The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-06-26

Shawnee mines Why? cheaper there? 1
Not so, but dearer, for when they could 1
get it done BY the men who had mined /
for months for them at the cheaper fig /
ures of . and cents, they give 66 1
cents per ton for mining it at Shawnee, I
when they could have got it done by the /
men they were trying to starue into sub |
mission at so cents. in Straitsville.
The Operators knew how hundreds of
the honest miners had been induced TO
go into Building Associations, had paid
largely on the shares, and how eager
they were to pay out and save their
humble homes. 1t was not hard to bar
gain with such men, on fair terms
The object was not to so bargain with
them, but to force them to abandon the
Union and to dig nut coal for nothing;
and in case of refusal to force them TO
forfeit their homes-to turn their backs
on the churches, the school houses and
other monuments of their toll and good
citizenship, and even to bid farewell TO
the hearth stone around which the fam
ily is accustomed TO cluster in the storms
of winter. All this the miner can do
! all these sacrifices he can endure, but to
give up his liberty 10 belong to an lnno-
cent, but at the same time useful, organ
tization-he eaRHot-he sciH not.
To add to the treachery of the opera
tors in not keeping their contract with
the miner at so much according 10 the
time Of year, they began paying the la
Dor in script 90 days after date, in place
of raoneu. The miner woul1 take this
precious document to Logan where ID
per cent discount was demanded, Turn
ing home to find provisions for his little
ones, he is offered at the Dry Good Store
OF Coal Co., goods &c, in exchange for
his script tcithout discount but the prices
paid for every thing finally leaves him
worEted % per cent.
Why should he not then feel like pro
tecting himself against further extor-
tion and bad faith?
In one instance the money was ready
for the hands at the appointed time, but
before it got to them a game of infamy
and wrong is to be recorded. The min
els thought only Of delay not of dis
honesty on the part of the Operator.
They were told if they would go to
certain bank in Logan they could get
their money. They went. Ten per cent
was deducted, and thus somebody stole
$1,000, earned by the sons of toll.
The last game of vilfainy was to in
duce 300 negroes from Tennessee to take
the mines and coerce white men into
slavery. Only 75 of these remain. The
, balance have been assisted home by the
miners, by the citizens Of Nelsonville,
and Middleport, Ohio.
Assistance for the needy miners to the
amount of S13375 has been sent from
Logan, and $500 came from Cleaveland,
to Straitsville.
A prominent Operatorsgives out that
our miners make as high as S133, in one
month.
r am authorized to say to him if he
D can show the average of his hands in
: one year to be $40 per month, he shall
have his coal mined for II months at
so cents per ton, provided he don't want
nut coal mined for nothing.
), The truth is, work was suspended al
h Straitsville January 20th 1874, not by
r any fault of the miners, it may be, moi
IS by any fault of operators-save those
t. only, who sent their work over to Shaw
e nee and there paid more for it, than il
: would cost them at hone.
i The miners are willing to work bu
It unwilling to be slaves.
} The citizens of Nelsonville have Civ
l. en- their whole sympathy to the min
ST ers. Plans are in progress to give work
/ TO 700 of the idle miners there withou
g demanding unreasonable and oppressiv,
Is terms.
;" The fighting heard from so often gen
y orally comes from the Operators hirini
ie gang of worthless criminals at larg
X wages 70 go into the mines, who are ap
y to insult or abuse the more qniet an
a. regular hands, get themselves licked, an
. then there is great cry of persecution
raised against those who value their lib
g erty and dispise all tools of oppressio
eS whether black or white.
The last murder was occasioned by
" lying telegram sent over the wires b
one of the operators, saying: "Men fror
- Straitsville are on their way to Nelson
Vile" The Operators there sent ont
VI guard, who seeing a man whom they SUP
He posed must be one of the expected part,
IN fred and murdered an innocent man.
When coal was 9 cents in Columbu
=, O., the miner was paid cents for dig
ging. Now they offer q when coal
;as Is cents there, provided the miner wi
"A submit to the commands of some bod
20 wishing to be his owner.
n. Bernard Rogers and Thomas Dola
he are a Committee on the part of suffere
or at Straitsville to solicit aid. They wi
I'M be in Somerset on Monday next, togetl
he er with others from Straitsville, to tai
We up their side of the case, and brave IL
ch oppressor's power. They say they al
,lv willing to mine coal cheaper than eve
by but to mine it for nothing, or to pers
he cute the Miners, Union is not to be e.
nm pected of white freemen.
he SOMERSET.
Ut Scribner's Monthly for July.
pr
y, Scribner's Monthly for July contain
III some notable features, not the least