The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-12-27
A SQUATTER CONFLICT.
ThH0e Thousand Miners eff PeDEsyE
yAnia Contest the Title TO TIseiE

y =
x
Thr1e Thousand Miners eff PennsyI-
yania Contest the Title TO Their
Homes.
The Scranton penn. CORES
pondent of the New York Herald
writes: What promises to be one
Of the bitterest contests that has
yet been waged between labor and
capital in the anthracite coal fields
of Pennsylvania has been inaugu
rated between the Delaware and
Hudson Coal Company and its
workmen at Carbondale City. A
few days ago the company, through
its mining bosses, issued notices to
some Of the miners and laborers in
and around Carbondaie, who hold
land on it's property by what is
known as the squatters' right, that
unless they signed leases for their
lots they would be discharged from
the works. A committee was APP
pointed to wait on the company s
representative in this region with
view to settlement of the difficulty,
and he answered that the company S
order should be carried out regard
less of consequences. The men
Immediately held a meeting and
resolved to resist tile company to
the bitter end rather than submit
to system of villianage Or accept
leases of the land, the ownership Of
over twenty one years peaceablo
possession. About forty FIVE years
before Carbondale was a city. the
Delaware and Hudson Coal Gem
pany having purchased that tract
of land with a view To developing
its mineral treasures, found great
difficulty in obtaining men to work
in the mines, owing to the extreme
isolation of the place. According
~ the company, through its mining
engineer, Mr. Clarkson, offered. as
On inducement to workmen, lots
which they might build huts upon
and cultivate st viii, free OF charge.
In this way about 300 acres were
disposed Of. Everything went on
in harmony until sixteen years ago,
I when the company brought suit
& against,
AN CBsTREPEEOUs sQUATTER,
Sandy Mcdonald, for possession OF
a lot ON which he had settled. After
keeping the matter before the court
for some time the suit was aba,-
doned, and Sunday remained in full
and practical possession, although h
the. neighboring squatters Of that
day subscribed literally for him to
defend the matter should the com
pany prosecute it further. Some
time afterwards Sandy sold his
right to Mr.. Nealson, Of whom
the company has since offered to
purchase it. It is now worth s26,
900, coal included. Thee years
ago the company prevailed upon
some OF it's men to take leases, and
since That time nothing has been
heard Of the matter until few d;.ys
ago, when the nine bosses told
several men that if they did not
take leases OF their lots they would
be discharged The order was
stoutly refused, an organization o!
o miners and laborers' beneficial
and protective associa ton at once
entered upon. Already, in % day
Or two, 800 men have enrolled their
names. In a conversation with
one of the Oldest and most inteIli
gent miners in Carbonate to day,
he said it was their intention to
unfold the old flag of the Miners
Union again, and that it would be
successful this time He added,
'.lt is q hard thing to see men that
for over thirty years have strained
bone and sinew to build up The
Delaware and Hudson Coal Com
pany and to build up this city
crowded to the wall in their old age,
when they are decrepit and feeble
and moneyless, and when the tim es
are SO bad" The disputed proper
ty consists of about 800 acres and
is peopled by about 5000 persons,
OF a little less than one third Of the
entire population of Carbonate.
I understand that the Coal Com
pany is firm, and viii use every
means in its power to assert its le-
gal ownership of the land; while
the men, on the other hand, are de
termined to hold possession under
the ,suqatters' title and to resist
what they consider the. unjust and
tyrannical measures taken by the
company, in threatening them with
a general dismissal from employ
ment. The result threatens to be
most injurious to Carbondale, as
the place has neither manufacturing
nor farming resources to fall back
on, and is entirely dependent on
the coal works for it's support
Senator Morton On Specie Payment.
A special from Washington last
Thursday night says: