Mr. SPRAGUE. I should have contented myself with giving my vote in favor of the amendment proposed by the Senfrom Massachusetts had not the debate gone to a considerable length and covered a good deal of ground. I sympathize with the ideas of the Senfrom Massachusetts, but I desire to take a ground that, he has not ventured upon, and that is, that this increase of duties is of no advantage whatever to the mineral regions of the respective States that are desirous to have this increase of duty. I, know something about the mineral region of Maryland, and also of the mineral region of Pennsylvania; and I know that under the Present system there is hardly a mine in that whole region that is not connected with a great railroad interest that can pay a dollar. With all the prospectuses and all the advertisements of mines that are brought to the attention of capitalists there is not one, in my judgment, that possesses sufficient remunerative prospects to enable them to invest in that description of property. The fact is, that the whole country, other than those engaged in the railroad interests in these particular localities, pay a tribute to the railroad interests. Why, sir, I know that during the war, one or 2 gentlemen control. ling the railroad interests of Pennsylvania, and having also an interest in the mines, were able to absorb many millions of dollars when the coal was at 8 or ten or 12 dollars per ton. Now, sir, that system is no advantage to anybody. As for the great States of Maryland and Pennsylvania, thinking to obtain advan tages fo out of building up a great railroad system whose owners are foreigners to them, as I know the fact to be, it is most suicidal to their interests and unprofitable in every respect. Sir, NewEngland will very soon get out of the difficulties that are placed upon her in this respect. By a recent improvement in mechan ics she has discovered that one ton of coal will produce the power which has heretofore been obtained out of 2 tons of coal. She has also discovered another important fact in the matter of fuel, and it is a fact that should receive the attentive consideration of the gentlemen who are advocating this protective tariff upon coal. She has within her own territory a fuel which she is developing, which will soon make her in dependent of both Pennsylvania and Maryland in this respect. Why then drive this thing to these extremities? Y. will certainly destroy our own interests, and you are promoting no ody's interest except the interest that I speak of, and that is the railroad interest, and the rail I ask for the yeas and roads are not owned by your own people. They are concentrated in the hands of the great capitalists of the country, and the people who consume this article pay them tribute. Sir, it seems to me that there should be reason in all things, that there should be some sort of consideration of the exact condition of this article. There is hardly a mine disconnected from the railroad interests that can get over 75 cents per ton for coal delivered into the railroad car. Not more than a year or 2 ago I visited the district in western Pennsylvania which has for its center the Cumber berland coal region. They could deliver coal into the cars at a particular point at 75 cents per ton, and it cost 6 dollars per ton for railroad freighting. Look at that! The coal interest is not prosperous, because these people have a monopoly of that territory, and because they put these restrictions upon the development of the country and particularly of the State that the gentleman [Mr. CREswei.L] has so much at heart and so ably rePresents. It really does nobody any good except those connected with this railroad interest, who are owners in both railroad and coal mines, and no territory can be developed unless it is owned by them. Mr. President, I should have contented myself with simply giving a vote in the affirmative on the question brought up by the Senfrom Massachusetts had not the debate covered the ground that I spoke of, and was it not as clear to me as it is possible for anything to be that the market for the gentleman's coal, if this high duty be imposed, will be somewhere else than where it now is, in NewEngland.