The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-05-05
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
STARVING MEN IN PENNSYLVANIA.
Boston Pilot.


Accounts of the condition of the working.
men of the coal districts of Pennsylvania afe|
panfol in the extreme. Hundreds of the en-
ployees of the Lsokawanns Ceal and Iron|
Company have been ont of work tor months,
and their families are almost at the point of
starvation. A newspaper correspondents at|
Scranton draws the following distressing|
picture
"Here may be found mothers surrounded by
children crying for food and olothipg. The|
del leo ted men leave their homes in the morning
hear the appeals of the little ones, oftentimes|
huddled together in a darkened basement and|
living on the coarsest crusts. There Is hardly
q minute in the day that these almost desper.|
ate men do not importune the superintendent
of the mills for work.-At every session of ths|
Poor Board the rooms are thronged with appli.
cants for relief who tell most pitiable tales.
The women are in the majority. Goaded to|
Board as a last resort. Oftentimes ragged,
barefooted children follow their crying|
mothers into the presence of the Board. They
have barely clothes enough TO cover them.
Their faces tell too plainly the tale of want
Some OF them have sold almost everything to|
get money with which to buy bread"
Notwithstanding this deplorable condition,
the best order prevails and arrests do not|
average one a day in population Of As 900.
The streets are crowded with idle men. III
don't know how half the people on this sectiou|
get enough to eat, said miner to oorres-|
pondent last week "month after month they
walk the streets with their bands in their
pooke cts, hoping against hope that the cloud
will break. I know of men who have not|
done tap of work in twelve months, and who|
have large families. Those who have work are|
not much better off. Last month there were|
got from that to &12, after having paid q labor
er. The most that any laborer made last MONTH
was 49," The suffering of the miners is mott
confined to Scranton-it is universal. From
and Hudson Canal Company, comes o CRY of
despair from the workmen. They say: "The|
long continued prostration in the coal trade,
the frequent suspensions in mining, the sys-
tematio reduction of wages, together with the
wrongs inflicted on the miner in the shape of
long tonnage and uni ust systems Of docking,
have reduced our mining and laboring people|
people of Carbondale have been particularly
afl cted. because the coal company would pre-|
Ter working their leased coal rather than their
own in some localities workipgmen haye|
only worked four months the past year, and|
now more than two-thirds of the men have|
been idle since the 1st of February, who, when|
working, were barely earning enough to sup.|
port life.
The coal owners cay they cannot sell the|
coal, which the workmen admit Is true. There
fore they appeal to the Legislature ofPennsyl-|
vanis and the Congress of the United States|
for immediate aid to relieve the pressing wants
of the starving people.
From Ashley, near Wilkes barre, on the Gen.
thriving mining town OF several thousand in.
bsbitsnts, the following is sent to local
paper:-
"This once prosperous borough is nov on the|
verge of ruin. The mines have suspended SINE
die and brnger and desolation now stare us in|
the face. A gimmering hope is held out to ue|
that work may be resumed in the course of
twelve months; somewhat encoursg giug after 81
long and dreary winter. Gloom and despon-|
dency have taken possession of us, and wei
await the inevitable-a speedy departure fcom|
this place, or remain until nothing is left"
The only relief to the sad picture is state
meut that the trains for the West are boarded
by parties of ten to fifty, Fastening away fron|
idlepess and destituton. Whole families go|
at q time, and very few who once get away
have any desire to return. Out of the mines
and ont of the cities should be the cry with
two-thrds of the workipgmen who know how
to farm, and can make their way to the West.
First and out where to locate, and then make
up your mind to stay there. Too many men in|
this country have been depending on trade and
manufacture. They must return to agricul-
ture. The earth is the true mother of national
wealth and popular comfort.