Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-06-20
ri MINERS STRIKE.

Work was suspended TUESDAY, al tht
various mines of the Lexington Goa
Company, and the mines are still idle.
with no understanding as to when
! mining will be resumed. The question
| al issue between the miners and the
coal company grows out of an enact
ment by the last legislature compelling
coal companies to weigh and credit to
miners all of the coal sent out by them
before any part of it has been screened
out, and also compelling the coal oper-
ators to account for the coal at the
standard weights of the state OF by the
ton. Coal has heretofore been mined
at Lexington at an agreed rate, per
bushel of IS pounds. Under the law,
if coal is mined by the bushel, it must
be accounted for at 80 pounds, and the
claim of the miners is for the same pay
for 80 pounds that they have received
for So pounds. This the company says
is equivalent to all advance in the rate
for mining which it declines to accede
to at this time when orders are light
and business dull. Coal is not screened
at the Lexington mines and there is no
grievance, therefore, on that score. The
miners went into the mines Tuesday
morning, but in a short time, and evil
IDENTIFY by pre-arrangement, all came
out together, and in the evening a COM
mittee representing them waited upon
Mr.. Serat, the superintendent. The
committee was composed of Messrs.
Martin Collins, Jack Roosevelt, John
Cribben, Patrick Pagan, VIM. Stewart,
Porter Walker, Charles Williams and
Robert Henderson. The Immediate
cause of the strike was the posting of a
notice that hereafter coal would be
paid for by the ton instead of bushel.
The price being received before the
strike was 4 cents tor S5 pounds when
wheeled by the miner, and 81 cents
when wheeled by the company. The
company offered the equivalent of this
by the ton, 80 4-10 cents per ton OF
1000 pounds where the 81 cent rate
prevailed, and "a 2 10 cents where the
4 cent rate was paid. This was not a
reduction, but a small fraction more
than the men were getting, but they
wanted 81 and 4 cents per bushel of 80
pounds, which is practically all advance
of a little owe 5 cents per ton. 1t is
perfectly natural that the sympathies
of the community III a difference OF this
kind should be with the miner. In the
first place he is earning whatever he
succeeds in getting by hard labor in a
perilous avocaticn; secondly, every
extra dollar he can get is just that much
more added to the business of the place
in which he lives. Thus he very prop
erly has the sympathy of his neighbors.
At the same time it is we'll to be calm
and cautious in a case of this kind. We
have criticised the Missouri Pacific
railroad company too often and too
severely to be suspected of any partial
ity in their behalf, but it is only fair to
say, hat they have recently gone al
nestly to work to improve the condition
of their mines aud to increase the pro-
duction of coal thereat. They have, we
are told, more than doubled the pro-
duction of the mines since the change
in the management. Now, the question
is, is it wise, in June, and under the
circumstances, to demand an advance ?
We fear not; and in the interest OF
the miners and of the city, we should
exceedingly regret to see that de-
mand result in q suspension of work
here, or in its reduction to a mere nom
inal amount. There is only 5 cents
per ton between the miners and the
and we hope that neither
will get stiff necked and present an
.ultimatum, but that each will
evince a spirit of fairness and compro-
mise. There are ways by which the
company might advance the interests of
the men which possibly would aid in
the solution of the question. Mr.. r.
NJ. Mcdowell, the Mo. P. s%uperintend-
ent of mines, was here, Thursday, and
offered the men 4 cents per bushel OF 80
pounds for the year round, alleging that
a steady price would be an advantage
to all. The miners have refused to &C
cept this offer. We hope that before
our next issue the disagreement may
be adjusted, and that the work at the
mines will be going on, with the prom
Use of a largely augmented output.