New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-17
THE COAL TROUBLES.

ehgh Valley Railroad. hauch Chunk is the great coal
center OF Iehieh region Hearing that OF
this section were about to strike again, hither
Saturday and found that the "basis between the
and the Lehgh Coal Navigation Company 10 satisfactory
TO both parties. This, however is not the in the
Hazleton, Upper Lebigh, and Beaver Meadow regions.
II will be necessary 20 back little In order that
may understand the OF the recent difficulties
4 Most Of the miners employed In this State are
from England, Wales and Ireland or course they
mere nneducated and ignorant OF almost everything
tanning TO this country to the people For many
they have worked for whatever the operators chose to
pay them, and h not until last year that they at
tempted to organize, except in two localities
Previous 20 this there frequent disturbances and
often strikes attended with riots and sometimes
with bloodshed The Miners Union has been in Ope-
ration but few months yet it Is acknowledged that the
result Of Its efforts have been for the better Each OF the
10000 members on Joining the organization agreed
to strike except with permission from the Union, which
| is responsible for the conduct Of its members
This is not all Heretofore ignorant acted the i'm
pnlse Of the moment might lead them Now they
olled by the most intelligent Of their numbers and is
for this that the strikes have been
cessfuy carried out As the intelligent be-
gan to gain the attention Of the miners they showed them
that for hey had been tools In the hands OF
coal operators and they Explained 10 them by argument
and by figures how immense annually realized
by those who handled the pick or drove mule
The question then arose. How should this DO remedied
hours In reading books and the newspapers presented TO
them the principles Of cooperation The listeners
apt enough to that the only way just
muneraon for their labor 70 share in the profits.
After meetings aud deliberations, IL proposed that
the operators give each co cents tun for mining
and aew him l2 per cent all proceeds when the pnce
OF coai went above IS NewYork The idea that ignorant
workmen should have the mpudenoe 70 ask to share
the PROFITS realized by the operator and commission
dealer struck them being the hight OF impu-
denee Tho UniOnEsaid, Very well, we will sus-
pend work" On the 10th OF last May 25OOo
men threw down their picks and went home. Ten
days afterward 10000 moro quit work. The operators
laughed and the good people Of New York and Phadel
phia said, 1--WE understand this little game has been
played before We will walt until Christmas when
coal win be cheap" They waited, and the strike
tinued for ak weeks, when tho German Pennsylvania
Company of TreseOw acceded 20 the demands Of the
miners and shortly afterward the other companies fol-
lowed, with the exception Of the Delaware and
LaekawannA and Western, and the Delaware,
Hudson at Scranton. These stll hold out
against the Work was resumed, and for few
weeks the city people and the manufacturers began
10 take hope This state OF affairs did not
long for instant the Lehgh operators met
Mauoh Chunk and the nextday they informed the
that We longer carry works, and do JUS
tce 10 the public ourselves this basis" 1t was re-
solved that thereafter the estimate OF tunnage OF
shall be B cubic feet This order went into effect this
morning, and to-day 5000 again left the
mines When work will be resumed no one knows Many
do not expect that the strike viii before Chrstmas
The declare they viii not touch pick until the oper
Ators willing 70 carry out their contract, they
agreed.
ThAve talked with operators and miners, and find
that somebody does great deal Of black lying The
operators have the following story TO tell: The miners
are mean ignorant treacherous OF scoundrcls who
would not hesitate TO kill man II they thought they
could make nve cents by IT. "A for gratitude they have
none, and they 20 be paid $50 a day, they would
want as much ever. The operators bound hand
and foot Though they have expended hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars build their works. yet to-day they
have not the least control OF their affairs. II
Is discharged the Unions consent must be obtained
No person be hired unless the Union willing. The
men allowed TO work only certain number OF hours
per day. and permitted to take out than
each day. Tyranny reached such state OF
perfection before 10 the mines OF Pennsylvania No
human tongue tell how much trouble the operators
are put TO- BY day and by night they In constant
dread Of assassination. An operator told me that he
never knew when his life safe while within reach OF
the miners No arocty ia too villanous for the 10
carry out The Union nothing for the acts OF its
members and the story OF It's good deeds is false.
union composed OF bad men Ia necessarily bad itself
II In nothing for man TO make $40 and Gas
day and then be Is not satisfied The present high
prices Of coal result OF conspiracy got up by the
miners aud the operators doing their best to break It
nm One operator told me what had heard from Others
aud that he offered 10 give the men tho use OF ms
mines engines clerks and IN fact everything ABOUT
the concern they would pay the freghts to Newf0rk
This they refused, saying that they had mueh oeuer
nsdo s aSaly be- forced to call out the militia Ny
informant did acknowledge that the transportation com
paDes took share OF the profits from coal after
been losing dollar on every tun That nave mined since
the new basis accepted" Never IN the history OF
SSyzatoD were free people subjected TO such outrRges
informed that not more thap Tour nlhs OF
the miners can read write Their brutay only eh
ceeded byther senshDess and hypocrisy such are the
the nation Surely Is disgrace 10 our institutions
sneaEiSg ON this subject to member OF OF tho
largest coal mining and coal transportation compane IN
,n,ners are we'll founded The present difficulties tho
fruits of long continued abuses Had the operators done
ny T TEsy h ySS cheated and oppressed their moH
until thew will no longer submit, or believe word they
tell them The gentleman relef th say ,oI
aud kind when they are treated decenty ana nhuy,
was told that the stories oS the present basis
was untrue. Perhaps they were losing one uouhr per
ad .na oSr have heard more than one person
declare that the operators sna ones In particular sau
as sprIpR IL the miners did not strike they would nave
n, ZION their busness Others say that they refuse 70
give the men the basis now because they want 10 Du
the market The strlHe VIII nahH nanr On i phsdeI
mia continue blame the miners ana 10 ueIend the o
orators This hurts the % b ana Engish are
strongly IN favor of Geary Even the Irish SPEAK "e
Ot MS % are xeTy much incensed at the editorials OF
TI Pnafirer In reply TO its charges they challenge tho
editor TO prove that teey are hs oSerstos want It to
come down them give the wages they nave agreed 20
They had six weeks 70 ma out wns.hor ey ad hon
tina miners seeking control the market Ibs IL her
statement: When all OF tne men are ,S @
Ia 90 600 tuns were required this year the amount re-
CURED will be about ~ orS moSersteIy sl the year or
AZ least nine or months than 70 gut the market IN