The workingman's advocate., 1869-05-22
1.-THE MINER.
Written fOr the AAv, cars.
YOUR COAL OPERATOR.

temAu His position such mas an intimate
relation to yOnIs. that | think one or two
views Of him, will not be out Of place. He
is an agent through whom you 40 the 6nan-
cial part Of your business. There are more
than one variety OF this class Of individuals:
some are coed, some bad you know; some
are gentlemen, others the ouinesence Of
mcHnness. The former we care little to
treat Of in a sarcastic or unfavorable light !;
they are civil and spproaehable at any
time.
We viii begin with those who 90 not
possess so high place in our estimation;
species Of homo genNS, We are at loss to
say on what soll they are indigenous, they
seem to contribute so little to the happiness
q other people. How they managed to
md their way to this region, We are at
loss to know except they are entieed tere
by the glitter Of the 6G-k Diamond, with
which The interior Of these rugged noun
sins are enriched.
We can only partially study bis habits.
his worst phases We viii for deeency's sake
Jet alone.
Before you meet with bim Of a morning,
he has breakfasted from q table more heay-
ily loaded with choice yiands than the one
you have satisfied your appetite from. HE
bread md butter must need be more palata-
ole than yOurs, before be csn swallow it.
He is not blessed with so good a digestion
az you are, ami yOuI humber fare has a far
sWeeter relish. or morning be viii drive
past you on bis way to the mines, splashing
you With The mud as it flies from the wheels
0i bis carriage. This is your mornings sa-
lutte, and rude as Is Is, il is all you are hon
orcd With. lie thinks you might have been
ln tbe mines an heUr ago II. be looks at
YOU Do ID seldom without a sCowl lie seems
az value you as bus tool, sort Of means
he uses 20 gain bis purposes. You place
more value on the tools sou work With, for
f you loose these, YOU must replace them az
your own cost. II be loose you ID h.s bad
ly ventilated coal mine, be can replace you
without reference to his ezcbequer lie
Eould r9t prov De YOU With a coffin, IL you
sacrificed yol life ID bis service.
lie arrives at the mine, where you seldom
come 10 direct contact with him bot YOU
feel bis influence through bis boss, as You
feel the mfr nee Of the gslvanic shock
through the wires connected with the bat
terry. He pulls long faces TO the miner
boss tells him the market IS down, and
v0ur wages must come down to correspond.
Then the boss pulls a longer face to you,
and augments the reduction both Of market
and 0f wages n a corresponding degree. II
YOU submit TO the reduction, be is credited
accordingly, and laughs in hIs sleeve, at
tha success VI issue OF bis business, little
dream irg-poor idiot-Of the robbery be
has committed, for the sake Of a little
worthless approval. or Of The future judg-
ment in store for him, fer his and the repe-
tiu0u Of such action. The mean master,
endorses the meaner action Of the more
meau bosses. They are well mated, and
understand each other perfectly in such
matters. You poor man are nobody be-
tween ihe pair 81 a morning Ok tie mines,
ard worse than nobody Of an evening,
while they jingle their glasses of punch io-
gether, and report the adventures and busi-
ness Of the day. They bot laugh At the
manner DO which they have tricked Y0u aad
AZ your claErin Bot If news come that
mule bas met with an accident at the mines,
che merimut Subsidies they viii venture
ont iu tbs darkness and stem the storm 70
visit tho poor animal, and endeayor TO re-
lIcye II. They would not d. SOU the honor
under tile same unfavorable circumstances
no the sun might shine brightly and the
distance be short, you would not receive 80
great favor a. q visit from these w0rIbies.
Nor viii they allow your misery to enter
their thoughts, OF east a gloom over their
merTimeut. Let your injuries be uf fatal
character, and your agony beyond the limit
Of human endurance, it will not affect them;
their pulse will not make an extra throb on
your account 4f YOU are "hard up" and .
your struggling helpmate applies 10 them .
for aid with tears 10 her eyes, 90 that she !
can have proper medical assistance &c, they I
may possibly present note recommending 4
your case t0 the attention Of the tOwnEhip \
relieving authorities, whose aid may not be I
as prompt az your case may require, and /
you may be thus rendered , cripple, or may \
be a corpse il consequence The matter
would be quite different with the poor mule:
The farrier would be On the spot ia less \
than sixty minutes. II you are a stranger 7
under such unfayorable circumstances, your 4
poor wife leaves them with cold sinking
sensation in the region Of the heart May
God help ycu, If you have no other way OF
obtaining relief than through sucf an agen-
'yi How much the EOrse-if Your case
proves fatal-for those YOU leave helpless
behind you. Our worthless will seldom at
tend you 20 your grave care nothing for
four widow and orphans.
After your hard days work is done, and
a. you are coming home enveloped ID coat
Df coal dust which has settled On your Der.
.on like alayer, and which makes yon AZ
oiack az our common enemy; with your
legs bending under you with fatigue. and
from the effects Of breathing sbad arg
onr operator may drive past you again,
'prinAle you with more mud, give you Il g
ana unmerlted scoWl then leave you far
behind TO trail your weary limbs home.
iive you lift2 He would see YOU far
,nougb hrst. we're be in possession of car
Rage accommodation for balf dozen Of
Tou, God forbid that all our operators
hould be like him, and that there were no
'ther county than Schuylkill, in which 10
nine coal.
After you swill of your layer Of coal
lust, pull those grains out Of your eyes
Fbieh often require the help Of your better
lalf-dress the most severe of your cuts
nd wounds, and you 20 out with plaster
'r1amenting the bridge Of your nose, 70
'rea the fresh air, and walk the street,
7ou may meet your operator again, as be
pulls at one end Of a highly favored cigar,
be smoke Of which is almost puffed into
iour face--not 90 much intentionally, az
or want OF care and thought mean YOU
10 not receive bIs respect in the shape Of a
'iVll salute, to which you are justly entitled.
ma the nearest approach to which is but
De aroma Of The aforesaid highly favored
igar.
lie Is antagonistic to vorkiugmen's COM
,iuations in general, and particularly SO to
bose Of the miner; he speaks vehemently
I'd bitterly against them predicts their
peedy downfall the prediction being but
be ofisprlng Of bis wish. lie opposes move
rents made IN the direction Of prevention
accident, he does not care about tbeven-
iation OF bis mines says he has known |
zen work where the powder-smoke was so .
lick that you could lave ent Il With a !