Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1882-04-01
sTBRG AIEGANY COUNTY MARYLAND APRIL 1882

was an over-exacting tack master, let |
not the miners Of Allsgany ocantv be |
driven to the wall but Let eur mer-
chsn's and an ustrammslei press
pass judgmest in their favor and con-
tribute each of their kind to assist
them to kesp what to them rightfully
belongs--fsir compensation for hon
est toll Baltimore Grocer.
All around The horizon there are
dsrkening clouds of labor strikes.
Labor Snd capital are engaged in
another war. On both sides there
are consultations OF force. The
laborers are organized into secret 70
cie,ies, such as the knights Of
labor" at the mines. Capital nat
ural y tends to combine and consoli-
idsts. 1t is quite possible that there
may be riots such as occurred five
years ago; and blood may be shed.
The causes OF these conflicts lie
deep, ard touch the very vtals of
our social system. Society is so or
eanized, that the tend. ncy is for
the rich to become richer and the
poo poorer. A combination Of rail
road kings" NAV at any hour put NJ
frsights and thus lay tex upon the
whole internal commerce of the
country. 1t is very easy for vast
aggregates OF capital to combine int
"pcols" o. s~ndica'ss. There are ive
men in New York that can, by uni
ting, control four OF Eve hundred mi
Ii ns of dollars. The may lock awav
that amount of capital from tn, mar.
ket, and create scarcity and con-
teqnent change in prices; they may
throw it on the market at an oIIor
tune moment and bring down prices
with crash. The things which are
THIS their toys are the daily bread oi
millions Of people. They may COM
bins to pat down wages in the sart
way.
Now this country since 1879 has
been in an era of great prosperity
| Abundant harvest, enormous mineral
production, and great industrial en-
ergy have combined Labor, whics
during he panic suffered mott ssvsr-
ly. has regsined some Of the pros
perity of tho better times. But labor
has not received its fair share. Th'
rise in wages has not been comme'
surats with the rise in commodity
Now there is concerted mcvemen
Hmonr capitalists to put down thu
wages Of labor, and, as a consequen e
concerted movement among | bo,
era to striks against a reduction.
Where ought the sYmpsthIes c
the people to be '-BsItimore Ersri
Saturday.
Why ths necessity for a strik
among the copl miners2 None at al
Nor would there DO any if the right
. Of these who do all the work Ter
respected, 1t ia charged that III
minors do srongin striking, bat
close examination Of this question
. viii. show that it is the drones abov
ground that strike and net they Wh
work below arsupd. The bosses sa,
we want moro than the lions share
It il true we have been getting this
+; but that is not enough Our deoire
are larger; we want four meals
day and two suits of purple AMI fin
linen, and as the railroad companit
will not yield to us, they being al
: powerful as we are, we must turn tn,
screw another time on the helpless
laborer. He. the poor down.trodden
soul, will stand it and be as uncom.
FLAMING as the patient OK 40 we viii
strike off part of their pay, and it i,
Just in this act that the bosses becom,
the strikers and not those VINO simply
say, we cannot support our fsmiliel
, on what We have beon getting, mucf
less can we do it on what you nov
propose; therefore. We will not work
at your prices. If we must siarve
ourselves and families to death, w
do not intend to give the ShylockI
the benefit Of our starving.
But what is the necessity for furthel
starving these now half fed and hal
paid employees If the Shylocks and
gluttons must have more than they
are now getting, why not add fifty
cents more to the price of the coal
The workingmen of this State buy
and use nine tenths Of all the coal use,
in the State, not one Of them, WIT
would not rather pay the advance o
fifty cents than have ths miners Gu