Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1898 — INDIANA MINERS [ARTICLE]

INDIANA MINERS

Legislation Passed By Democratic Legislature to Ameliorate Their Conditions. Ye Protect the Minor Vtmm Wofto* Homrttennon of Greedy Operator* Cha Democracy Passed Lava Providing lor Mine laapectlon. Check Weigh man. Safety of Minora ha Descending and Ascending In the Cage, tha Proper Bracing and Ventilation of the Minay the Aboliahment of Child Labor In Mine#, aa Well ae the Wiping Out of the lufamous Plack-M# Store#. One of Indiana's great sources of wealth is her coal mines, and, strange to say, however paradoxical it may appear, this source of wealth has been fruitful of more poverty and hanger and their attendant ills, than has fallen to the lot of men employed in any other department of the state's Industries. Coal mining in Indiana of late years has been fruitful of the most deplorable conditions, the result in a large measure of the inordinate cupidity of mine owners and operators. With these men it was not sufficient that squalor resulted from a constant depreciation of wages. The extreme hardships, which inadeqate wages imposed, afforded them opportunities to exploit their selfishness, until the only mnsio that was heard in and around the mines was the anathemas of the men, the wailing of women and the cries of children, and the coal regions of Indiana became the center of deplorable destitution, bordering upon famine. It was not possible for legislation, not even Democratic legislation, thongh warmed into the greatest activity that humanity could urge, to relieve the victims of organized outrage. Bat what coaid be done for the relief of men, the victims of Weyler heartlessness, was cheerfully attempted, as the records of Democratic legislation amply demonstrate. As early as 1883 the Democratic legislature, to guard against the injury and death of miners, provided that the rope need for “hoisting and lowering in every coal mine shall be a wire rope” and that it should be examined every morning. The legislature still further provided in case gas was known to exist in the mine, for a competent fire boss to investigate conditions to insure the safety of the miners. The law also provided that the mine inspector should examine all mine scales used for weighing coal, to guard against fraud, and, to further protect the miners’ interests, the law provided for a “checkweighman” to inspect the weighing. In 1886 the coal miners of the state appealed to a Democratic legislature to still farther afford' them protection. And the law, in the interest of hnmanity, provided that not more than 10 persons should work in any mine, shaft, slope or draft in every 24 hours after 5,000 square yards have been excavated, until the second ontlet shall have been made. The law also provided for breaks through or airways and all else required for the thorough ventilation of the mines. The law also'provides for an ample supply of timber, so that the workmen oould properly secure the works from caving in. It also provided that miners’ bosses Bhonld visit these miners in their working places at least once a day. It is seen that this legislation had in view the protection of the health of the miners and sought to preveot their injury and death from avoidable conditions. The Democratic legislature of 1891 was appealed to for further legislation to protect eoal miners from the rapacity of owners and operators, and the response was prompt and emphatic, the purpose being, in so far as practicable, to relieve the coal miners of the state from exactions, which, with relentless persistency, forced them into deeper poverty and forbade their escape. The legislature of 1891 re-enacted, or made more binding, the regulations relating to scales and to weighing ooal. It had been the practice first to screen the ooal before weighing, by which the miners were defrauded of a large per cent of their just dues. This was prohibited and ooal had to be weighed before it was screened, and provided that 80 pounds of ooal should constitute a bushel, and that 2,000 pounds of coal should constitute a ton. For the protection of miners, the law provided that “when two veins of octal are being mined in one shaft, two reflecting lamps shall be kept lighted at all times" when the mine is in operation. The law provided for the Bafety of miners, that ths cage descending and ascending in the shaft should be covered with one-fourth inch boiler iron, and that signal bells should be sounded when the osge was asoending or descending the shaft. The act imposed upon the mining boss the impsciUvo duty of examining every working place in the mine, at least every alternate day. The law farther provides, Sections 18 and 14: “That for any injury to person or property occasioned by any violation of this aot, or any willful failare to comply with any of its provisions, aright of action against operator, agent or lassos shall accrue to tha party injured for the direct Injury eustaiaed thtoeby, and in case of loss of life by reason of rackviolation, a right of aoMfesHlai

accrue to widow, children or adopted dhildren, or to the parent or parents, or to any other person or persons who wars before nob loss of fife depen tend far tailed, tor like recovery for damages far the injury sustained by reason of such loss of file or fives." "That whenever loss of life shall ooeur by reason of any accident whatsoever, in or about any coal mine, it shall be the duty of the person having charge of said ooal mine to report the foots thereof without delay to the mine Inspector and the said mine inspector together with the coroner of said oonnty shall immediately go to the scene of ■aid aocident. They shall investigate and ascertain the cause of Bach loss of life, and have power to oompel the attendance of witnesses and administer oaths of affirmation to them, and the eost of such investigation shall be paid by the county in which the loss of life may have occurred, in the same manner as costs of coroner’s inquests are now paid. The inspector shall give testimony In any suit for damages for the violation. ”

The law seeks to insure prompt notice of the death of coal miners when engaged in mining coal and imposes a penalty of SSO upon the person in charge of such mine for failare to give notice of such death to the mine inspector. The legislation, with regard to proper ventilation, and fresh atr, is of the most emphatic character, the supreme purpose being to secure the miners against the perils of foul air. The act also provided that males under the age of 14 years should not be employed in coal mines, nor females at any age. The enforcement of all the provisions of the act in question, was provided for by wholesome penaltiea It has been remarked that legislation, however drastic, could not mitigate all the ills to which Indiana coal miners were subjected, but the various Democratic legislatures, as the records demonstrate, responded to every prudent demand of the miners. But aside from proper eqniplnent of the mines to protect life and health and guard against injuries, legislation was demanded by the miners to protect them from a species of piracies practiced by owners and operators of the mines, in the matter of payment for the coal they had mined. The purpose of these owners and operators, to all hnmaa appearances, being to rob them through the agency of “plnck-me stores, ” whereby the impoverished miners time and again were forced to the verge of starvation. Tot put an end to this piracy, the Democratic legislature of 1887 provided that miners should be paid, if the demand was made, once every two weeks “in lawful money of the United States.” And the law further provided that if persons owning or operating mines should issue or circulate any check, card or other paper, which is not commercial paper payable at a fixed time in any bank in Indiana at its fall face value, as lawful money of the United States, with 8 per cent, interest, or by bank check or currency issned by authority of the United States Government, to any employe of such person, co-partnership, corporation or association in payment for any work or labor done by such employe, or in payment of any labor contracted to be done by snch employe, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined in any sum not more than SIOO. Nor was this all of the protection that the Democratic legislature afforded the coal miners, but it prohibited mine owners and operators from selling any merchandise to miners at a higher prioe than they sell the same merchandise to others for cash. And the law imposed a penalty of not less than $5 nor more than SIOO. This somewhat extended reference to legislation relating to the interests and welfare of the coal miners of Indiana, if an apology were necessary, is found in the fact that no class of onr fellow dtisens engaged in any industrial pursuit, have been so relentlessly outraged and plundered as coal miners. In the Democratic party, and only in the Democratic party, did they find friends who espoused their cause, sympathized with them in their misfortunes and distress and came to their rescue by enacting laws calculated to afford suoh relief as was possible by legislation.