, 1874-11-19
HARD TIMES,
They Come Home First
to the Labor
ing Men.
The Policy Of Reducing Wages
Being Generally
Pursued,
How the Miners Strike In South
ern Illinois was Brought
About.
The Men First Cheated, Then
Traduced, and Final
ly Oppressed.
A Hard Strike at Fair Lawn
ColIiery, Near Scran-
ton, Pa.
Riotous Proceedings at the Mel
sonVille, O., Mines.
! Another Conference Of Puddlers and
Observation-Disclosures at
Pittsburg.
Eastern Railroads Reducing
Wages and Retrench-
ing Other Ex-
penses.
Riotous Proceedings at the Mel
sonVille, o., Mines.
Another Conference Of Puddlers and
Observation-Disclosures at
Pittsburg,
Eastern Railroads Reducing
Wages and Retrench-
ing Other Ex-
penHes.

The Southern Illinois Miners, Strike.
8peeaat Dispatch 10 Th< Chtcaao 1'r,bnn<.
Co111Ney11LE, Madison Co., Nov. 13.-Aa
stated In my dispatch OF yesterday, the coal
miners strike In this district bus ended for the
present. say present, because do not believe
that the reduced price for mining hns been ac-
cepted Without mental protest, and resolution
to Bcizo upon The 6rBt favorable opportunity to
force tho price up again to conts bushel. Tho
mon generally won't to work yesterday morning,
and, 10 far al could learn, nccoptod3 centa. It
Is said that in few instances they arc rocelvng,
as before tho strike, cent? per bushol. With
all the investigation which haVo Giyen the
matter, which has not boon little, have
been unable to fix my OF tho outrngeB which
have boon charged to have been committed by
tho Union during tho strike upon tho per-
sons and property Of mine owners, upon this
bers Of tho " Union we're engaged in some Of
them but this Is denied. All tho property de-
etroyod would not reach 800.
THE MOTT SERIOUS CHARGE
Is that Bome OF tue miners, night before 1aat,
rolled loaded car from the Hide-track on to the
main track of tho Cairo shortLine Railroad.
and caused collision between 1t aud coal
train, which, however, dld not result In any loss
Of life, and did but little damage. Still, II 1t
was tho work Of tho men, 1t gaYe evidence Of
tho same abandoned heart as though life had
been lost and property destroyed. do not pre-
tend to decide the question. Good mon of
high character believe 1t to have boon the
work OF tho miners, aud base their conclusions
upon tho iact that the coal in tho ooal-train had
| been mined by "blacklogs, and>a tho IL Union" "
Was unable to cause these mon to ceaso work,
and thus cut of tho supply Of coal to St. Lou y,
they choBe this means to doit. say this ia the
theory of honest, fair.minded mon. On tllo
contrary, 1t il INSERTED that, it there had been
no strike, tho proBcnoe Of tho car upon tho
! track would hayo been accounted for BY bo-
! ing blown from the sido-track on to the
| main track by high wind Which pro-
vnited.--a thing which not unfrequontly
happens. This charge, md that Of sottlng fire
to the coal-mino OF The Bluff Mining Company.
aro equally we'll maintained md disputed.
| There is no position to support either. and they
alone rest upon tho circumstance that tho coal.
| miners wero on a Etrike, and thus the motive ia
| found. I do not 1nean to apologize or Justify
the etrike but 4m forced to tho conclusion
that, in this instance, the pEopriotors OF the
| mines are rs mich to blano for it III arc the
| minors themselves. It was
NOT STRIKE FOR AN ADVANCE
OF WAGcb, DuL TO 1Qnl1aLAlU tuq 6Allo NASch Which
tlloy lad been receiving for almost a year past
Thia alone they asked. notwithstanding the
price Of coal had advanced, and WAS still nd.
yaucing in tho market, aud its production COB
| the proprietor no moro than when sold at loef
| and still reulun erutive profit. Advortiaementt
had been inserted in mining newspapers in onit
and ponnByEvatSn, stating that miners were 70
cciylng conts bushel In tho BoIloyille Dis
trict, and that there Was room fo
Into the district between 600 and 500 minors
Immediately upon their appearance notice VIA
seryod upon tho operating minors that wage
must conie down. to cents, at labor was plenty
and some OF the proprletors had already secures
men for that price, and others could not com
pete in the market unloBs thoy reduced also
Thus tho strike begun, and from the beginnint
tho largo operators have beon indifferent abou
it's termination. lndeed, 1t is said that the yer
men who GicsiEnod to reduce the waget
and who. first gayo notice to tln y
effect, had large quantities Of coal stored IN 81
Louis on wt.ich they Aayo already roalizcd a
advance Of from u to II cents buBhel, With
fair prospect Of an incrcaso.
! Those thir,gs AAyo forced upon my mind tn
conviction that ~
THE PRorR1:rons AAE NOT TIE INJURED PAHTii
tloy protond. to be. In Bnying tins, ! do not hol
the, miners blanelosA:. Tho strike continue
had to Hubnlit to tho reduction. Thel
arc In this district 1900 miners and tho
ayoraEc enraing is s9 per day. Tho strike ha
tharhtore. lfIen maintained ut loha 70 tetn
e72, 900 for tho two wooks Which thoy remalne
: idle. They violated tho 10y by going OIL tt
premises OF persons engaged in ooal-mlning. o.
interrupting their employment by lnttm.datlE
their workrpeu. II not by actual force OF arm
by tho ooerciye poeuaBion Of number
III another instance they, barely eschre
ir eacapo thoy wilI, boing guilty OF . conspirac
to injuro tic trade OF another. h1r. KlooB,
largo operator Ind also. in connection with n
| mil a M mi
i IutionH jrl their lodges not to drink any Of h
). beor: nor would they allow i to DO nod by a,
os1e in tEe interest of tio "union," unloss !
Immediately discharged btu blaok-logs FROM L
> mlnos.
THE STATUTORY PROVISIONS
- Under which theae several lAwleAs acts oan
punished arc found In Sections 1853, l59 mud l
of tho Criminal Code, page a70, md S1e.
r. pago 35a. They are 500. 1885,
4 II any two Or tnore persons shall combine for I
1t purpose Of depryiug Tho posYessor OF pre-
ery Of ~ lawful use and management OF Of prove!