribune, Herald, News, and J Telegram agreed among thomselvr not to report tho proceedings of tho commission, agreed to give only a paragraph or two merely stating that i the commission was hero to lnvestl- ,r gate matters connected with coal , lands and railroad rates? How was It that tho Inter-Mountain Ropubll- ! can. declined to bo .a party to tho , sch'onio thereby compelling tho other , J papers, to break up their agreement J and give tho public tho news? How .1 is it that no papor has yet mentioned I tho fact that J. C. Stubbs, general ' traffic manager of tho Harrlman . lines, -andii.Mr. TJeck, chief lega 'l ri adviser of tho Standard Oil company, com-pany, camo hero Incognito as it wore, simultaneously with tho coin-mission, coin-mission, remaining hero whllo tho commission remained nnd went off to Denver when tho commission left for Denver? Tho commission accomplished accom-plished practically nothing and was gotten away as quickly as possible. That's why there was great rejoicing among tho coal men and the railroad companies when tho commission hiked off to Denver. |