Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1894 — How Miners Are Robbed. [ARTICLE]

How Miners Are Robbed.

In discussing the treatment received by the miners from the operators in the coal regions, where pluck-me stores, dcckage, etc., are common things, Henry D. Lloyd related the following: “The most glaring and outrageous, the most-utterly damnable case of systematic oppression ever known was at Spring Valley, 111., about ten years ago. W. L. Scott—happily he is dead—organized the company and built the town. Miners were iured there by good wages and bought homes. " When the men had their homes half paid for 50 per cent, were locked out. When their mortgages had been duly foreclosed the other half were locked out and their homes went to the spoilers. There was no violence. n>up:oar, no militia. The miners teemed to think it was all right There was a singular thing happened at Spring Valley. The last lockout left but few men at work. They held a meeting ana decided to work only half time—they were earning but sl6 per month—and let the men with families stand off starvation a while longer bv working the other half. This would not do for the proprietors. When the" knew it they shut d wn work and everyone starved at his leisure.”