Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-11-04
The Coal strike ana It's Problem.

| Columbus Western Home journal.
We willingly occupy the space left
for the discussion of political affairs
with some notes of the state of affairs
in the Coal region, during the latter
part of the month, and which, descIib-
ed as follows by contemporary, pres
ents a grave problem:
"The Coal Company, to avoid the
constant. change in prices and annoy
anCe Of strikes, resolved to establish a
scale of prices that would at all times
be equitable and permanent. They
agreed to pay the miners for their labor
Just one-half of the market value of the
coal. In other words, if they got 50
for hauling the coal to market and SELL
ing it, the miner should receive ST..
The miner has an equal chance with the
operator. For once labor was bringing
just as much as capital. For time
this was all satisfactory. The company
were selling a great deal of coal, and
the miners were making large wages,
But it was not long before an Organiza-
tion styling itself the "Miners' Union"
began to thrust its hand into affairs.
"They began operations by going
over into the Central mines and per-
suading the men to stick to the Union,
and the fellows who had that which
was q nice thing failed to hold 1t fast.
First, they wanted Union prices from
the operators--abOut q cent per ton
more than they were getting. Col.
Lemert, Superintendent for the Central
Company, refused to give those prices,
and stuck to the scale Of equal division.
"Finally, the Miners Union induced
the men to leave the mines--strike. OF
course it would not do for the immense
capital of the Central to lay idle, both
the mines and the railroal depending
upon the output of coal. So Colonel
Lemert, by his agents, went into West
Virginia and hired about 140 colored
men, brought them to the mines and
put them to work. Soon some wished
to return, and were sent home. The
Union sought to induce the Colored
men to join them and leave the mine.
This they refused to do"
Lawlessness and a disregard of order
In the North, is quite rs much to be
talked OF, and must be regarded as at
least as full Of danger, as lawlessness
at the South. A miner at Corning, de-
flying public order, and not only in
frlnging upon the public peace, but
upon private right and property, IL
quite as dangerous as o "rebel brlga-
der" Patriotism has some signifl-
Cance other than reference to certain
facts whose geographical lines bear the
names of Mason and Dixon. A clear
public sentiment will recognize the fact |
that any attention paid to these affairs
Is quite as well bestowed as upon the |
of either of those parties |
we now hear so much of, Indeed, the |
most unhealthy sigh about the affair is |
that any sort Of political campaign can
aud the dignity Of their problem. Sup
pose that precedent, such as this, be
allowed to remain, and that every
branch Of labor and production should
become infected with the Ideas which
stood with triumph at the doors OF these
mines, what would the country, with
lr without "the solid SOUTH" with or
Without "the bloody Shirt" be worth
And the other very serious fact Is, that
not only Is a precedent thus established,
)ut that such precedent has a
strange power of development in
very short space of time, From the
Plttsburg riots until these, only brief
line intervened; and yet the strikes at
illustrative Of a far more
dangerous set Of facts, and can not fail
o show how bad thing grows worse,
At Pittsburg the fact Of a great COM
nercal depression entered into the
urid blaze here is plenty, and a great
evlval Of business girds every enter
rise Of labor and trade. At Pittsburg
here was at least an honest question as
o wages; here men are receiving more
han In the ordinary walks of life, and
10 complaint about the wages received
IAN be heard with respect to all other
Of labor. AT Pittsburg, hui
nan nature had been deprived Of les
light of rest and recreation; here absO-
ute freedom seems to have been grant
d on this subject. The difference In
he spirit and aggressive lawlessness, {
,etween labor at Plttsburg labor at {
)Orning, Is a difference that only q [
entury would seem able to produce {
uch Is the enormous increase Of bitter
nd unreasing ignorance, led by a {
~. ~ n e.