The Labor enquirer., 1883-02-17
Molly nfagutres.

Molly magutres.
Following is the reply made by Mayor
Powderly, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to
reporter of the Chicago News recently,
when asked if there was any truth in
the report that the Molly Maguires were
reorganiz1ng in the coal districts:
at is impossible for the Molly Ma
guires of Pennsylvania to be reorganized,
sinceSno association, to my knowledge,
ever existed. lam aware that men were
strangled according to law in my state
for crimes supposed to have been perpe-
trated by men who were members Of
the Molly Maguires, but that does not
establish the existence of any such
association. In Pennsylvania, as in
every other state, there are vast number
of societies. having in view different
aims and objects, If in the coal regions
any one of these societies happened to
be composed Of miners and mine labor
ers, it is only natural to suppose that
| frequent illusions would be made to the
manner in which they were treated by
their employer, and, if allowed, discus
sions would ensue and action be taken
bearing on the labor question. But this
might happen i'll societies whose aims
and objects were entirely different, for
the men who Toll were not wont to pay
as much attention to parliamentary law
as they do at the present time, and if
motions were made and carried at any
meeting, the society in which these
motions were made acted for itself and
no other. And I have it from the lips Of
gentleman who attended the meeting
of a labor society in Schuylkill county
at time when motion to go on strike
was before the house. He opposed a
strike and was sustained. He then left
the room. A man, since then recognized
as a member of the detective force, who
gained admission to the society, arose,
and after making an intlammatory
Speech succeeded in having the vote
reconsidered and Influenced the men to
60 on a strike. The better sense of the
men prevailed, when they voted to op-
pose strike, but the coal market was
glutted, the price had downward ten
dency, and it was to the interest of the
company managing affairs in that section
to have the mengo on strike at that
time that they might not take advantage
of rise in the price of coal, and strike
at a time when it would be-likely to re-
suit in the increase of the miners pay.
And thus it was. These men have been
duped too often in this way by the hire
lings of unscrupulous employers, and
when, finally, goaded to desperation,
few men met and conspired to kill
foreman, or boss, as he is termed, the
whole mass of workers ought not to be
held responsible for it, These men
struck at the only object they saw
standing between them and better wages.
But to-day such deeds are not to be
feared, for the miners of Pennsylvania
look over and beyond the boss or fore
man at the real cause of the trouble.
They recognize the boss as but the Great
ure of another, and they will not harm
him. They are organized in an associa-
ton that teaches them that arbitration
is preferable to strike, and the wage
system is wrong.~~~1n fact, the real un-
derlying principles on which society is
based are now receiving the consider
alton of the miners. l was amused, on
coming to'your city, to see an article IN
one of the western papers stating that
predatory bands of miners from Luzerne
county were plundering the people OF
adjoining counties. That statement
does not contain particle of truth. 81
brand it as an infamous falsehood.
live in an adjoining county, and have
never heard of any such transactions,
Nv firm conviction is that all Of these
reports areinVented and circulated by
the emmissaries of the British govern
ment to prejudice the American mind
against the Irish people, since it is sup
posed the Molly Maguires are all Irish.