The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-09
VERY HARD TINES.
A COAL OPERATOR ON THE HOOKING
VALLEY SITUATION.
What Man Who Pays Seventy Cents Says
The Question of the Farmers
and the Railways - In
dustrial Notes.

CHICAGO, Dec. 9-Col William P. Rend,
VINO Is an owner and operator Of mines in
the Hooking valley, has just returned from
that portion of the country and was seen by
reporter who asked him:
Nv hat is the present position Of affairs in
the Hooking valleys"
Matters there are in a most deploralle
state. This Industrial war has done serious
damage to all those engaged in it. The rail
road companies AMI coal companies on the
one side have lost heavily in money and busi-
ness, while the miners and their families on
the other have suffered unusual privations
and are now III extreme want and dire dis
tresS. The Hooking valley miners for six
long months have bravely struggled to re-
slst despotic demands made upon them and
to defend their just rights and industrial
liberties The rigors of winter, which
has just set in, have added to the suffering,
| and now render the condition of these poor
people most appalling Outside the wolf OF
hunger, driven there by the hand of tyranny,
stands at the door of the miners cabin;
while within can be seen the sad sight OF
crying children and weeping mothers, shiv-
ering in rags and wretchedness. Something
| should be done at once to assist these poor
| people in their deplorable state of want and
suffering. Meetings of workingmen and oil
citizens generally should be called in all the
large cities in the country to denounce this
| great wrong and relieve this great misery.
| This Hooking valley lockout in its causes
and in its history is a scandal and an out
rage. War was declared upon the miner
| without provocation on their part and the
aggressorS, the railway company and thC
! coal syndicate, offer starvation and slavery a
the chief terms of peace. The apology is
offered by this allied conspiracy that they
were not able to pay the miners the price
| for labor that had prevailed for severa
! previous years. This statement is not true
as our firm have shown in the operation o
our mines in this coal region during all thi
time, and our ability to mine and sell Goa
| at a profit based on the 70 cont rate o
mining
"1he operators claimed prior to the declar
alton of the lockout in substance, that i
was absolutely impossible to pay this price
except with the result of loss and ruin. Tn
reduction demanded was % cents per ton
! Now let us for moment examine by tn
test of figures whether it would not hav
been from financial standpoint better t.
have continued paying the former rate thai
to have incurred the heavy los
Of this expensive strike. The larges
yearly tonnage ever hauled owe
the line of the Hooking valley road neve
reached 2,0000J0 tons. By late carefu
estimate of the Columbus board of trad
the cost of this strike has already exceeded
$1,000, 900 If the 20 cents per ton were clea
profit it won d then take ten years. on tn
basis Of such showing, to make up thi
stupcndous loss Therefore, if they coul,
not afford to pay 20 cents per ton the,
could much less afford 10 wickedl
waste the money spent in the attemp
to reduce and subdue the miners
1t is true the people who started thi
trouble are getting far more than they bal
gained for, and by this time have purchase
costly experience not soon to be forgotten
The railroad company especially wishes
had kept its hands off and attended to its le
gitimate affairs. Its revenue fell off to sue
an extent that it was forced, three month
ago, to borrow in New York large sum c
money to meet the interest on its bonds, an
lest Thursday the president of that compan
went in his private palace-car to the sam
city to again borrow or beg another larg
amount to meet similar obligations.