Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-05-29
THE CLARIFIED SURRENDER.

The announcement made last week
that the Clearfeld miners had prac-
tically succeeded in gaining their
point was erroneous. Later and still
more authentic" intelligence is to
the effect that they have practically
failed. In other words, after three
months ofstubborn contest, involving
courage, loss and waste, they have at
last succumbsd to the dynasty which
sways the sceptre of that region; or,
in still other words, they have at
length admitted they have no voice
in the matter of their own wages.
And yet more than this, they have
conceded that their Georges Creek
brethren must suffer with them, eth
er in loss of work or wages, after
these had so handsomely stood by and
sustained them. No doubt, however,
the sxigencies which pressed these
poor men were overwhelming. They
saw their families suffering; their en-
ploymsnt slipping away into the
hands of strangers, and the State sus-
tanning and protecting the aliens in
stealing their livelihood. Not long
can the ordinary qualities of heroism
stand up under augmenting and ac-
celebrating pressures like these.
What should be said of the men
who undermined and supplanted
them, and of that style of law which
encourages such raiders upon the in
tsresta of citizens, and protects the
invadsrsf Ethically, neither are in
any sense justified, albeit there is
plausible notion extant that for men
to take measures to care for them
selves is intimidation, but corpora
tions doing the same thing are merely
asserting their rights" We do not
for a moment believein achieving any
movement by violence, nor in the
impeachment of public virtue which
is always providing to meet violence.
1t is often asked-is it right for men,
unwilling to work at a certain rate, to
prevent others from doing SOP On
its face it does not seem that it is.
But is it fright, on the other hand, that
the under-price men should provoke
such hostility and give occasion for
conflict In many senses, a mans
employment, trade, profession, is as
sacred as his liberty as citizen, and
unassailable by anything or anybody.
He knows, or ought to know, wheth-
er his labor is paying him, or does the
under-worker know better7 Hardly;
yet the law assumes 80 much and pro-
tects the assumption.
However, the troubles of labor
may be grouped together in this way ::
Corporations work unitedly under
and through law; labor rarely goes to
law for charters for its organizations,
and is by 60 much debarred the i'm
munities 80 freely bestowed upon the
more cohesive associations of CAPT.
talists. Corporations, as cited last
week, thus commit depredationa which
private or popular combinations do
not dare.
Thus it will ever be until working
men obtain that solidarity of senti-
ment and action which with its very
weight will crush out treason in their
own ranks to their common interests.
No organization, however good in
aims or management, will ever affect
this until it embraces within it's scope
all the intelligsncies and forces natur-
ally interested. There must be no
material left outside of which "black-
legs" can be made. Talk of succeed
ing against the consolidated power of
money while thousands in their own
ranks will sell their loyalty for mea-
gre bribesl AS we'll talk of evangel-
izing the world while sinners multiply
and grow holder This, that, and the
other great thing, may be accomplish
ed, but there can be no strong organ
ization SO long as its subjects are dis
united.
In this connection and in conclusion,
we will add that the operators did
not defeat the Clearfeld miners. II
s0as the men sUho stole from them their
employment