The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-08-24

SOME of the Alleged Wrongs THAT Have
Driven Them Into Rebellion--The Grind


Driven Them Into Rebellion The Grind
Ing Down Of the Iron and Coal Workers.
From the New York sun
SCRANTON, August THE head and
front Of the offending here has been the
Lackawnna Iron and Coal Company.
No other corporation has been SO fertile
in ingenious devices for its own enrich
mcnt and the impovcrishment Of its EN-
ployees, none so mercless in the appli-
cation Of cruel system Of crushing
out manhood. It's ptiess clutch upon
the throat Of labor has forced the tollers
scantv pennies from him under every
pretext.
mere exhibit Of nominal per diem
wages would show that the ironwork-
ers in this employ are doing pretty well
rs the rates of wages run in all fields Of
labor, and, indeed, the amounts they
are paid are generally somewhat in ex-
cess Of the average earnings of the coal
miners in this region But ii must be
borne in mind that the ironworkers have
not been makingful time any more than
the miners, and, where the amount Of
toll that man gives in return for
specified sum necessary for the main
tenance Of his family Is practically
matter Of indifference 10 him, so long
rs he gets that needed sum, $40 for 10
days of work and 10 Of idleness is
really no whit better to him than ten
dollars won by twenty days of steady
work. The best paid men about the
works--apart from the foreman and
bosses, whom II is always policy to pay
welfare the skilled workmen employed
in . charging in the steel works, who
make about $40 a month if they have
full work, and the heaters in the rail
mill, who ret ~ day: but neither Of
these average much over half time EN-
ployment. For" pudding iron, ~. 40
per ton j. paid. That goes To two men,
who are expected to puddle" ton Of
2,240 pounds-and ten pounds over for
good weight-in twelve hours. Pud-
dlers make from S2s 10 S32 per month.
The heaters Of seven-inch iron get only
IL cents per ton equivalent to about
go day when they have work. Fur
mace men get Sl.05 day helpers. ~
laborers, from Is To 50 cents: black
smiths aud skillful machinisfs, $50:
boys, - 10 "A per week. Actually, mems
earnings IN the different branches run
from 81 70 1872 per month. A. has
been said, this j. better than the min
ers' average, but here the triumph Of I
the company's rascality Is begun.
Primarily, the lot dodge j. probably \
the best illustration. The company owns
"A vast tract of territory. double the
amount permitted by its charter. il is
said. the excess standing under fictitious
titles of individual ownership. Parts Of
these vast possessions are Sanderson's
Hill and Shanty Hill. The former is re-
served for wealthy mems residences.
and is the prettiest part Of the town. 10
keep il exclusive and insure the shutting
out Of the poorer class, lots here are held
at fancy prices, from $1,000 70 $4,000
each, unimproved. Consequently the
laborerS have nothing 10 do here. But
they have much To do with Shanty Hill.
That j. where most II them live. Shanty
Hill j. a barreu, bleak, stony slope.
cherries and ugly. II is, perhaps, val
ned al not more than 10 cents an acre
for purposes Of taxation. But the com
pany cut it up into small lots and rented
them 10 its employees at from 80 to "a
per month ground rent. Eycna at these
TNtt'rhft HiNt@f tlO ittSt- W VIZ HAtlls
Every tenant was and is held liable
TO expulsion on ten DAYS notice.
Sometimes, after men had erected
their little cabins on these lots they
were ordered To move them to new
sites, seemingly for no other purpose
than 10 involve them in expense and
keep them poor. One man, puddler.
says: at cost me $3.50 TO luild nv
house had still about 1925 saved up.
The company made me move to lot
away of, and il cost me 500 to do so.
have since paid them $3.50 in ground
rent. The lot may be worth $50 in good
times" A few have carefully picked
The stones from their lots and built them
into a wall, dug up the soil and freed it
from rocks, and even carried earth from
4 distance TO make garden plats. Then
the company has come down upon them.
Big wagons were sent to carry away for
some improvement about the works the
stones they had piled into wall. Ii
heir gardens were nice or their potato
patches flourishing, they were ordered
20 either pay more rent or TO move their
houses, at ten days notice, TO give place
10 somebody who would.
But why did the men establish their
homes there under such hard con-
iitions? II will be asked. Because the
forced them to do so Z; discharg-
ID 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
Of the hcnious offence Of buy
ng elsewhere the few necessaries Of life
hey can afford, they are told to "take
heir time" which means close up ac-
counts and be discharged. The store Is
n several vast departments. There is
,np for dry vpodS anofh her for sroekar