The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-07-24
No. 81

VIII assist In the solution OF the problem
The putting through of all hands nigh
bring punishment home to the deservin
one, but this would produce serious conse
quences, and only augment these mysteri
Gus prOjectIles. This much has beel
proven by actual experience so the sever
man, for his own sake, is obliged to keel
his eyes in the direction Of the telegraph
Besides the "pegging Of Goals "-whicI
Is sufficient explanation of those mystic
rlous projectiles alluded to-there are
Thousand and one other tricks practised oI
the slate picker boss, which are the result
Of the ingenuity and invention Of thos,
one hundred and one boys in a coal break
er. II the boys play the deuce, it is more
for fun than through malice. The severe
man does not relish it, however.
But what is this that arrests the attcn.
tion Of every one while the fun is going
on and the wheels are turning Every
one in the breaker, young and old, is
startled by cry of alarm. 1t is not o.
hre, but every one is on his feet The
noise Of the coal rafting through the
screens and running down the shutes and
dropping into the bins, and the grinding
Of the rollers and whirling Of belts and
pullies and shafting and machinery, all
ceases, and only those cries OF distress and
alarm are heard
What IS the matter NJ Is a question
asked by everybody. "a boy III the roll
| lers - hardly answers the question
The answer 10 not so easy A one
! Your attention was called to a particular
shute - which Johney Lovejoy was at work
feeding the rollers To this shute we
call your attention again.
A few men are at work prying at the cog
| wheels, while others are gathering together
a shapeless mass, the debris Of a human
body. 1t is cut up and mutilated beyond
the possibility Of recognition. As the ma
chlnery is pinched around, one piece after
another is released from thee teeth of the
breaking rollers, and fragmnnts Of it are
picked up inside Of the screefs. The boys
look aghast at the remains Of an ill-fated
comrade, and the tears swell up in their
eyes and flow down their dust covered
cheeks. The fragments are the remains of
Johney LovejOy, who has been thrown IN
to Vle rollers, and while passing between
them =. the limited space of three inches,
he was torn 10 pieces by the sharpe iron
teeth which arm their outer cylinders.
When the remains are collected into a
sheet and taken to that humble dwelling
IN Minerstown a scene occurs, which is
sorrowful in the extreme. The sad picture
leave to your imagination as being beyond
my powers Of description
Minerstown is to all outside appearances
blessed with the politics which should
nourish health and happiness AS We have
seen, 1t has its prayers, its feasIs, aud its
fasts fast men and women). IL has its
genius. newspaper editor Is a man Of
letters. He disturbs the equilibrium Of
society in general, and upsets the party
opposed to his politics III particular. A
doctor is very attentive-to his own in
terests. A lawyer finds means to raise his
fees. minister struggles hard To main
tain the color Of his cloth. pious priest
hammers the devil out Of his congregation
and fills the Golfers Of hiS church without
the least trouble in the world The tax
collectors call on their neighbOrs, and with
compliments present their bills and feel
very much obliged" to take their money
or goods. A man goes into a tavern quite
sober, and comes out If IT quite drunk.
He tumbles into pool in which a pIg IL
revelling and wallOwing IN a manner, the
most satisfactory to his swinish ideas Of
enjoyment. He gives expression to his
pleasure by certain grunts best understood
by his equals As soon as his new com
paniOn tumbles into the same puddle Of
happiness he turns up his pIgglsh nose in
disgust and leaves the fool with an angry
scream, showing a certain amount Of false
pride and ungenerous principle TO be
united to love for truth, and a strong
raanlntInn WhuH MN I'M fh.A World II
there that would leave SO much happiness
behind him for the sake Of accommodation
alone ? None Here we have one who
sacrifices hiS happiness to his pride, for he
was too proud to stay in the same pool
with the other one, who tumbled into it SO
unceremumously. So he left him III full
possession and went off In huff
But Minerstown with all her felicIties
has her great trouble-her gredt secret
trouble. We can only whisper 1t into your
ear But it must only be IN a divulged
whisper, because for one reason, clear
definition Is not possible. The trouble Is
rather an influence, a something not quite
understood by the wisest Of us. IL IS of
politics, but no remedy can be found for it
IN political prescriptions. 1t Is Of com
merce, but for it We have no commercial
remedies. Theological and scientific aids
are useless applications to the disease The
trouble is manifested in a strike.
There Is a great cloud in existence which
as once only the size Of mans hand
This cleud has grown to be Of a greas
length. IL leap-s from the cities Ia line,
and expands over the III -fated Mlnerstown.
As 1t approached II was seen when At q d1s-
tance of, and the inhabitants we're warnCl
Of its appearance. But they did not be-
lieve in the mere sight Now it il III the
town, and the cloud that was visible at a
distance, is invisible after it has settled
permanently among the inhabitants. 1t
now dlspenses it's blessings and curses as
| it pleases that is, 1t thunders and tighten
ings when it chooses. and rains and SHOWS
to its own satisfaction. When IL says the
grass must not grow in MinerstOwn, the
grass dare not grow. People breath IN
this cloud, and in this manner are de-
pendent on it for their very existence.
When the invisible cloud says ''strike Y
the mines cease to produce. The cloud Is
formed BY the united breath Of many gigan-
tic specuatlons. AS the cloud Is invisible
the strikers Of our heroic little town, the
! people Of Minerstown will be much wiser
than they are now, when they learn Of the
true nature of the dark cloud which has
settled among them. They will then rely
on the sunshine which is beaming above
it, and which they can have for the mere
askings.
Note Certain industries were suspend
ed in December 1874, because their surplus
produce was accommodating. The laborers
belonging to them were thrown out Of EN-
ployment. In the spring Of 1875 after the
surplus produce had been sufficiently dis
posed Of to warrant a return to active op-
erations, the controllers of those industries
came t. their laborers and proposed that
they should 90 to work. and at the same
time offered to accept their services at q
reduction. The laborers said they could
not sell their aervices At any such prices a,