Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1894 — CAUSE OF THE STRIKE [ARTICLE]

CAUSE OF THE STRIKE

COAL-MINERS SAY IT IS STARVATION WAGES. The Desire of the United Mine-Workers of America to Enforce General Instead of Local or District Settlements Precipitated the Trouble. A Momentous Contest. The great bituminous coal strike has reached the eighth week of its existence. It is the most momentous content ever fought in this country between the forces of labor and capital. Fully 175,000 miners are affectsd, and these are scattered over the States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio. Indiana. Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Illinois, lowa, Missouri, Kansas. Colorado, Arkansas, and Indian Territory and New Mexico. The strike has now reached the stage where vast business interests are crippled. The service of many railroads is paralyzed, the wheels of many mills are motionless: ships tug idly at their anchors, unable for want of coal to continue their voyages, and in seme cities the supply of water and electric light is shut off. In Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama and Pennsylvania bloodshed has been rife and violence still impends: the militia of five States are in service, and in others are held in readiness to suppress riot and protect life; fatalities, unfortunately, have been numerous, especially in the coke regions of Pennsylvania, and only a pretext is awaited in other States to precipitate more violence and bloodshed. Among the miners and those dependent on them there is much suffering, thousands being on the verge of starvation. Especially is this so in Alabama where the workers were in no fit condition to strike and where soup houses at the present time are a necessity. Miserable Condition of the Miners. The cause of the strike which has resulted in such widespread stagnation of business is twofold. The first, of course, is the low wages paid in the bituminous coal fields. No other class of workers than the bituminous coal miners have been so harshly treated, so cruelly imposed upon, so wronged, so miserable. As a rule the cost of mining bituminous coal is from Bl to 66 cents a ton, of which the miner received from 40 to 45 cents. Out of this miserable sum he must pay a helper and he is “docked” for slate and dust, the latter being deducted from the weight. His loss of wage on the latter account depends on the honesty of his employer. or rather of his employer's superintendent. At the ordinary mine great injustice and wrong are complained of on this account. The miner also usually rents his cottage, or hut, from the mine-owner, usually a corporation, and the rent is often exorbitant. The company also sharpens his tools for him at a generous price and sells him his food, clothes and blasting powder, charging on the average 2a per cent, mure than the prices charged at the neighborhood stores kept by private persons. In this way the company frequently receives back or hold < back on the store and rent accounts of its men nearly all the wages that have been earned during the month. Starvation Wape., The average daily earning of a miner is less than 80 cents, and to add to his burdens and the hardships of his lot his employment is irregular. Scant as the miners’ wage has been, serious reductions have been made since the end of last summer. First there was a cut of 5 cents a ton, and then in some mines of 10 cents. What this means may be judged from the fact that in the Pocahontas region of West Virginia the men were receiving only 37 cents a ten in 1890. Assuming that the average pay was 45 cents a ton, the last cut brought it down to 35 cents. This means earnings of about 70 cents a day, which, with irregular employment, “dockage,” and the inordinate prices charged by the company stores brought the miners’ wages to the starvation point. While this cut in wages was in effect in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, central and southern Illinois and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee reductions in other fields were threatened so as to make wages correspond. Another Cause of the Strike. The second cause of the strike was the desire of the United Mine Workers of America to enfore general instead of local or district settlement-. A general sett’ement would mean protection to the miners, to the operators and the public during the time covered by the settlement. Local or district settlements were a sounea of considerable annoyance and less to both operatois and miners, lor. while some operators and miners were bbund by agreement, others were not so bound, and thus a guerrilla warfare was waged on the trade. This is well illustrated in the operations of the last few years. Ln 1886, under the old arrangement, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, part of West Virginia and Northern Illinois were recognized as a competition district, and this field was covered by a settlement at the time. The next year the Northern Illinois operators withdrew from the interstate convention, assigning as a. reason for their action their inability to pay the price agreed upon by the operators and miners jointly in the interstate conference, because of the low prices prevailing in Central and Southern Illinois, which were not a part of the convention and were not bound in its agreements. In 1889 the' Indiana operators withdrew from 'the Interstate movement, assigning as a reason their inability to maintain prices because of the low prices prevailing in Illinois. That practically ended the interstate arrangement In 1890 and 1891 Ohio and Pennsylvania

were together, but in 1892 they separated. The present aim of the miners is, thus, to enforce Ai increase <f wages and to effect a general agreement among all the operators who compete in the same markets. The object is one that necessarily i ommends itself and ore, too, wh.ch the bulk of the operators regard as just and desirable. But there are operators who refuse to bind themselves and these have been the cause of the failure of the convention held in Cleveland between the miners and the well-disposed operators. The present condition of affairs in some ot the mining regions is critical in the extreme. Armed deputies and armed miners are confronting one another, and with the memories of past scenes of bloodshed between them, but little is wanting to precipitate other battles, more bloody and fatal tharj any which have preceded tho n.' Suffering and want ha\e made the miners desperate, and unless the difficulty is settled within a short time both sideswill perhaps have gVave reasons for regret. The summary of the press dispatches which we have given from week to week, furnish a fairly complete view of the situation. MOBS IN CONTROL. Tbouitan.la of Men Break Into the MeReexport, Pa., Tube Works Plant. Never has McKeesport. Pa., witnessed such scenes of defiance of law and the inability of the authorities to cope with the law-breakers to the extent of repres ing law lessee is as were enacted Tuesday and Tuesday night. At midnight the strikers were practically in command of the situation. A dispatch says: The trouble grows out of the strike at thu National Tube Works and the strikers have since nightfall outwitted the police, broken into the millyards, and are making systematic tours of the works and their surroundings, of which they now have full control. The plant resumed in two departments Tuesday and about twenty-five men went to work. The news quickly spread and by noon a mob of nearly lu,oou had assembled at the gates awaiting the appearance of the workmen. Most of the men remained inside, but a few attempted to go to their homes and were caught by the mob and terribly beaten. They were finally rescued, however, by the police and taken back into the inclr sure. The mob then dispersed in ] art. but toward evening reassembled, and by 6 o'clock probably 5,000 men were massed in front of the entrance on Fourth avenue and it was said fully three-fourths of the number were foreigners. They were disappointed. At 6 o’clock the day turn did not come out and the night turn did not go in. There was a great load of provisions taken into the mill by the company. The mob surged around the entrance until 7 o’clock in the evening, when a rush was made and they broke into the yards. The men inside were panicstricken, and it was every man for himself. Hundreds of the mob were equipped with clu ns or weapons of some description, and they began a wild chase and pursuit of the workmen inside. Several welders took to the river and made their escape to Mifflin township, pursued by crowds of strikers, and finally were chased off into the darkness toward Duquesne. The strikers were in complete possession of the place. They ranged over the grounds, and finally routed ten hidden workmen. The poor fellows made a dash for freedom, but were cut off and surrounded. With no compunction the mob set upon these men in swarms and beat them shockingly. In the crush to get at the prostrate men one fellow was badly stabbed. It was the Homestead fight over again, with variations.

UNDER THE MUZZLES OF RIFLES. Miners at Clark’s Station Stop a Train While the Soldiers Look On. Washington, Ind.—At dusk this evening freight No. 9.J, consisting of cars loaded with coal, was held up at Clark’s Stati n under the very muzzles of the rifles of two companies of militia and a Gatling gun, and the miners refused to allow the train to proceed. The troops could do nothing, because no official was present to give them authority. The miners knew this and were very obstinate. Deputy Sheriff Ray Hill was dispatched to the scene. Terre Haute, Ind.—The strikers at Shelburn have burned five cars of coal captured from the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad freight train and also burned the cars. The militia came up to the burning cars on their march to Alum Cave. The troops completely surrounded the mining town of Alum Cave this afternoon, but found it practically deserted. Many arrests of leaders were made. A detachment of the troops is guarding the bridges to-night, as there are fears that they may be fired by the strikers. FIRE ON A TRAIN. Striker,. Make Demonstration In Carterville—Troops Called. Springfield, HL The situation in Williamson County with rioting coal miners was such that Gov. Aitgeld wired Col. Kel.y M. Smith, commander of the Fourth infantry at Greenup, to at once send companies C of Carbondale, Dos Belleville, and M of Marion to Carterville and report' for duty to Sheriff Dowell. Ordnance and supplies from here were sent by special train for Cartervi le. The order for placing troopi was done in response to telegrams from sheriff Dowell, who wired that regular trains were being fired into: that great danger was imtrjnent, and that nothing but the State troops would stop bloodshed. Elkin Farmer, 1149 Park avenue, New York City, retired from business, has dropped $1,,000 to two clever swindlers, “Dudley & Spaulding,” on mining stock bunco scheme. The police of New York and Chicago are at work on the case. The Dubuque & Wisconsin Bridge Company was organized at Dubuque, lowa. The object is to construct a high bridge from Eagle Point to th® Wisconsin shore.