The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-07-23
mously In favor of our doing af. W

m0usfy M Iavor OF our doing &c. We
also have it in considerable Of attach
ing sick benefit fund to the lodge.
I am sorry this is not found to be 50
much in vogue among the Unions as
it should be, for Of any class Of men
who stand in neel of it, the miner
stands prominently first. Ionce saw
in procession the following motto,
which was carried first in the process
sion: "God helps those that help
themselves" and if that motto was
well looked at in our fraternity | think
we should not labor under so many
disadvantages as we just now do, and
especially when it is considered that
among all the trades on shore, the
miners are the largest body. / am
sorry we could not have the pleasure
of hearing the speakers here at this
place, who spoke at Belleville, but our
funds were so low that we could not
bear the expense. In noticing the
speech of the Hon. w. III. Snyder, !
see it with pleasure, that he stood so
manfulIy for the protection Of the life
Of the miner, and it is true, beyond
doubt that the majority of coal opera
tors think because they pay him the
few paltry dollars he works 50 hard for,
that they are not entitled to give him
any more protection for life and limb
than what they can not possibly avoid,
for the carrying on of their works.
Mr.. editor, some of those very opera
tors have stood by the yawnlng chasm
of the pits mouth and have seen sights
that none but the insatiate god Of
mammon could stand by and still not
wish to grant him any more protection.
Who but such as they could stand
alongside Of the poor weeping women,
and their small helpless children as
they there await the lifeless, mangled,
blackened form of one who was once
their protector, their bread proyider,
their all. Mr.. editor, this Is no col
ored yarn. l myself have seen the
miner brought to day lighC, killed by
almost every accident known in the
coal mines, yea not brought up as only
one man killed at time, but killed by
hundreds. But so far will the god Of
mammon lead men who hold hundreds
of mems lives IN their hands, that /
have even known the dead body of a
miner who was killed early in the
morning, to lie in hay crib so that it
might lie concealed all day from the
men, not to stop the works from run
ming. And the way it was fonnd out
was by driver letting his horse stop
at the cnb to eat. The men who
placed the body there were told their
dismissal would take place as soon as
it was found out that the body was
there. What will bosses stop at when
they wal do such things as these.
Nothing that will interfere with their
gains. Among a certain class of
counterjumpers the miner is styled as
only a ground hog, but could such
Chester Whites who have this ex-
preston ready on their dainty tongues
only pluck up courage enough to fol
low the miner to his work, see but
part Of the dangers he must put up
with, not for an hour, day or a
month, but for a lifetime probably.
Or could he see the way and the posi-
ton, ,e hardship and the hard work
he n.Lst perform to extract the fuel
from out the bosom of mother earth,
whereby to add comfort and cheer the
heart of his fellow-man, l am inclined
to think, if he was an honest man, that
he would saYsthat the ground hog was
noble animal after all On one occa-
sion a few years ago, the Prince q
Wales and several noblemen of his
suit, beng IN the north part of Eng
land, took it into their heads to see the
inside Of a coal mine Accordingly
Pemberton's Tor Monkwearmouth)
colliery was chosen for the trip. Every
thing was prepared for them and made
to look to the best possible advantage
After they got into the works what
was the sight they saw. Men working
for their very lives as hard as they
could work stone naked, between three
and four miles under the bosom Of the
earth, where the air was so hot that 9
tallow candle (not lighted) held in the
main air course, melted in few min
utes, nothing being left but the wick
After viewing.the men work by the
Pickering safety lamp, one of the
noblemen turned to the Prince and
said, $50 this is the way We obtain om
comfortable coal fires. Thank God ]
am not a coal miner" And they were
not ashamed to leave funds sufficient
to provide feast for the miners, such
an one as did honor to their generos.
ity, and which will not be forgotten as
long as one Of them lives. Mr.. editor
| am sorry have trespassed SO long
upon you, but you must lay all tho
blame to friend Snyder's speech.
will, If all goes well, forward you
next week All account of the loss Of
life in the north of Finland for a mum
Der of years past, with their mode Of
death also a poem in parts on the
Hartley disaster, and another Oh the
Hepsburn explosion. Yours truly,
WILLIAM DENT.
Cor. Sec. Lodge No. 2.