Frostburg mining journal., 1880-08-07

State would OBJECT to company stores.
The depriving of the emplyee Of
the right to purchase his necessaries
when and where he plesses, forcing
him to trade at company store
whether the force used is physical Of
moral, is gross outrage, and when
to this force is also added from ten to
forty. per cent on the eprice of the goods
purchased, it looks to me that the out
rage would become unbearable and
that almost any contingency short Of
actual starvation would be preferable.
1t is in its worst phases system
of slavery, but short remove from
that which convulsed the nation but
few years ago. The only di ference
in the two systems being the right not
taken away, the right to emigrate, but
SO far reaching has been the truck
system in some places, that, although
the right to emigrate yet remain, the
power to do SO has almost been des-
troyed.
I feel at perfect liberty to de-
nounce the system Of paying wages
in truck in the most energtic terms,
for not only has it been denounced
by the leading writers on political
economy, but it has been denounced
by the law-making power of the State,
and yet, in the face of legislative
enactments, the system is yet con-
tlnued, and instead Of decreasing ia
actually increasing.
No company now thinks of starting
a mine without preparing at the same
time to erect company store, and
it is a fact that at most of the new
mines opened the past two years the
store was built before even tenements
for the employees. l have been in
formed, as believe by relible party,
that one store in the Hooking Valley
cleared last year $4,000 off of about
200 forced customers.
To those who give but hasty glance
at the subject, one very important
fact in connection with these stores
may not be apparent; that is, that the
mines employees furnish every dol
lar of the capital necessary to stock
and run them, or, at least, a large
majority Of them. The wages always
in the hands of the employer-gener-
ally the earnings of thirteen days for
every man employed, aggregation al
most every case forced loan, equal to
if not in excess of the amount invested
in the store, and thus the very men
outraged by the system of paying
wages are themselves forced to con-
tribute tie funds to assist in carrying
out the system.
1t must be admitted that the open
ing of new mine miles away from
town or village requires that the
operator should for a time at least
furnish the supplies necessary for his
employees, but aftera town has
sprung up the necessity ceases, but in
spite of this fact the store continues,
and those who whould willingly under
take to furnish supplies to the COM
munity are barred. The best possible
evidence that these stores charge ex-
cessive prices is the fact that they
will not permit their employees to re-
ceive their earnings in cash, that they
might, if so inclined, trade elsewhere.
Miners are very much the same as
other workingmen; they are not un-
grateful to the man or company that
furnish them employment, and other
things being equal, they would un-
doubtedly patronize their employer
in preference to any other rerson, and
they certainly would SO patronize him
in preference to carrying their supplies
four or five miles at all seasons of the
year.
The Revised Statutes say that those
issuing and circulating such tokens,
checks, drafts or certificate of indebt-
edness payable otherwise than by
money, shall be fined not more than
800 nor less than SIS. The same
penalty is attached for selling goods
at higher than market rates, and
charging the same as cash to the wages
of labor. Whenever they compel or
seek to compel an employee to trade
at a certain store they shall be fined
not more than 800 nor leas than $40,
or imprisoned not more than go days,
or both.
The prosecuting attorney of each
county on complaint made. shall bring