Rensselaer Journal, Volume 12, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 January 1903 — PANORAMIC REVIEW OF THE YEAR. 1902 [ARTICLE]

PANORAMIC REVIEW OF THE YEAR. 1902

Happenings of Importance During The Twelve Months Just Ended.

CoaJ Strike the Eveht of tkc Year of the Most Far-Reach-ing Importance—Public Sentiment Thoroughly Arouseu Over the Controversy. The year of' 1902 opened with the assured certainty of the early coming of peace In the Philippines and South Africa, and with the date for the establishment of an Independent government In Cuba already determined; the Congress of the United States was rapidly approaching the favorable determination of its great problem of the construction of an isthmian ship canal, and abroad Germany and England were almost ready for combined action against Venezuela in the matter of those same debt claims which in the concluding day of the year have been the cause for a new strain In the Interpretation of the Monroe doctrine. But as the outcome proved, not' even the greatest of these matters possessed for the people of the United States such vital Importance as another event, which was far from being foreseen at the time, and which, when It came, gave at ths •tart little reason to suspect what its course and conclusion would be. This was the great strike In the anthracite coal mines of Pennsylvania, which lasted through the summer and fall. It was not merely that this was one of the greatest strikes in the history of the United States for the number of men en'gaged. the length of Its duration and the obstinacy with which it was fought; nor was It because of the mere fact of the inconvenience and loss occasioned by It to the public; nor yet because in securing its settlement the President of the United States was forced to take control of the situation by acting In a manner for which there was nothing in the constitution or customs of the land to give justification. Beyond all these things the strike was the most pregnant event of the year, because of the way it crystallized sentiment on the part of that great body of the American public—the consumers—who were concerned in it neither as employers nor as laborers, but who were forced, by the jeopardizing of their own interests as consumers, to intervene for their own protection. The strike began May 12. and the miners did not yield an inch In their resolution until they voted tp return to work Oct. 21. after arbitration had been arranged for. The number of men involved was 147,000. The price of hard coal In New York, where the factories were accustomed to no other fuel, rose from $3 to as high as *2O a ton, with often no supplies to be had. The demand of the miners was In part for higher wages, but still more for a regulated and fair method of weighing and recording the product of the men, by which the union, acting ■as an organization, could protect its members’ Interests. The mine owners, organized in the most thorough monopoly in the country, and i represented by the presidents of the coal carrying railroads, seemed to welcome the strike, and contemptuously declined all proposals of arbitration, from whatever source. Whether their attitude was dictated by a desire to obtain larger holdings of stock in a demoralized market or ito make possible permanent higher prices for coal, or from a deep antagonism to organized labor, was a matter only for speculation on the part of outsiders. Through the strike there has risen as one of the greatest among the great figures of Americans of the day, that of John Mitchell, the young leader of the Mine Workers’ Union, who June 17, at Indianapolis, prevented the bituminous coal miners from striking in sympathy who carried on the strike with less accompanying violence than was ever known in so great industrial disorgyw’zatlon before, and who, despite great personal aggravation from his opponents’ methods, maintained a serenity that helped not a little in the clear-sighted progress which he made to ultimate victory. With the finding of President Roosevelt’s commission of arbitration next spring will come the end, as far as its immediate incidents are concerned, of an industrial struggle that would never have begun had the representatives of capital showed themselves as true to their agreements and as intelligent in their views as did the representatives of labor. Independence of Cuba. Of the two great events of the year In connection with the treatment by the United States of the islands that fell under Its influence as a result of the Spanish war, the first was the inauguration of independent government in Cuba. The Cuban Independence day, when President Palma took control of the executive office, was May 20, Just three days after young Alfonso attained his majority and became king of Spain in fact. The popular election had been held Dec. 31, 1901, and the electoral college had chosen the Island’s president Feb. 24. The American military governor, Gen. Leonard Wood, lowered the American flag and left the Island to its own resources. Peace in the Philippines. The Philippine Islands were declared by proclamation of the President July 4, to be in a state of peace and quiet and worthy of the establishment of the civil in place of military government, for which Congress had provided. With this went a proclamation of amnesty to political offenders and civil administration began. The Year’s Legislation. Of national legislation during the year there was none of more Importance to either the commerce or the naval power of the country than that authorizing the construction of an isthmian canal. After much discussion of the relative merits of the Panama and the Nicaraguan routes. Congress made provision for a 1200,000,000 bond issue and passed • law which gave President Roosevelt the power to decide upon the route. Of other legislation the passage of the national irrigation act, turning over the revenues from the national domain for the use of a comprehensive scheme of Irrigation, and the creation of a permanent census bureau are to be noted. To relieve the congestion of an ever-accu-mulating surplus. Congress removed the last bf the war revenue taxes and passed tl*e largest river and harbor bill In the country’s history—appropriating *65,000,000. A 10-cent a pound tax on colored oleomargarine, so heavy as practically to cut that Industry in half, was lmposed. End of the Boer War. The Boer war was brought to an end Mhy n by the signing at Pretoria by ,

the Boer representatives, together with Lords Kitchener and Milner, of a document embodying terms of surrender. The Boers’ persistence in the conflict had won for them the conditions on which they had Insisted when they were ready to yield more than a year before. They had not been holding out for Independence, but for clemency for their leaders and for the return to South Africa of the Boer prisoners on English islands. They gained these things and also the gift of *15,000,000 In cash to be used in the restoration of their agriculture. and promises of further loans as they needed them, together with the assurance that self-government on colonial lines would be rapidly granted them. The Venezuela Imbroglio. At the beginning of the year Germany and England were acting in harmony on a plan to compel Venezuela to pay a few millions of debts due their subjects. It was understood they had given the United States assurances that they would not in any way overstep the limits set by the United States in the Monroe doctrine. Their plans were dropped during the spring and summer.

however, while President Castro es ezuela found himself busjt In suppressing l a rather mors than usually pretentious revolution. In the last month, of the year German and English fleets suddenly appeared off Venezuelan ports, sank. Venezuelan ships and announced their intention to blockade the ports and seize the customs to make good the debts. Arbitration at The Hague was not wanted by the European, powers, as they feared Castro would pay no heed to a decision against him, and for that reason a proposal was made to President Roosevelt to become the arbitrator. Thevital feature of this demand was that it sought to Impose on the United States some responsibility under the Monroe doctrine, along with the authority admitted to It. Upon the refusal of President Roosevelt to act as arbitrator theallied powers finally yielded to his urgent suggestion that the matters at Issue be referred to- The Hague tribunal, for settlement. Matters of General Interest. Of matters of other than political or Industrial Import during the year two. which wIU be at once thought of are Carnegie’s *10,000,009 gift to the Carnegie Institution for the fostering of scientific research and investigation and Cecil. Rhodes’ great gift of his fortune by will The sending of the first wireless message across the ocean by the Marconh system was one of the great achievements of the year. The first signals were sent In August from Nova Scotia to. Cornwall, but In December they were followed by complete messages from. Lord Minto, governor general of Canada.

to King Ed wand, and to the king .of rtaiy. In the matter of the navigation of thee air some progress was made, as notably when Stanley Spenoer sailed thirty miles across London lh September: ; >Yh« year witnessed one of the' greatest disasters In history during the volcanic’ activity In the West Indian Islands, when' Mont Pelee’a eruption on: Martinique killed, with a Handful; of exceptions, every living being of the city off St. America to the story of suffering was such a prompt creation- of both government and private relief funds as to add an additional great: surprise to> the- many the United States has given, to the- world 1 in the- last few years. Decrease, in Lynchings.. The lynchings reported in 1902 show a most gratifying decrease, being but nine-ty-six as compared with 135 in 1801. Of these lynchings eighty-seven occurred' ln> the South and' nine in the North. Of the total number eighty-six were- negroes, nine whites and one- Indian. One 1 woman was lynched lh South Carolina, Fire. Losses in 1902. The- total fire losses of 1902 will be about *154.600,000, which Is an improvement in the situation as compared with 1901. The decrease- in the fire waste would: have been still: more marked but for several large fires In December. The losses this- year of *100,009 and upwards reached 1 a- total' of *T6;850,000. Disasters in the United States. The following table gives the loss of life resulting from disasters of various