The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-09-19
WARWICK THE "MINERs FRIEND, :,


Cambridge Jeffersonian.l
The following letter is from the pen
OF w. A, ,iDaYis, a miner, now employed
in this county, who was the Secretary
of the Miners Union during the strike
of 1879-S0.
CAMBRIDGE, OHIO, Sept. 8, 1888.
To the Editor of the JeffersOnian:
My attention was called last evening
to certain attacks made upon the char
acter of Hon. John G. Warwick, the
Democratic candidate for Lieutenant
Governor, as an employer; more especi-
ally based upon the action in the great
MasSillOn strike of 1879.80. Being my
self rather prominently connected with
that affair, deem it but simple justice
to MIR. Warwick to make a plain state
ment of some things that came under
my direct observation during that
period. A word as to the facts leading
to that strike may be we'll to enlighten
those outside of the ranks of miners
and unacquainted with the details of
the whole affair twill be remembered
that the Ohio River was very low in the
fall of 1879, resulting in almost a coal
famine at places formerly supplied
through that source. No town or city
suffered worse than Cincinnati. Coal
went up as high as $40 or $12 per ton.
They were supplied by the Hooking
Valley region. Miners seeing this Op-
pOrtunity justly took advantage of it
and demanded $1.00 per ton for mining,
a demand acceded to with scarcely any
dissent. In the meantime the MassillOn
region had demanded and been granted
ten cents per ton without minutes de-
lay; but in few days, hearing of the
boom on the Hooking, excitement grew
to fever heat. In less than two weeks
a demand for 10 cents per ton more was
made, and before any satisfactory ans
wer was received the miners of the val
ley were diVided-the northern district
demanded further advance of 20 cents
pnr ton to get equal with the Hooking
Valley, although the mine owners of
MassillOn district were receiving COM
paratively no benefit from the low wa
ter in the Ohio or the high price of coal
in Cincinnati. These, then, were the
causes that led to the strike, acknOwl-
edged by every thinking miner to have
been unjust on our part, since our trans
actions were unwarranted whenever
the demand went above 20 cents per ton
advance from the old price of mining
60 cents per ton. Mr.. Warwick advOca-
ted paying 50 cents per ton and at some
of the mines in which he was interest
cd that amount was conceded; and
even after the question of screening
coal before weighing had been intro
duced, he still offered in my presence,
and others that can be named, to use his
influence with other operators to pay So
cents per ton for mining and cast the
screen question aside if the miners
would agree to make that the demand.
This was refused, the strike inaugural
ed, and Mr.. Warwick wisely left matters
to take their course. Mr.. Warwick was
then Interested in grist mill at Mas
sillOn, and during the seven months
idleneSS he never refused to trust his
regular customers, the miners, with
flour, telling them to go to work for it,
but laughtngly remarked on one occasion
Let us fight fair; man can't strike on
an empty stomach" How many of Mr..
Warwick's aSsailants to-day would do
the same, knowing that their interests
as mine owner was suffering, and their
capital in the same idle for seven
mOnthsp As to saddling the Odium of
calling out the militia during the strike
upon MIR. Warwick, we can simply re-
fer to the Fourth Annual Report of the
Bureau Of Labor Statistics, page 8. This
official document cOnclusively fixes the
responsibility of calling out the malitia
upon the Sheriff of the county, as
every fair minded man can plainly see.
know that j. G. Warwick was opposed
to that resort.
As to Mr.. Warwick's "tyrannicaI' dis
position the miners of Stark county
will speak of that through the ballot
this coming election with no uncertain
sound. 1t was my lot to be employed as
a coal miner at the Warrington mine,
on j. G. Warwick's estate and in which
he was interested, for two years and
there witnessed a great deal of the ETY.
ranny" of j. G.. Warwick. Ask his ten
ants who occupied his houses if they
were ever urged to go to work or leave
the house. They will testify to the
tyranny" of John G.. Warwick. Ask
any poor man in that neighbOThOOd
when sickness and death visited their
families who came forth with open
heart and hands to sympathize and give
aid, and they will testify to the "tyran-
ny" of j. G.. Warwick. Ask the children
of the neighbOrhOOd, for whose benefit
he established Sunday school, in that
remote corner where there was none,
supplied it with useful books, who load
ed their Christmas trees with useful
and substantial presents, and they will
testify to the tyranny" of j. G. War
wick. Many more such tyrants among
the employers of Ohio would be bless
ing to all with whom they may come in
contact.
Mr.. Editor have now spoken of this
gentleman from political standpoint,
but merely as one knowing these things
to be facts, that transpired under my
direct observation, and from sense of
Justice to the man regardless of pOliti-
cal affiliations. Very Respectfully.
WA, Davis,
Ex-Secretary Miners Union of Ohio.