S40 EDWARD SHERWOOD MEADE 



could not even organize their own proposition, much less 

 finance it. Mutual jealousies, local feuds, and overmuch 

 mutual information about the character and financial stand- 

 ing of local individuals who might undertake this work, would 

 interfere with any general agreement. It would be found, 

 for example, next to impossible to agree upon the proper price 

 for different pieces of coal. Farmer A, whose land lies near 

 the creek would insist upon a higher value for his property 

 than Farmer B, whose coal is less accessible, while B, on his 

 part, might cite, as a reason for disputing the justice of A's 

 claim, the fact that his coal had been opened in several places 

 while nobody knew that A had any coal on his property. 

 Farmer C, who owned land across the right of way of the 

 proposed railroad, and who, therefore, considered his co- 

 operation indispensable, might insist upon a price of $150 per 

 acre, which would probably disgruntle his less favored and 

 jealous neighbors and so defeat the scheme. The Brown 

 family might refuse to go into any agreement with the Jones 

 family, with whom one of the chiefs of the Brown clan has 

 had a lawsuit of some years' standing. Any one of a number 

 of similar causes which might be cited would be sufficient to 

 prevent the concentration of control of these separate prop- 

 erties, which are of small value unless combined. Some one 

 interest acting exclusively for its own advantage and dealing 

 independently with each owner, is essential to the assembling 

 of such a proposition. This interest may be local, and, as 

 already noted, by means of local alliances, the task of the pro- 

 moter is made easier, but in most cases, the successful coal 

 promoter is the outsider who can pose as the man of wealth 

 and connection, and who can reap his harvest of options dur- 

 ing the pleasant weather of a first impression. It is the gen- 

 eral experience of promoters that an outsider of imposing 

 personality, pleasing address and experience in handling men, 

 has usually much greater success in securing options than even 

 a local squire or other celebrity whose standing in the com- 

 munity is of the best, but who is too well known to be allowed 

 by his neighbors to make any money out of their property. 

 Even if the farmers succeeded in getting their proposition 

 together in the control of a selected committee or individual, 



