Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-02
woRCBS TER.
The PennsyIvanla Coal Troubles.

The existing trouble in the coal regions of
Pennsylvania, began in April, 1870; and its be-
ginning was occasioned by an attempt of the
Operators" or employers to change an existing
contract with the miners, in order to reduce
their pay. That contract, which established the
Sliding SCALE" provided that the movements of
this scale should be regulated by the prices of
coal at Port Carbon; but provided, also, that
the pay of miners should not slide down below
the rates indicated by three dollars ton at that
point. There was no trouble under this con-
tract, until April, 1870, when the employers un-
dertook to change 1t and compel the miners to
submit TO have their pay slide down to lower
rates. That Is to say, they ordered change Of
the three dollar basis, IN order to make the rates
Of pay slide down much lower than was agreed.
It is probable that the employers, having accu-
mulated large amount of coal, at the various
points of delivery, for sale, desired to suspend
work in order to sell out at advanced prices,
and took this method to produce "strike."
Be this as it may, work was suspended without
producing a coal famine; and the suspension
lasted several months.
At length, in the beginning of August, 1870,
compromise" was effected, in which the
miners submitted to ''slidiug down SCALE" to
be regulated by lower rates, at Port Carbon,
than three dollars ton. This arrangement
was to last until November, when rates of pay
for 1871 should be fixed. In November, it was
agreed that two dollars and half ton at Port
Carbon, instead of three dollars, should be the
lowest price by which the sliding down of the
pay should be regulated. It was understood
shat all the parties to this arrangement, would
adhere to it in good faith; but, on the first day
of the folio wing month, employers in the
LacKawana region, suddenly declared further
reduction of wages, to which, of course, those
in their employ would not submit. 1t was un-
derstood by the miners, that this was only the
beginning of hostile movement by employers,
which was to be extended into all the mining
districts; and, very soon, the strike became uni
versal. 1t continues still; although some of
the miners are at work, Eat high wages" we
are told. A correspondent of the Philadelphia
Inquirer, writing like an attorney of the en-
ployers, reports the following as a statement of
one of the miners, without seeing how it affects
his own side of the question:
hundred, run the whole thing fthe strike.
They are supported by some FIVE operators,
I cIss y IN ,S mnG o incl
and making fortunes during a Strike"
This statement is probably an invention of
the correspondent. If it were true. il would he
pertinent to inquire WHY the give employers'' or
ouerators are taking sucb good care of ga connie
of hundred" of the controlling members of the
miners association. The coal companies have
more than once been charged with being in col.
lusion with the leaders of that association. The
charge NAV have been true TO some extent; but.
in this case the correspondent to whom we refer.
has. doubtless. written fiction. He like other
attorneys of thu coal monopolists. aims TO mis-
represent the whole case b1- hiding or misrepre-
senting facts. and by stating or insiuuating
wbat is not true He shows unscrunulous zeal
to misrepresent the miners to the public, and
would feel unspeakable pleasure, if they should
do something violent To misrepresent their
side of the case. he repeats published assertion
of the EMPLOYERS, that the miners averaged
from 1929 to S4.O5 a day." under the Angus,
agreement, without being honest and truthful
enough to add, that out of the daily pay speci.
fed, each miner was Obliged to pay a laborer
who worked with him, loading his car and NOV
ing his coal and, also, for powder, oil, cotton,
shovels, and other things used in mining. He
actually received only what was left after de-
Quoting all these charges.
The question, in the present case, is not
whether the miners association is good thing
or bad thing, but whether public opinion will
justify the proceedings of the coal companies