The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-05-19

""" O"Ieos.
!, a MAYER Oh such great moment totne pun
ny US tns recent movement III tho coa re-
Blon OF rennsylvanla certainty is, mas very ,
D naturally exeited wldespreaa interest. mere
Is s. mucn amniguiy as 70 INC origin OF the
dlneulty, but Of one thing the puone may
De assured, that the pmeuchi result % any
protracted strlke mus DC m increased price
LOT coal during the approaching season. In
TACT, the ayowal IS made that IS strike
among the pennsylvania miners, deloerately
gotten up by the coal operators as q pretext
70 raise prices. IN JUSTIFICATION OF TINS be-
llei the New YORK Times publishes letter
from us correspondent at scranton, Penn
sylyania, dated May IA, from which we
quote
"a great industry has been paralyzed and
three teeming counties, which lately throbbed
and hummed with incessant, earnest labor,
have been made the home OF idlcness!
Nearly every coal mine In all the anthracite
coal region Of Pennsylvania Ii to-dny Silent
and deserted. .. 90 r."E..E 3.-1
''The great majority OF these sons OF toll
have come forth from the bowels Of tho,
land, and are resting from their LAHORE,
with no very clear comprehension of why
they have come or why they rest. Ninety
nine In hundred Of them were conscious
OF no wrongs they were enduring which
would justify them In seeking for redress BY
casting their wives and little ones into the
Jaws OF starvation, but they have done II In
obedience TO the command of a committee,
which Is the lord paramount of all this ro-
glon. Every miner In all the mines Of Lu-
zerne, Carbon and Schuylkill counties, which
embrace most OF the anthracite region, 70
member Of tho Protective Union which has
been formed among them, aud this union Is
ruled by O central committee OF about
dozen men. Thirty thousand men yield this
dozen an unquestioning obedience, and three
great counties that give evidence on every
acre Of the most prodigal outlay OF capital
TO make labor valuable can be paralyzed by
the nod of the dozen.
at was something wonderful to sec the
thirty thousand miners Of the anthracite
region thus moved like puppets, and as every
novel yibrated through Trinity Building to
| affect the New York market, q shrewd sus-
plcion was entertained that capital rather
| than labor was dissatisfied, and was seeking
to force the miners into suspension for the
purpose Of forcing up the price Of coal In
| New York, and this suspicion was accepted
as verify when II was boldly and publicly
charged as fact by some Of the leading
miners. 1t is an undoubted truth that the
miners, who are never prepared for q strike,
arc now less prepared than ever. With the
| exception of the Welsh, who arc chiefly at
Hyde Park. the miners are an unthrifty race,
| and live literally from hand to mouth. Many
| of them still owe debts for subsistence con.
tracted during the great strike Of three years
ago, and many more are from thirty to sixty
DAYS behindhand on current expenses"
The Miners Journal of Pottsville. Pa, In
its issue Of Saturday last, has a lengthy ar.
tclc on the suspension OF work at the mines
In which II Is openly avowed that the evil
dent object is to get rid of the supernbun
dance Of stock now on hand. 1t says;
Gan the collleries were suspended In lie
high and Schuylkill counties, and as far al
Pittston In the Wyoming region. The latest
accounts state that II was understood thai
the men would also cease WORK above Pitt
ston TODAY, II il the intention to sus
| mend until the 3lst inst, or list of June
This ncriod IL Ia believed. will remove the
surplus coal in the market. Another sus
pension for A week or so NAV become me-
cessary some time in August, which is abou
the dullest portion of the summer season.
"After this year we do not believe any
suspension will be required, as the demand
will be up to the capacity Of the collieriei
now worked. After Congress adjourned
without adjusting the tariff question, tn,
CAPACITY of the coal regions was much greater
than the demand for coal was likely to be
At least one million tons Of coal could b,
mined beyond the wants of the market, ant
we suggested to those engaged in mining
coal not to push business, but to work to thu
best advantage, so as to make little profit
or ut least saye themselves from losses thi
wear. The trade generally acquiesced in thi
view OF the case. The carrying companie
were also aware Of the situation Of the trade
and on the proposition Of the leading firm II
: the Wyoming region, they were In confer
ence In New York for several weeks, to d
vide the trade among the different region
mn To the wants Of the market, and limit
to that quantity, making the lesser quantit