The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-10-09
THE AVONDALE HORROR..ITS
LESSONS.

Already one would fancy that the horror
of the AvOndale slaughter has all but died
away. True, here and there, we read Of
meetings being held to collect money to aid
the destitute that have been left BY the des-
truction Of human life. If the American
people should now let the matter die away,
then they will fail to teach the lesson that
such massacre Of human beings fails to
convey. They now have knowledge, and if
they fail to act on it, should the like occur
again, (aDd il may at any nOment( then
will be SAID with an awful truth, - Ye knew
and you did it not" to provide against such
a disaster. That the men were sacrificed
because there was not q second outlet or
shaft there can be no doubt. The Lack avian
ma & Delaware Railroad Company though,
through their President, must have coal
worked cheaply. In order to gain this end,
the lives Of the miners stand in the wa7.
This 10 no matter. The dollars and cents
ust be preserved for the balance to the
company. No matter what may happen to
the miners. In England or Britain such an
event could not take place. In 1862 stat
ute was passed which prohibits the working
81 coal mines without there be an outlet
other than the mere working shaft. The
Hartley calamity OonVulsed Britain from its
centre to circumference, and a Law was in
stantly passed to prohibit the working
with only one way Of getting out Of mines.
The American people are as full Of Sympa-
thy FOX their fellow men as are those Of
Britain. They have now the knowledge of
the laws made in the other country. They
have had their AVondale. Let the whole
people cry aloud and cause the poor miners
10 be protected from the svarice Of the cap
italist everywhere. The miners themselves
have clear duties to perform in this fearful
crisis. They have learned that capitalists
can secure organs throughout the country to
circulate lies so foul, when 1t suits their
purposes, that evil itself must be often ap-
palled at the attrocious inventions they will
thrust on the public to divert the foul stig-
ma that falls at last on themselves. Moth
ing 10 too malignant for them to invent.
They raise the cry that the mine had been
4 fred BY an iDcendiary." There was g bad
blood between the Irish and the Welsh
and it is supposed to be the work Of one
Of the latter" Anything more wicked,
vile and sbominable than this foul Eugges.
lion, FIRST uttered by the Scranton Republic
an, We believe, never was invented. The
miners should have their own organs in
journals well supported by themselves, which
at all times would be leady to cast back
any foul aspersions made BY the hacks of
Capital against the workmen.
Again, the miners know that among the
capitalists the most potent arguments you
can use with them is through their pockets.
At present, when they, by neglect or other
wise, cause the death Of their fellow man,
the destitute has to be fed and be cared for
by tie charitable and the humane. We like
The divine feeling, but We think it uDcalled
for in nearly every mine disaster. They are
as q whole, nearly all prcventible. The
mines ere ron for the benefit of individuals
or companies. If the law cannot reach
these fat corporations now, then let it be
changed so that they will be compelled to
support all made destitute by their opera
tons This done and We will hear no more
OF such like cases as Avondale. Il 10 our
opinion clearly in this case demanded, not
Wltstanding the charity Of The people. to
have the case tried, to fully determine if
liability was involved in the working with a
single shaft. The attaching Of all the roll.
ing stock OF the Lackawanna and Del.w.,a
Railroad Company, even for q time. until
the question was settled, would have its la.
son
II the report be true that the SuperiDteDd-
ent Of the adjoining mine saw the danger
and wanted the evil removed, bat that the
genius that rules the Lackawana, knew and
"did il not" We envy not his feelings now,
if he has left anything that can call up re-
morse. Some time ago mine disaster took