New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-01
THE COAL MINERS STRIKE.
THE THEORY OF "BAsIs" AND ITS PRACTICAL
APPLICATION.

APPLICATION.
70 the Editor Of The Tribune
SIR: The movement of the miners this sea-
son was not termed by them, and was not propeFy'a
"strke" that s standout for higher wages IL wasa
suspension OF mining by the miners for the avowed pur
pose Of stopping production reducing the quantity OF coal
I'm market and thereby enhancing the price AT the time
OF suspension surplus in the market over the supply
Of was 7l232 1t is now snort Oh lasI year
ga tuns making decrease Of lOsl6j6 tnns inc sus
pension originated II schuylkill County, paruaIB
instgated and generally supported by inc
operators The suspension of last year uS6s) also
originated in and was confined TO schuykin, but this
wear they very naturally said Owe will not suspend
alone to put up the price Of coal while the other regions
continue 10 and reap the advantage OF our sspeh
slon while we lose months of time" To properly under
stand the subject it will be necessary to explain the con
dons OF mining aud the relations of the different inter
ess connected Herewith in the three anthracite coa
fields viz: the schuylkill, Lebigh and wyoming Vhe
latter comprising the Wyoming and Lacka"ahha var
Ieys In the schuy region there were IN 1868 l29 COL
eres I'm operation producing about 35OOJV tuhS lna'
went 10 tide about onefourth OF the toa
6uctiop These colieres owned ana worked by lnu
ydua firms or small corporations, who are generay the
lessees the mines being owned by individuals IN Fa
delpha by the City fPhadelpha(under the Grarq Wl
and ;n England The operators do not own or control
Tho TRANSPORTATION to market That is monopoly OF the
Beading Railroad Company, owning the railroad and
controlling or owning the Sohuolkil Canal, the two out
lets eastward The rate Of freight charged by these
transportation companies is regulated by the price OF
coal in market and the Reading Railroad regulates the
price Of coal in the schuylk region At the price at
which coal opened IN the Spring at Elizabeth Hoboken
Rondout Newburgh aud the other shipping points Of the
NeWYork market it was impossible for the Schuylkll
GENERATORS to sell their coal In the NewYork and eastern
markets after paying the rates for mining and transpor
tation except loss. 1t was also evident that as a
surplus Of coal being sent TO market, the price
ii ,f1rfF ron
sary that the operators should either stop their mines or
the OF mining be reduced The remedy resored to
was suspension" or stopping the production OF coal
until market being stripped Of its surplus and short
supply becoming imminent, prices should advance Ihat
maudcd has been conceded In Schuylk, which amounts
r. us s that the miners control the coal production OF
the Schuylki region and when they elect, may At any
time suspend stopping production ana pun inc price
ply comes from the tide market the principle then
of the basis" proportion OF the market price OF coal
the miners will be great fools II they succeed IN all the
anthracite regions II they do not carry HE price Of coal
S2 higher and thereby make double the amount OF
wages or work only half time, ana make the same
amount Of wages that they would with the price at Sc
In the Lehigh and Wyoming coal fields the condition Of
mining aud the relations Of the various interests CON
nected Herewith differ essentially from the sGhuyih.
sections, the bulk OF the coal IS mined 10y corporations
who also transpOrters, owning railroads ana canals
aud 1t the competition between these rival companies
that has Kept the price OF cOaI loW leIe pelnh away
full or supply. There are SIX corporations VINO
two of which, running through the Lehgl
region, carry its product AT the price at
companies together with Individual operators, we're
losing money their mining, but the transportation
charging the regular rates OF freight rms state OF
thngs-an Overproduotion and the composition between
In the low price Of coal, ana the miner was wei pald
the Operator-who exclusively sucllbeng IN reality
the only sufferer He would inevitably have had to sus
pend reduce wages; the "suspenslon' however was
fnaugurated by miners Except I'm yielding the prn-
cipe of control over ones property, IL would be
no doubt time 10 the pecuniary interest OF the COM
panes yield to the dozen men or executive committee
who control Miners League, the companies would
get the largest share OF the advance ana me Mets
League would be pretty careIul not 10 eI iase
ton carry the price OF coal down. as competition sure
In respect to the general principle Of "basis" or
NprOpOrOU;" in political economy assume these
Second: Capital is accumulated labor Labor is a com
modify dsposing OF itself when 1t pleases, where 1t
Is the sole owner of his the farmer Of his
duct the operator OF bis coal ana the each possess
they may elect You cannot fix price to sell thing
which YOU do not The operator cannot TX plce at
which the miner shae his labor any than the mi
ner can price at which the operator shall sen MS coal;
each eau fix price that he will take for what belongs TO
him and then all control what the other possesses
On the principle OF OASIS the Iatin manu- lgh NJ
say the farmer "wheat being over produced ana you
must plant only much and fix the price at So Oushel
the ground, OF which demand 81 as my proportion
Tine iron ore miner might demand proportion for his
labor basis the value Of hair watehsprngs at HOOO
pound; or the raepeSeT might say 70 .o roHSSc o
of which demand a fixed proportion To show the fal'
most cases where proportion" Of labor 10 capital can
be carried mutual advantage We ma nae Deeh
ages or fisheries generally it established and very
properly for there ownership Of the sea or the hsh
\ that swim therein. The corporation that mines and
transports TO market 100000 tuns OF coal annually
has on its payroll employs from the President down.
say 1900 meD, Of which 5O0 OF ABOUT one elRt, are
miners Now on the principle Of basis" or propor
tSate empIoVed. would control the otheF seven
eighths Capital is accumulated labor, and the
extent having saved 900 days OF his labor at IS day.
and he may build house, as many DO, employing the
carpenter and nssOn VINO might on tRs pinClpIe % o
'bsis" their own valuation upon the house ana de
mand proportions or the miner may JOIN WIN otueI MI
ners who have accumulated and become an operator as
DONE bat think IL Will be dlicuJ 10 mo inc
first one, who, having been working MINER ana subse'
Queuy operator, believes in basis But the com
Iany that mines 100000 Of coal annually, and en-
o 10 900 men has $4,000 600 OF capital which t has
pended in the machinery or tile mines IN faOaus, IN
canals, &c, with their equipments, all the product on
hands Of individuals who had accumulated IT, or, In
other words IL has 100000 days labor at e day In hand
against 100 days labor that IL employs and as each
daily labOrcr miner Otherwise may leaVe any bght
and demand his wages the proportion OF these figures
be the just one, and which would result on inc
principle Of the basis In 1900 men controlling 75OOO0O
But the accumulated labor capital In the mines rail-
roads and canals is Fixed and permanent, when cannot
be taken away any night and set TO work elsewhere the
following day. II therefore certainly shoulu receive on
any ust principles OF relative values more consideration
IN proportion than the transitOry and shfunR daly
labor aud Is and benehcent that capital should
be accumulated and concentrated Tor without coaI
mines could be developed breakers built, vast sys-
tens railroads. canals aud transportation material 70
carry coal markets cheapy aud eXpeduOusly could
strueons are result OF capital accumulated labor
opening up the vast fields upon which the daily labor in'
cident,theretO subsist5. NJ
RakesbaTTe, June Is, 1862
LABOR VS.. CAPITAL.
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: Few would deny the right Of any class
OF operatives to combine in peaceabe manner in order