Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-07-21


out, and at saliu, vile, Columbians
county, Eve or six hundrei miners have
been on a strike since June lst, against
reduction Of fifteen cents per ton.
THE OHIO GOAL REGIONS.
A Protraotsd Strike About TO Begtn-Tas
"Piuox me" System. ~ Praotioed by NE
Operators.
ColuMsus, July D.-An Ominous
storm is brewing in the Hooking VALLEY,
Shawnee, New Straitsvills aud Nelson
willie coal regions. Thoughtful men. both
among miners and operators, anticipate
serious trouble before the mines are once
more in successful operation.
On Thursday, the 22d inst, all the
mines will be- shut down. The miners
demand 80 cents and the operators ofisr
but 10. As hitherto stated the opera.
tors are not averse TO two months
strike, as il will enable them to advance
tho price of the stock they have in their
wards at least one dollar q ton TO con.
sumers, which will be Just that much
clear gain.
How the Men arc Fleeoed.
There is a great dsal Of justice in ths
complaints oi the miners IN these dis.
tricls. They have been paid oil almost
exclusively in scrip or orders on the
company stores, which IL current only
with the storekeepers. The enormous
profits charged 10y these stores make SO
cents in scrip worth about 90 or bO cents
in cash. Consequently to reduce the
price Ut mining to 10 cents and pay ny
tho truck system is To reduce the price
oi mining to 35 Or 40 cents cash.
The real fight is against tho truck sys'
tenn. The companies are determined 70
keep up the stores, order system ana
monthly pay, while the miners contend.
for semi monthly paw and the noucs OF
the realm. In this ooatest justice 10 on
the side of the miner. and he ought to
win, even il it is necessary Tor the Legls'
lature To come To his aid by making the
truck system u felony punishable by
law.
Tho Company store Monopoly
aud the scrip or order system may
he easily illustrated. On pay day q
miner is paid oil ia scrip that goes at
the company store, but no where else
except at u ruinOus discount. tie wants
bushel of potatoes. TN his way To
tho company store no passes the held OF
a farmer who will sell him bushel OF
potatoes for 80 cents cash. But his scrip
will only buy at tho company store, aud
there hs is forced to 20, aud there he
pays 10 cents for u bushels oi potatoes
from the same field.
The same rule applies to everything
else. The rough minors have aptly des.
igltated these stores "Pluckme's." They
are simply
System OF Robbery aud Exhortatiou,
aud are largely responsible for all the
mining troubles. The sooner tho courts
aud the Legislature take hold vi them
the better Tor tho mining aud niauufsc
turing interests OF the country.
There Is no reason why tho mine
operators should not pay their EN-
ployes every week. just the same
IA a newspaper publisher pays
his employees once week. The coal
operator claims that his contracts are
such that ho cannot get his money to
make more than twelve pay days In
year. This - nonsense. The newspa-
per publishers contracts run trom one
To six months or = year, and yet he
never thinks Of asking his employees to
wait upon them. lie provides Tor his
weekly pay days, and il II Is necessary
for him To borrow money he pays tho
interest himself and does not expect II
from his employees by compelling them
to wait,
The Operator Able to Pay.
The coal operator can pay ~ we'll
every week as hs can once month or
once year. Ii no cannot make his col
leciions no is amply able h borrow
money, or go to his deposited capital for
1t Ii is simply an outrage and an In.
justice that he should make 6 per cent
on his deposits aud 10 aud 25 per cent on
his scrip, aud through the devilish
"riuck me's" that keep the miners in u
state Of bondage no better than the
"psuper labor of Europe" 10 ieelingly
spoken ot during political campaigns.
A large number of the miners are i'm
provident, it is true, but that does not
justify tho "Pluckme' system OF carry
ing on business, for while il robs the
miner 1t shuts out legitimate shop and
storekeepers who would be content with
fair profits.
Take the towns OF shawnee and Now
Strsitsyille, particularly one town, for
instance. with an aggregate population
OF 5000. A merchant who would 20
there and
Conduct Business Lsgi,imateiy
would s,srve, although he offered the
same goods 70 per cent. be.
low the "Pluckmes," he would
have no customers worth speak
ing Of And whyT The whole
population, almost, sle dependent on
the mines. A man may earn $50 dur.
ing the month. but before pay day rolls
around he has been compelled to deal IL
out TO the "Pluck mss" 10 support his
family. Paid in caAh opce week or every
two weeks, he could have gone TO . free
store, purchased the same articles, and
have had SIS or SO left. This would
enable provident miners 10 save. II
would not make improv,dent more i'm.
provident As IL is, all have TO 60
through the hopper Of monopoly and DO
ground to powder.
Maehinss 70 bs Iatroduosd-
The operators in the above named
districts, when the lockout takss plao.,
will introdueo mintne machinss, q st
lsass thas b he avoved intsntica, IL 70
elsinsd ias thsm tAat thsyN w2i sntirsly