The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-03-06
FROM PENNSYLVANIA.
ScHUTLKILL COUErY Feb. .. IsCo


Py gay that the WoRKIsgEAN's ADVOCATE
has come to her relief Now the miner and
lAOOreF can lay before the public their griey-
ances ~ an open and candid manner. With
out leaving i to those who try 70 carry 49,
on both shoulders, but lean to the capitalist
For thirty years the miners have been treated
no better than beasts Of burden, and indeed
not as well IS coal operators carriage horse
but now that the miner has discovered bis
real state in life, ne is denounced BY even
those that Lave no connection with tie
mines further than that tbey get good liv.
10 az indirect way by the labor OF the III. ,er.
As you know every community has certain
number Of lOafers and sharks, bat this county
has more than double portion suckiag tie
hearts blood q Dc miner, and what with
me operator grudgng to pay fair wages, and
the hosts Of devices to take what little The
miner gets by very dangerous and onerons
iAhor under ground from morning until night;
aid, 4 Perchance, one gets cut early III tbe
afternoon, be il looked upon with suspicion
as having too much price especially if the
operator sees him-snd at TIE same bme
that man may have put in shot 10 loosen
coal that be does not 70 near, but which
would be down by morning.
We have many an operator here that FOR
tear dare not 60 into Lii own works, but il.
stead be clothes some miner with brief ~
thority as boss, and generally, some man
with more "gab" than knowledge OF his
business, who is ever ready 10 catch hold az
the least flaw, to blow" sbou. ". MANY Al
operator has been broken up by such fellrws
and the poor miner bad to father the blame.
4 for, as matter Of course, the miner rus. do
the work a. be - tol !, right or wrong 20
that very often the work has to Be gone over
and costs more the second time than If done
right at first, and so It goes But Just now
another hue and cry l. raised against the
miner, iOrsooth, the operator has To more
control OF his works Whyy icarse of
this Oaion An that's the rub let j. sift
this little before II goes farther. Now, sir,
IT'S well known fact that drowning men
Nill catch A. any % ~, " Ii il only a straw.
IL u well knJwa also, that tile Working
mems Benevolent A Is ciatiJn has male aII
It's actions public; Il has nOthiag to conceal,
the OBJ CT OF getting II up was similar 70 any
traces union 20 protect themselves against
oppression, and be sure IL was no small iuh
ID organize the county with Its ten thousand
members, | might say, IN SIX months for
although It Is nearly year Old, six months
since lt only numbered one hundred ana tifv,
but thanks % the nnwearied perseverance WI
our worthy Coundy President, MI " ,hn
olney, Of st. Car, Il has reached is present
strength but 1t must not stop here. An
the Anthracite cOunteis will c ime together
asserting Their rights m the race Of nfe by
making most u their capital, which s labor,
the only real wealth Of the country.
But, says the operator, have no control
Of my work, for, # discharge one man, nv
cOlliery will be stopped, that's an "b0shp
no workman ever forced himself IN an
! operator yet, nor would a miner STAY al
job against the operators Will, for, although
set down as drprsyed beings, the miners
have some spirit and respect .or-themsely,s
lett yet but because they 10 longer allow
: themselves TO be abused il's wi wrOng in the
} OPERATOR estimation.
The operators started a Union after as
and placed foreigner at tie heli 10 do the
dirty work, and with all their Intelligence
! cunning, and secrecy (an1 VINO does not
! know the reputation Of the Scnu XIII o.
orators for shrewdness 10 business) some
!, how It Is wrong directed, 50 that neither the
optrators-with few exccptions-nor the
/, miners or consumers are benefited. lie works
INTO the capitalists hands all Ne can, lust
Look NJ the middlcmen, with their untold
wealth, gAsned without dirtying their fr :
gers. How long this will remain so we can
MT say, for ",hey nave gene back 10 their
Idols" undersellng one another snd coming
| nome 10 the miaes saying We must pull
your ages down, coal is a." Preposter-
Gus, yet TACT But there it IS AGAIN. the
men will stop work before a reduction N
\ wages Ihh men arc getting il into their
: heads THAI such operators ought 70 break 10.
E they believe they can hold out longer than
them, but at least one thing is certain, they
| Will not take one another's Jobs or work fJr
} less wages.
! The great trouble with the miners u their
} lack OF education, which makes them 80 la
} bic to mlstakes,-but il they we're educ,. "a
thy wouldn't work in mines--s0 we must
Bear with one another, one thing u Gel tain
that they spend freely ali they get,-with
wy trw exceptions, hey husband the
widowed, and father the iatherless, aud In
| directly give considerable money to many in
want, and mucn more to those that ere able
70 work every imaginable device j. rot
! ready ~ pay day ID take their hard earned
! Wages, from the bogus hx-chase, 20 all
through ill last bat DOT least, some church
: has faT or something else, so that al are
alike Caught IN the money trap, religious
z auA .ip
! trouble lies with as. We from our comm IN
) fare mode of living ong { TO nave sayed
} more last fall than we did. but We sill live.
and hope to profit by the distress II The
winter, and until the operators shows WV
that one ton Of coal more will be used (out
OF the large amount necessary tor this year.
if offered at half price. We will suG.r no
! further reduction OF wages.
We are not 80 insensible but ID know th,t
furnace viii not blnE out fOr the srke 0f
dollar ton more FOR coal. We know tlo that
1t is capitalists that are the priGcipI con.
suGiers, and Who IS meaner or more ready ID
take adv Ihtage Of his feIlo w. man than a caD-
} Italist. He twists and screws with ingenuity
surprising our limited capacity 10 fAEno ~
Those are the c1a burn r. not the pD,r
those are the men the operltore wants us
to risk our lives IN ths mines to dts Gu sao
coal for. NV, IA all conscience, ought not
the operators b. ashamed W themselves and
their Management, while II e miner i endea.
Vorlng TO battle oppression ID instsai Of
assisting their own people, are doing all
they can 10 keep Fhem- back; they evsn wv
sort 70 SANDER. Have We not fJr many long
years wasted our strength, anl lee our cni-
dren go Ignorant an nearly naksl? How
many OF our fellow workman have W. Lid
10 premature gr4veP Look around VA
see the number Of miners that vi any other
trade would be bale and hearty, VINO Any, nJr
emDac'atej, or crippled by wlllful esleet Il
their employers; who run everything aatil
the smash comes, or the gass explo Ies. or
the light won't burn. II IL hizh tims these
matt "a wera TAXA. ~ hur1 I.- 49,