Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1877-08-25

stones they had piled into wall. II
their gardens were nice or their potato
patches fiourishing, they were ordered
to either pay more rent or to move their
houses, at ten days notice, to give place
to somebody who would.
But why did the men establish their
homes there under such hard con-
ditions? it will be asked. Because the
company forced them to do so; discharg-
ed them from employment if they did
not submit. ~"
The worst feature of the company's
policy is its gigantic store. Here its
employees must trade, or, if they are
suspected of the heniOus offence of buy
ing elsewhere the few necessaries of life
they can afford, they are told to stake
their time," which means close up ac-
counts and be discharged. The store is
in several vast departments. There is
one for dry goods, another for crockery,
glassware and groceries; another for
hardware, boots and shoes; another for
tailoring, etc. There is even an under
taker department., but that is nominally
an outside concern, for the reason that
by that means its bills may be put in
the form of 'sorders" on the company,
which charges five per cent. on them.
Although that FIVE per cent. is nominal
" deducted from the bill, it is actually
allowed for in making the bill, and so
comes out of the miners pocket, as is
the case on all orders. The {. order"
business is one of the most grievOus
Outrages Of all. An order signed by
the miner is not necessary. Any body,
butcher, baker, physician, or any body
else who holds a claim against miner
or an ironworker in the company's en-
ploy, may send in bill, and if the
company chooses to pay it, with de-
duction of five per cent. for the trouble,
the man must submit or be dis
charged, and turned out of his
home on the company's land.
OF course the makers of such bills serve
the company by making them extortion-
ate, and even if they stop little short
of that, they at least take good care to
save their interests from the ) per cent.
deduction. The State and local taxes
imposed upon the men are, by State
law, collected in this manner from the
company, the Collector getting 2 per
cent, and the company in this instance
only per, cent. 10
After the mems accounts at the COM
pany's stores are made up for the month
they or their wives are supposed to be
at liberty to get goods at the store, pro-
vided there is any thing left after the
ground rent and various orders and per-
centages are deducted from their earn
ings. As many as 600 or 200 of these
poor people may be seen outside the
store, standing in line, in sunshine, rain
or snow, awaiting their turn, on the
earlier days Of the month, when work
is getting on. Each in turn drops his
or her pass-book through slit into a
box. The clerks draw the books from
the bottom, call out the name of the
person on each and ask, "What do you
wants The order is filled approx
ma:eiy to the buyers desires, but at the
clerks sweet will. No samples are
shown, no choice is allowed, and if any
remonstrance is made the prompt order
is, - Get Out-nO time to talk. If you
don't like it, go and get your time.
They treat US like dogs, SIR" said
several of the men, especially our
women. They are brutal to them Of
ten, but what can we do?r Every thing
at the store is Is or 20 per cent. higher
than the same articles are in outside, in
dependent stores selling for cash in the
town. Sometimes the difference is even
greater. just before the strike, when
potatoes were selling for forty cents
bushel in the town, the company charg-
ed eighty cents. Shoes it charged fifty
cents per pair more than other stores.
So all through the list of the necessaries
and poorest Injuries OF life needed here.
Yet there is no credit in the company's
stere. No man in the employ of the
company is ever pernitted to get all his