The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-02-08
MINERS NEWS.

AAA DUAaa
Ne. Alex. Mcdonald who last fall made a
tour Of Inspection 70 the mines OF this coun-
try, on behalf Of the United Kingdom, I'D
dressed meeting Of miners in Glaagow rs-
Gently, when he said:
he was happy TO cay the old friends be
met in America were In good health. and
be was also glad to say that every one o.
them declared, that under no circumstances,
unless that Of complete immuni' rom la
Dor, would they think ofreturnii german
emily to the land Of their bi Hear !
Passing on to consider the threatened redue-
tion Of wages, be said there was no dub;ety
in his mind whatever as to the course they
should pursue. He looked u~on the rednc-
tion Is uncalled for, wanton in the highest
degree, and tending to produce q state OF
poverty and degradation that would be dis
grace to the country. and disgrace to the
class to which they belonged. Hear, hear
The cry which bad been raised that Belgium
and France would outsell Britain in the coal
and iron market be characterised as a bug
bear. Even II it were true, was that a rea-
son why they should submit to a reduction
Of wages-a reduction which was unealled
for, and which would bring penury, poverty,
and restitution to every one of their fami-
lies.
Ho emphatically said no. But be assert
ed that Belgium was unable to outsell Us in
market. Hear, hear No Belgian work.
ma1cculd work like q British workman.
IApplause.1 Britain bad the finest race Of
miners on the face Of Gods earch. THear. I
Moreover, the normal condition OF Belgium
was snch that it could never compete with
England. The difficulties Of mining were
greater. The same was true with regard to
France. In both countries the miners were
paid saeh low wages that they could only get
butchers meat once a week-on the Sunday.
Laughter. Lower the Belgian workmen
could not go; lower the French workmen
could not 60. Were the miners Of Scotland
to come to the condition OF these men He
emphAtically said no. Hear, Hear.l Ehere
was only one country in the world that could
compete with Britain in the coal and iron
trade. He referred to America. He had
there met with working miners, working
joiners, working carpentars-members Of
every ,rHde-all over the country. He had
become familiar with their associations.
and With the rules of those associations
and had ret and mingled in meetings of
worKmen IN nearly every city he visited. He
found the testimony Of the men to be 10 th,s
etfect-that as rule they did not .link their
employers desired they should come TO the
pauper prices OF the old eountey. He had
met with the most extensive emplovers e
labor on the western side u the Atlantic.
and they had expressed their perfect horror
at the pauper labor of England. Thew had
expressed their perfect establishment that
the workmen OF England should submit TO
pauperdom as they we're doing. He felt
convinced Americas was the only country that
could compete with Britain in the coal and
iron trade; and the intention or EMPLOYERS
there was not to reduce labor to that noint
n" had not found large employer of Ia
Dor IN America who was not prepared to cav
TO his workmen-"I will give YOU a share Ia
the concern; we think the time has gone
~ when the worklngman is merely to be
dictated, and ordered to do this and do that
we want to raise our men to the position Of
sharing W the concern" (Applause.) He
had found this on the part Of the largest
employers Of labor in America. and when
such was the case England had nothing n
lear from competition there. With regard
TO the present state Of matters hers there
was dimnnition Of 81, 900 tons in the stock
Of pig iron as compared with the Correspond.
ing period OF last year. That DroSed that
the trade was not worN. b.t .eood "a
healthy. The masters admitted that "a
true; but they said Cleveland was running
them out of the mark4.. and thew mn nat RIM
down their men 20 compete With c,evsl
Now, he held that workiugmen Were.uottoI
be useo as goods and chaiteIs 10 serve the
purposes of spectators. Looking At the
whole matter, ne believed the position of the |
miners was not such that they could success |
iuliy resist reduction at the present moment. |
An army undisciPlined and il confusion was
sure to perish. He would ~, 'Accept, but
only lor ume." While they accepted the
reduction, let them now agree to organize
themselves and meef q fortnight hence to
learn the progress Of the movement. Bv
that day month they would be in . position /
(. q ten now Tar they We're able 10 10 !; and ift
they all put their hand to the work, he mad
bold to say that the hour Of triumph which I
The masters thought they now .enioyedl
wcSid be the shortest lived they Bal ever
mad. Had All their struggles, he Ak eds been
q vainf ha@ tims only fought er7 bring
poverty nearerS II not, then let form
Lnaf moment, organize and il the. 40
. esty Nesid be 6Sssssd from their bsartSs'
ExPLosIoS IN CoLusR1Es. I.ondo,
Times, in discussing the catastrophe at Fern.
ials Coiliery, thus refers to the verdict A..
lived at in ths inquest -
we concur with the Miners National Az.
.ociasion was not permitted to at least salts.
ectory, ana might possibly have been SER
'iceAbie, 10 hear the opinions Of sucb Wit.
iessss upon the catastrophe itself. and the
genera dangers which ii represented The
auH we present system appears to lie In
variety OF slight defects at its several points.
2 theory 1t 10 complete at least. no addi
ron - suggested to it; but in practice Il
aus- he men have their safety lamps. hut
ney nnd the means of neutralising fha safe. !
pard the owners ventilate the mine.a Int
os always ehectually, and there is a. 1ceis- :
sr OF the ar draught from day to dsy, a.
here might be; the 6remen are on the look
ut for fre-damp, but there lie no record Of
herr reports and the outside or indepen- q
ent inspection, which should keep an thisi
'achinefy in order, 10 not sufficient for the Ia
urpcse. The sources Of danger are well :
noNn, and the requisite representatives. are IN =
resumed &c DO In aeti0n, bat their is no se< I
asaty Tor the ccnstant alieiency Of the whole .
80 the resalt q seeu,in al. IA
strophes like that at Ferndaie. s1d a. "a =
coy, Me should think, will not Ia long
Athheld aitarso terrible q waxni6g.
poA1--szs PsoDucucx, InrpazAz1oz, AkD :
xRe1y< zzoE.-xhe coal atseistics o. ths ID
nis1Q nfetea show thaf in 1867 the supply IN
enthEaclte vas y. e50.571 hama being an 9
l1sPase ~ sg6i tons OVER ne previous o
&C 81 b,sumlnsgs and asmi- bisuEinousi .