Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-01-28
WITH reference to the JOURNALS
criticism of "Amor's" information
last week the latter reioins in the
Cumberland Yimcx Of SatnrlnY:

As for the original item, expressing "a goOo
/ prospect for increased wages iOral he miner
/ in this region | will simply say hat my in
. formation was received from practical miners
I who have such friendly relation with thc
/ employers, and such an unbOuuded con
| tiencc III tlteir "well wishes for the poo
/ miner that they believe that their wages viii
/ he increased at the good pleasure of the scv
! cral companies.
| Very tenderIy but very indefinitely
expressed. AT the good pleasure o.
the companies Is about the size o
our own observation, excepting, oi
course, that for this year at least the
companies will not enjoy the dis
cretion implied by even "good
pleasure" As stated last week, the
basis OF output and allotment is fixed
and cannot be unsettled. An at
tempt in this direction will be a kick
against the consumers, not the com
panies, and the kickers will get their
hoofS hart us the consumers supply
their wants in some other market.
But "Amor' o,.tinues:
The JOURNALS first reason against a prob
ability of increased wages seems to put the
present state Of affairs among the laws of the
n"dcs and PerSians-mtchangcaJ Hear
him:
These fixtures cutlot he m,$cu'ed upon or3y
occo's"t or PretctSt.
But this is a world of changes and an age
of progress. Why then can the miner not
hope that, whereas, there is such Il demand
'or coal, at Il price even exceeding the price
received when the miner received 10 cents per
ton, that the powers that be- will be able
to give the laborrr-the man who goes under
IN" earth TO procure the "blaCk diamond
he advantage Of the prosperous state OF
affairs.
1t was an incident in the world
of changes and an age of progress
that brought in the reign of laws
Ilhened to those of the ''Medes and
Perslans.' :, was a transition period
lasting nearly six months IN that
memorable year Of grace, 1882.
Atoretime the property of the com
panics WAS controlled by an alien
sentiment smelling Of chivaIrv, and
when an operator came to his own it
received him not. Philosophy mad
taught us and history had exempli-
fed the Old proposition that the
pyramid will not stand on its apex
but we would not credit proposal nor
example. In fact, we derided both.
\ painful struggle followed. but at
length philosophy and history added
another brilliant triumph to their
long serial Of concurrent demon
strations. Moreover, they ushered
in the Medo Persian theorcm that
the one and only proper, safe attitude
for Il pyramid is Il four -coraered.
square tocd Perpendicular, big end
down. And now, the laws controlI
ing this region are simply those of
free agents offered to agents equally
free. Ii you like us, keep our
commandments: if you don't like us,
we can agree to disagree; We will
stay and die with our own, and you
can 90 where love surprising so cents
ton invites, and live forever. Any
thing Medo-Persian about that :
Why, it is not half so destitute of
alternative as that dreadful chal-
lenge:
lie that beliryeth not shall be damned.
Again:
70 show that the sun Of increased wages is
rising we re e'er the JOURNAL to The fact that
the drivers have received an advance of Is
cents per day since the holidays.
$50 show that the sun of increased
wages is" not "rising," we will re-
mind "Amor" that the advance of
drivers wages is merely reinstate-
ment OF the proportion existing when
mining was IS cents IA ton. But the
drivers TOOK advantage OF th&ir "briet
authority" and ran their rate way
above the wage level. Then when
the companies recovered their prop
critics from the knights IF labor the
drivers rate dropped from one ex-
tremity to the other.
Hence, "the sun Of increased wages
is not ''rising." With orb unzoned
he stands on the summit Of his lumi-
nous arch. And on the meridian
maximum of his glory there is enough
"healing in his wings" to bless us
all. And even in the darIness of
the mine digger and driver NAV sing
with true junction
On my barred head l feel his pitying ray
He loves TO shine on my benighted way.
OF all the schemes presented for
canal salvation there is only one in
dead earnest.
That originated in West Virginia,
among West Virginia people for the
benefit Of West Niroini, irtarestO