The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-02-03
THE MINER

D 7iNi'''''AN 'aNNAN 'AiA''F "''AAN' A''N
with your permission. through the ADvo-
CATE. t. offer fcw remarks ia this nice
little circular
~ N, N.pb.rs ~ ~ E-rerd I>,.n,bjn pf h'
S'Jte ~ Illinois,
At a meeting ui the Pruprlctors oi coal MINES
of Illinois, held At Springfield. un the ninth OF
January. 1872. the following resolutions were
unanimously adopted
Il, >,,ir,A. That We earnestly protest against
the passage nf Iluus, hill 6g4. pertaining t.
coal mines, n"~ pending IN the House Of Re
prcSentatIveS. believing the sand hIll t. he lie
stuctivy uf the coal mining interest Of the
state. and that the practical effect Of the
passaa, Of this llll viii he L. impose upon the
IrcIrietors II coal mines such burdens and re-
stnctIous eifrc:ually tccIlpple, If not destroy
thi> important interest throughout the State.
E.sofr,f That the provisions of this bill,
especially THAI providing t"r the appointment
~ Al mSlt. tur oi miuv>. AMI the further pro-
VISION r~iuiriu- the sinking ot escapement
shaft, .un taa Years. are unjust and op-
pre>>i'c that q, earnestly appeal ~ the Gen
ersi Assembly u"t 70 pass this Tall. as It's pas
sagc must inevitably prove a severe blow t.
tie cual mining. interest aud work financial
rum t. the awurr- " mines iu many portions
u the state
ftf'ffff..s ilstl q 'tN ''t tAsts't ttNRAAti'ii'
be placed ia the h.,ris VI each member Of the
Senate and Hons, N Representatives.
VI. 7 Scott, President Mclrau tp Goal Go. f;
a. T. Bunker Geu Agent laltlctt Coal
AImln. Cu.. 4 = tfaniall. President Abby
coal Mining Co James Cartside President
Alma 4 CArbrn,lale toal Co; A. j. Bean,
Supt Western Cual 4 Mining 60: g. q. God
FREY. PrySt N,1ull"n. Chicaeu " ilmington
coal Co.. II : Porter Pr,st Oglesby Coal
90: a. r.. kngShury, >upt hmgsbury Coal
4 Mnin. tp-. t "a Wicker. Frest. Illinois
Valley Cu.d tn. T. H. >tevre. Frest. Bloom
ingtou Cual Mining co.,. HI ". Bullock, Prest
Pontiac Coal GO. j. W TIT. Prcst Nirlen
Coal co.. n l. Marsh \ Co.. Pruprietors Of
Fairbury Coal Co.: u H. Hart's Secretary
Lincoln Teal Cn.: A. Eathgcber Il Co., pro
I prietors Of tiirarl Coal 60.
I The PRAYER If these deVout men is, that
the representatives de- not PASS House bill
Y M. 694, the modified miners hlll, than
which more temperate measure could not
I have been drawn And why dn they pray
81 lvt Us ask Because II will etfectually
cripple. if nut destroy. this important in
tercst throughout the state. NJ such
thing. Mr.. Editor. there ~ nothing IN the
whole instrument. construe il a. they viii,
\ that could lead men. acquainted IN the
\ slightest degree With the art ~ mining. to
I such a conclusion There is nothing in the
/ practical operation ii such measure. were
/ it III force to-day. which would deter the
profitable pursuit II this industry Such
was the cry IT Owners IN other countries
and in other States If the Union, when
such a protective law was demanded by the
people. Do the facts in the working Of this
law Justify the cry on the part Of the pro
I 1r, Tlfn.,fa Mo think
not The profits in the business are as large
nov az they were then their property is
more safe because it is less subject To
] breakage and entire destruction. The
miner Is protected from the results Of in
competency and carelessness Of men in
I charge, who too often receive their appoint
ment To- positions Of trust and responsible
ty. not because uf their efficiency and abll-
ity t. execute the duties devolving upon
such office. but from other reasons which is
no part IF our business to refer to here. 1t
is enough to know that this is one Of the
prime causes why the Legislature is appeal
ed t. hy the miners to give them protection
from the unnecessary dangers which arise
from the want If the adoption of the best
method i'll operating coal mines, and want
uf knowledge If these, ON the part of the
managers 1t was possibly excusable in the
owners ~ mines when the question Of hav
ins governmental supervision of mine:
brought into practice was first agItated, t.
appeal {" the effect it would have in driv
ing away trade, or Gripping them in theil
operations. because If the strictness i'm
l,osed uI,un them and to which they were
subjected
Now how widely different the matter
stands. and how feeble it renders the rea
sons advanced on the part Of the mine pro
prietors Of Illinois against the passage o
the Miners Bill 1t is now an established
fact which cannot he refuted, that in Eng
land, since the passage Of the Miners
Regulation Bill, the business has beeI
carried on as prosperously as it ever wa
before. and pays as large dividends, If no
larger, than ever. In Pennsylvania w
find the same results flowing from the prac
tice there. and why Illinois should he al
exception we cannot tell We are of opin
ion. however, that the operators i'll TIN
State are afraid of a shadow-ln the futur'
"a thing Of no more real substance, bu
something Of their imagination, becaus
there is not a single clause in the whole bill
and we perused it carefully, that canno
be utilized AMI rendered Of advantage t.
them. instead Of being detrimental: we d,
not even exempt the escapement shaft
The money expended in constructing TIN
second shaft can be turned into prohta
, BILE investment, if properly and Intelligent,
managed.
This much, in general way: let us nON
briefly examine the objection raised agains
I the having Of an officer to see that the pro
vision nf the law he enforced, and carrie,
out according to the meaning of that law
In the first resolve, they oppose the pas
SAGE of the ''bill'' entire-next they thin
possibly this is too sweeping bill OF som
kind must be passed let us strike at tn
means ofexecuting that law, and we will, b
so doing, crush it as effectually as II tn
bill had not passed at all. What-in tn
> name Of all that is good-could they expec
an intelligent body Of men to believe tn
/. statement that if they did enact law fo
the benefit Of large body Of its citizens
not law to enrich these citizens by way Q
I, giving them a monopoly over their fellow
men, but to enrich them only by THROWN
the protective arm Of the government Q
the State around them, and shielding then
from violent death, or lingering and pam
Q full suffering, from causes which ought no
:. to exist, if intelligence and humanity wer
only linked together in the appliances OF tn
best methods in working our coal mines
. that the appointment Of an Inspector, a
/ a salary Of $1,000 year or so, to see tn
provisions Of said law fairly and faithful
carried out, would be SO oppressive to ther