The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-03-12
FROM ILLINOIS.
MURPHYsBeRo, March 1, 1870.

MURPHYsBOR0, March L. 1911.
10 the Edisor Of the woRkuexAz's ADyOcArs.
Il is with pleasure that I attempt to
address you in regard to grievances in
this place. notwithst anding my delin-
quent feelings upon a matter Of SO much
importance. But, Mr.. Editor, while
this 10 the case, feel and know, thank
God, that / am throwing myselfin front
Of the battle; that am there to defend
my rights and the rights of the
many thousands of my co-sufferers
in bondage, under the iron hand ofcap-
ital; and while this is the case, feel
confident that we, the miners of Mount
Carbon Coal Company demand moth
ing but what is just.
Now, Mr.. Editor, we desire to make
you and the many readers Of your most
valuable paper, acquainted with our
troubles in Murphysboro. and 1 do be
lieve, that we, the miners, Of said place
will have the sympathy of all the labor
ing men of the country. In the first
place we were all noti6ud by the bosses
Of the company that, on and after the
18th of January 1870, there would be n
reduction of from $I.OO to $l.IO. We
thereupon called a meeting Of the mi
ners and resolved to send delegation
to wait upon the head superintendent
Of the works, for the purpose of ascer-
tanning the cause of said reduction.
The superintendent said it was not be-
cause there was surplus of men, nor
that the market had come down on the
prices, but that he had a cause for it.
Notwithstanding this unsatisfactory ex.
PLANTATION the miners went to work after
notifying the superintendent that they
would give the company until the first
Of February to put in scales at different
shafts, for the purpose Of giving us fair
weight, which we did not get hereto
fore. But the scales were not put in I'M
I'll about the 9th of March, when we re-
fused 10 work and called meeting on
the 7th Of the same month, and through |
committee informed the bosses that
we should work no more until we could |
receive fair play at their hands.
Now, Mr.. Editor, fairplay is some !
thing that has not been known in this
place for sometime past The cars here
are the same now as when the work .
was first opened, when, for car level
full, the miner got twenty-five hundred:
now the same carts are filed from eight
to ten inches above the level, for from
one ton TO one ton three hundred. And
this is not all. After ii ascends from
the workings to the screens, it is run
over a screen fourteen feet long, seven
feet wide, the bars an inch apart, and
OH the bottom Of this monster screen
there is door to stop the coal from
passing out until ali that is possible has
gone through then what Is left is let
into the railroad car, hen the man
they call weight-master looks il the car
and guesses at the amount of coal in the
big car, and pays the poor miner ac-
cordingly. For all that goes through
the monster screen the poor miner gets
nothing; but if he should, at any time.
NHuhO q AOdO III LlS USE vi MS I3mllY.
% keep his wife and children warm
hey company will charge him from !
70 10 cents per so pounds for it. This il
partly what has caused the present
strike. The company claims to take
} ,240 pounds to the ton, but can't see
or the life of me, how they could when
he coal was only guessed at and not
at all. Further, when thew
'ell their coal they sell it at twenty hun
ired to the ton. Now, l think it very
Unfair in them asking Of rs more
han they are willing to give in sale.
4 we buy ton Of coal they give TWEEN |
y hundred, and in digging the same ,
hey ask us TO give twenty two hundred ,
md forty pounds.
We have also made a demand on !
hem to send the props and caps into ,
he work, which has not been the case ,