Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1879-04-05

also the legislative documents OF
1871, page 1903 and see If they will
not combine to hurl the lie in his
teeth. Has he not characterized the
miners of Schuylkill county asignor~
ant and worthless demagogues; as out
laws, and midnight assassins? Yes,
ut is too early in the history of what
| have done" What has he done ?
you had two weeks ago o little of
what he has done, and I will tell a
little more. In 1874 he ran the col
lieries north of the Broad mountain
to nearly their full capacity, whilst
those on the south side of the noun
tain he kept at about one-fourth time.
One place, called Thomaston, did
only 81 days work in that year. This
he did to cause division in the
, Workmen 8 ranka, and at the close of
the season he said that be kney
where to put his finger or the weak
spot, alluding tothe parties he thought
he had starved into submission. So,
when the time arrived for the settle
mont Of wages for the ensuing year,
1875, which time wae appointed on
the second day of January, the COM
mlttees met-fve metnbcrs of the
Coal Board and five members Of the
Workmen's Associnticn-jn the Phil
adelphia and Reading coal and iron
company s Office in Fottsvilla. After
| discussing the state Of business for
sometime, the workmen committee
produced their propositton, which
was substantially the s'Eno as the
previous year. Upon this Mr. Gar
rett. chairman Of the joint committee,
took from his picket the Coal Board
proposition Cor rather F. 3. Gowon's)
end submitted it to the Wo1kmen
with tho remark that they could not
deviate from that without the consent
of the company, meaning Mr.. Gowen.
It was as follows:
That inside and outside labor should be
reduced 10 per cent. on the basis of 1874.
| Miners on contract by the yard or wagon
should be reduced 90 per cent. on the
| former basis, and that the pea coal should
be taken in making up the average of the
prices, and that the red ash coal should be
| thrown out in making such averages,
which would be further reduction of 25
per cent, making q total reduction of As
per cent, to the contract miners.
His claim was that the miner could
afford such 8 reduction, but the la
borer could not stand it.
Now, Mr.. Editor, I can give you
the exact average earnings Of miners
for the year 1874, but their average
daily earnings for the year previous
was $2938 and I think l could
safely put it for 1874 at $2,65 per day,
which would give the miners Of
Thomaston $l6l65 to support them
selves and families for a whole year,
and at the close Of the year he says
they can afford reduction of As per
cent This was very inconsistent
with his arguments before the bar in
PottsYille.
He also referred with all the elo-
quence of an orator i'll his arguments
to the kind-hearted, afectionate and
charitable, who gives freely of his
means to the poor. Let US see how
charitable Mr.. Gowen was when he
reduced the miners of Schuylkill
county As per cent. of their meagre
wages, because they could afford it.
He reduced himself and his officials
10 per cent. Yes, Mr.. Gowen could
not afford more than ten per cent,
because he only received $4,000 per
year. He then thought of the adage
-"let charity begin at home" He
further reduced the wages in 1876,
and again in 1877, and not being
satisfied with that, he withheld their
pays for three or four months at a
time, until want and starvation was
pictured in the faces of thousands OF
the working classes of Schuylkill
county, and yet he had the impudence
to come into the midst of these poo
pie to boast of what he had done for
labor. I only wonder that the wo-
men and children, who are suffering
for food in Schuylkill county, did not
stone him before he left Pottsville.
But guess they were too weak to
raise a rock. GwILYM.
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