The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1884-10-13
A RINGING PROTECTION SPEECH,
which it Would do Well for Ali 10
Read-Mr. Blaine 30 tho Miners OF
MI

NeIsOnviIle.
Last Saturday Mr.. Blaine was up among tho
miners In Hooking Valley. He made speech
at Nelsonville. lie said:
If 1 am at home anywhere It is in coal
region. was born and brought up In a coal
region in the valley OF the Monongahela and
know something about coal. have been an
owner OF coal lands nearly oil my adult life,
ana the greater part OF what little property
have in this world is in coal lands. have
also to some extent engaged In tho mining OF
coal. am now interested as q stockholder
and director In company in West Virginia.
have had twenty-seven years experience In
connection with the coal industry, and 1 count
tia piece OF remarkable good fortune tina,
neither myself nor any company with which
j have been connected has ever had q strlke
or a quarrel, nor dispute, or trouble OF any
kind with any man. ["Good." "Good." Further
have TO say that during the last eighteen
months tho company that am connected with
has been able to pay an average OF about $50
month 70 every one OF the 260 men engaged.
["Goodl" "Good"1
You see, therefore, that / am not talking
about subject that do not understand. But,
while acknowledge that am owner OF coal
lands In Pennsylyania and in West Virginia,
am kindly assured by number OF Demo-
Gratis IN Ohio that l own also large tract OF
coal lands In the Hooking Valley. [Laughtor.l
Now, think that whom man has property
attributed 10 him which he protests that he
does not own, and when tho other parties In
sist that he does own, they ought to BIO com.
PEELED by law 70 make 1t good to him. [Laugh-
ter and cheeIs.l They say that l am a large
holder In the Hooking Valley syndicate. say
that do not own single share. They say
again mat do. Let them como into court,
then, and make tho ownership good to me-
l"Good."1 II could bring them into court on
that Issue and under the rulo suggested, l
could bankrupt great many Democratic ed
itors anc speakers who insist that own prop
erty that l mover did own. [Laughtor and
cheers.l understand that the miners In THIS
region have had some trouble with the OPP
orators. and nOlittcaI ia aav that
am one Of the operators. AZ ] said awhile ago,
have never had any trouble with the men
employed In the mines In which am inter.
ested, and never expect TO have any, because
II cannot continue the business without aim.
culties OF that kind l shall abandon 1t.
think there is no disagreement that over
arises between an employer and the men he
employs that ought not to BIO settled by fair,
impartial arbitration, and think the man who
IS not willing to submit such matter to arbi-
! tration ought to explain TO the public why he
is unwilling 10 do 1t. But because you are In
| temporary trouble why should you turn your
| backs on the great protective system which
for twenty years has promoted and secured
tue development OF your valley2 Are you GO
ing 10 remedy your troubles In that way? Be-
cause you cannot have the high tide OF pros
| perity all the time, do you therefore say that
| you VIII have the low tide OF adversely?
l".Thats it."l In this world we have TO tate
a little bit Of lean with the fat. Laughter and
cheers.l You cannot have stream dow down
us Ded without having an eddy now and then,
iou Nuhhol HuNb INC uOOu tluO OF the ocean
Without the corresponding ebb. These occa-
sional disturbances OF the even flow OF pros!
| perity seem TO be inevitable.
You want 10 get rid OF them, OF course, but
me parties concerned should deal with each
other In patient and conciliatory spirit, and
IN your anxiety 20 remedy these passing
| troubles You should not think OF tearing away
| the very foundation on which tho prosperity OF
your State and OF the whole country rests.
1 loheeIs'l appeal 20 you as workingmen-as
minefs-because II the protective tarin Is not
ROOu Tor the coal md iron tnunatrlaa a N
good for anything. II II does not develop these
II Goes not develop anything, and II the pro-
tectlve larin were repealed tomorrow these
hllls would DO again wrapt In tho silence and
desertlon In which they rested during the
twenty-five years that preceded the enact
ment or the protective tariff. But, on the
oIher hand, II the protective tariff is main.
tanned, have full faith that your troubles
VIII soon be adjusted, and that a new era OF
prosperity VIII dawn upon you. Renewed
miner-May ask, Mr.. Blaine, II you arc
interested In tho Union furnace?
MIR. Blaine. No, not TO tho extent OF single
penny. Will make II stronger than that,
never owned an interest In any iron furnace In
ONO or anywhere else In the civilized world.
lOheeIs,l never was engaged In the iron
bueiness at all, but have been engaged In the
coal business, and large proportion OF the
property own is invested In coal to-day. am
interested with you in this matter. II tho coal
pusiness breaks down In Ohio It cannot be
maintained In Pennsylvania or West Virginia.
We al stand or fall together. When they were
ABOUT 10 sign the Declaration OF Independence
some one SAID 70 old DR., Wetherspoon, swell,
we 90 not George tho Third VIII see that we
hang separately" Laughter ana cheers,l 81
my iriends engaged In tho coal Industry, II We
20 az, moi stand together we shall fall together.
loheers thank you for the very kind recep-
non you nave given me, and leavo you In tue
nope ana the expectation that We shall soon
nave better times for the mining interests
throughout the, whole United States. IRE
newed cheering.l