New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-27
THE COAL QUESTION.
A WORD FOR THE MINERS.

/ DOES THE UNION REPUDIAIE IFS ENhAuhMhNlS
| THE LEADERS URGE mODERATION-rlIE TUN-
MAGE oUEsTION-THE MINERS STRIVING TO
KEEP WHAT THEY HAVE AND NOT TO GET
! MoRE-THE OLD STATE OF THINGS AND THE
NEW.
! PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 2G-Whatever may be
alleged against trades unions in general and the Minors
Union in particular those organizations have generally
lived UP TO their written agreements with employers
1t is therefore, grave charge which the coal operators
make against the Workngmens Benevolent Association
when they state that In November 1870 an engagement
in writing made, and subsequently ratified by the
TO work through the year 1871 on wages adjusted to
81 so basis which agreement the Union subsequently
repudiaed Tho miners and their leaders certainly
entitled to enter their protest against such msrepresen
taons They have enough to for without incur
ring the odum OF repudating their solemn promises.
The document which the operators adduce is its face
q recommendation and not q contract. 1t reads
"The Committee the part OF the Anthracite Board
respectfully recommend the adoption Of the above pro
yded that satisfactory ARRANGEMENTS he made with the
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company for fair
reduction of the tolls"
The operators state that this recommendation "was
subsequently agreed to by tho men, and that the
aOn of jan u.s. to adhere to the 81 basis long the
Luzerne and Carbon County miners should work with
the scuykiI in good faith in direct violation of
the agreement OF Nov. 2. The question whether the
recommendation Of Nov. ever agreed to is there
fore very important one. II the Miners Union will
not keep It's WORT in that case the IL is abolished
the better II the operators make false statements, the
they return to their legitimate business Of sup
plying the public with coal the higher their reputation
will stand with the community.
on Tuesday evening last, at his house In MahanOy
City, Mr.. John Parker assured your correspondent that
the recommendation of Nov. Z, 1870. ratified
by the men, and submitted TO the several dis
trcts TO be voted by them As the arrangement
not to take effect until January, 1871 the miners
probably thought there need Of huryng matters.
Furthermore letter from your correspondents dated
at Penn Haven Junction. Dec. 10, published in TIE
TRIBUNE of Dec. 81 and written while the general sus-
pension in question still pending among the miners,
may be found the following passage:
81 am informed that the operators or the Schuykill
operators have Union Of the kind that Of the
mners) and miners have nearly concluded an arrange
ment for 1871 which is substantially the same Us the Que
above described Ohe Gowen COMPROMISED except taat
every change Of three cents in the price of COAL
This information obtained at the time from a
prominent operator who is also Of the members Of
the Committee Of Fifteen and shows that up to
Der l9-mOre than fortnight after the strike in Luzerne
Countrywide Recommendation of Nov 7 had not been
confirmed by the votes of the several districts which
compose the W. i. A. Of Schuylki County. letter OF
Mr. Franklin b. Gowen, President of the Reading Rail
road, which appears The PoSrHe Miners Journal Of
Yesterday also seems to confirm the statement Of Mr..
Parker TO your correspondent Mr.. Gowen replying TO
an article in The Anthracite Monitor Organ of the W. b.
A.,
basis agreed upon by its delegates last No
ycmber. and continued at work, there would
have been no difficulty; we should have had
olerably fair Winters business and the Spring trade
would be commencing with everybody at WORK, ana
all earning something to keep soul and body together
But instead Of pursuing this course Society reudi
atcd the agreement recommendation Of its delegates
Joined the men the upper regions in the suspension
and demanded the s. basis q minimum" In the
absence of any documentary evidence that the men,
voting by distetsand branches, accepted the prop
ostion Of Nov the above evidence must be accepted as
Conclusive that they did not accept it, though the con
trary has been widely published.
Nothing can be more than the impression
that the bndly led by the officers of the W.
b. A. Long before the meeting OF coal operators and
railroad presidents had issued their utimatum. Messrs
Parker and sney, the recognized leaders OF the Union
dhe former editor of The Anthracite Monitor haN-
ing been President 1862 and the latter holding that
office ut this time) had been exerting their influence in
favor OF the basis proposed in November and again at
the meeting in Philadelphia. In the Summer OF 1869,
after the refusal of the Northern miners TO join in the
general suspension President Sney issued circular ITO
the Miners and Laborers Of Schuylki County in which
he urged them TO compromise therl disputes with
the operators Through the influence Of Messrs Parker
and siney the GOwen compromise was adopted under
which both miners and laborers received hcenyseoen
per cent lower wages during the last five months Of the
wear 1870 than they had obtained In 1862 under the basis
then agreed to. wages il 1869 having averaged IL per
cent above the s. basis and in 1870 Is per cent below it,
The resolution OF the schuyk miners 10 adhere TO the
81 basis provided the Lenzerne and Carbon men would
stand by them, has been characterized in this cores
pondence as q foolish 1t was rescinded at Ameet
ing If the County delegates the lih OF February Mr.
siney had been working steadily to persuade Inc men
10 accept the 81 50 basis yet at these elections ofmnrs
held In the early part Of February, out OF ~ districts
President snoys the only one which voted for the
settlement recommended 10y the man who is supposed TO
be the "oligarch " of the Miners Union
Again. in considering the wages per day when me
contract miners earn, il should be remembered that
ose men cannot have full employment, taking all the
regions together than nine months In the year
Admitting that they receive what the operators claim to
nav them 81 per day for nine months is only equal TO
a. per day for twelve months. No matter what arrange
mens the operators and railroads make for regulating
1.-The tunnage" and running steadily ID all the regions II
lonly 100000 tuns are mined when full work would
roduce u OoOOO there one fourth lost time. With
the new breakers lately erected in the northern regions
In 10000 is a moderate estimate OF the productive
cspaccy Of the coal regions with their superabundant
force of labor and machinery. In the present condition
of bu sness particularly OF the coal trade, 100000 Is
liberal estimate Of the consumption OF anthracite during
the next twelve months The quantity produced last
wear according to the figures OF The Miners Journal,
was less than l5OOOO The miners everywhere are PAD
by the tun and IL evident that excepting down the
tunnage" means keeping down their aggregate compen-
sation.
careful examination Of the history OF al the coal
strikes for the last two years will show that nowhere
have tbe men struck for CHER wages but in case
against a reduction The Wilkesbarre Coal and Iron
Company have never had any trouble with their men
since they gave the basis and could 20 to work tomor
row were they not bound by the operators ana carrying
companies league. This company are depriNlhg th'-
selves OF large pecuniary returns ny lher deiouoo W
! this capitalists Union.
Lastly the reports Of disorder and terrorism when
come from Pottsyle aud other points must be taken
with many grains OF allowance. The men III