Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-08-22
The Truth About the Miners.


A correspondent of the New York Times
gives so good version of the miners side |
of the difficulty at the coal mines in Penn
sylvania that we cannot forbear giving an
abstract of it: Some years ago the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western railroad
having obtained at high prices the vast
tracts of coal land in the valley, proceeded
to develop the mining interests of these re-
gions. At great expense they sunk shaft
after shaft all over this district, and for
which purpose large numbers OF miners
Welsh, German aud Irish-were brought
hither. At first when work was plentiful
and the pay was large, the men were induced
to lay out portions of their earnings in the
purchase Of houses and lands to be paid for
by installments. In 1873 the panic having
knocked down the Building Loan Associa-
tons, the miners began to find their encum-
bered property burden. The decline in
business did not affect prices of work until
1875. In the January of that year there
was a reduction of ten per cent The men
were able, however, by economical use of
their wages, to manage until in September,
1876, when there was another reduction of
ten per cent. This, combined with the fire.
quent suspension of the mines, and the al
ternate system of working them, brought
about some distress. Men who had saved a
little in better days were now obliged to draw
upon their savings, while those who had not
were reduced to a condition of penury.
In March last the limit of endurance was
reached when another reduction of fifteen
per cent was ordered In an agony of pow
erty, actual hunger and want in every shape,
a miners committee went to the officers of
the road to ask for the resembling of the or
der for reduction, suggesting that the com
pany could afford to grant this, as the market
price of coal was then good The reply
was The market is none of your business.
We shall regulate wages by the labor mar
ket." The writer further states, that as the
result of many visits paid to the homes of
these people, the suffering and restitution
are everywhere evident. Most of those with
whom he conversed, say that meat has not
passed their mouths in months. The staple
article of diet is mush, upon which they
have been obliged to subsist day after day.
There were swan and work beaten men,"
who told the writer that they had gone into
the mines with little lunch in their pockets,
to take no other food in ten hours while
other cases were cited where the men had
not tasted food from the time they went
into the mines in the morning until they
came out in the evening. awe may as
well starve without work as to starve and
work." said one of them. One fact cited in
their favor is their evident desire to pre-
serve peace. In their illusions TO the rail-
road companies they were respectful, and
rejoiced at an opportunity of presenting
their grievances, hoping that in this way
they might obtain relief without resorting
to violence In the face of such facts, an
enlightened public may well take into con-
Sideration the means for the removal of a
state of things which reduces to such a con-
lition so large "A portion of the laboring
poor. Such consideration is not now, as a
week since, embarrassed by an extensive
contest arraying capital and labor in unlaw.
full conflict.
In more recent letter from the same cor.
respondent, in which the company's side of
corroborated. 1t is due this corporation