The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-01-13

Strikes.
We alluded the other day to 3 strike
among the coal miners in the nc.gh-
borhood Of Washington. Davies
County. The Washington Democra
furnishes US tho following particulars
of the strike:
The coal miners az the different
banks in this vicinity, numbering
about 200, are on a strike, and
from the manner in which they are
conducting things, they seem TO be
we'll organized, and mean business
this time. 1t appears that their en-
p~loyers on the first OF the present
\ month, lowered their wages from 5 10
s cents on the car, wheTeupon they
struck, and not only demanded their
old wages, but an advance OF 8 to s
cents per car, dbCUe their old wages.
As to the real merits Of the c0Dtro-
yersy we can't speak; having never
mined any ourselves, We cannot say
what it Is worth, but We hope the diff
feulty may be amicabiy adjusted, and
that the spirit of live and let live
will actuate both parties so that the
work may be profitable TO all.
The following notice, which was
stuck up in different places, speaks
for itself:
Notice-T0 aU Whom Il Nag Coa-
cern.-Know sc, that it has been or
dered that any miner who shall work
for broken wages, shall be dealt with
In a way that will cause him to wish
that he had not been born. By order
of those who will not he imposed on
BY any such. I'm union there is
strength" WAsHINGTON MINERS.
We think the miners commit a
grave mistake, as we'll as do positive
wrong, when they resort to threats
aud violence. They have a perfect
right to form their organizations and
fix the price at which they will work,
but they have no right to say that
others shall accept their determine
tons as the rule for their action.
When they take that position, they
are no longer a body of men band
cd together for mutual protection,
but a body Of tyrants organized
to impose their will Upon unwilling
associates. The sympathy Of the pe6-
pie is at once Withdrawn from strikers
when they resort to. threats and vio-
!, lcnce, aud the results Of their strikes
are generally disastrous to themselves
as we'll as annoying to the industrial
interest in which they are at work.
1t does seem as though there ought
} to be some unanimity Of action aud
, feeling between employers and en-
pIoyees, by which these repeated
strikes might be prevented, but
none seems yet 70 have been dis
covered. While il Is evident, theo-
retieally, that the Interests of the
| two parties are Identical. practically
, they act as though the success Of the
one would prove the ruin OF the other
5 The a~ntagobism betwesneeapital and
, labor seems to be as unroleuting as
that between vice and virtse, rcligiou
, and infdelity.
Why don't the Washington miners
organize a cooperative society, open
a mine on their own account, and
t bring their old employers to terms in
that way? IF they are conoious that
their employers can pay the prices
demanded, and still make a reason
able profit on their work, surely they
could, by combining their efforts,
mine the coal and secure both the
/ wages aud the profits. Is not their
failure to Go SO a confession that
their demand for increase Of wages is
unreasonable? We dare say but lit
tie trouble would be experienced in
leasing a mine on reasonable terms.
Why not, then, prove in a substan-
tial and tangible way the correctness
Of the position of the employees,
that capital realizes all the benefit
arising from their labor, which it
meanly refuses to reeompense in pro-
portion to its value?