Evening journal., 1888-06-19
D0WN IN 4 c0AL lINE.

II. L. Nelson has done good service
20 his country, to protection and TO
humanity by his article on the anthra.
cite coal miners in Pennsylvania,
which appeared in Harpei's Weekly a
week ago. lie showed TO his country
at stroke the natural and inevitable
differences between American laborers
and those OF the least enlightened
European countries. With another
stroke he proved the virtues and bene-
fits of the protective syatem by dis
closing its absence in respect to the
importation of men; and he did brill
liant service to humanity by exposing
once more ana presenting in start
ling hight to the world the hardships
and su offerings of the slaves who dig
coal in Pennsylvania. Mr.. Nelson did
not intend TO accomplish these results
when.he collected the da for his ex.
csllent article. IL was his purpose to
show that protection does not protect
and il he could have done that he
would have been better pleased. no
doubt, than he is at the benefit which
he has conferred upon the poor miners.
The debased condition OF the Penn
sylvania miners is due directly to the
ease aud facility with which their
grasping owners could import the
ignorant and helpless Poles and Hun.
garians whenever their more intelli
gent employees resented and resisted
the encroachments of their greed and
tyranny. Had the importation OF
men by ship-loads at the hands of
coal mine owners and other employers
been prohibited by law in 1861. when
the Morrill, tariff bill was en-
acted, these dreadful scenes in the
Pennsylvania coal mines, depicted
by Mr. Nelson, would never have been
realized. An indirect, but fruitful
cause Of the unfortunate position OF
thess miners is their ignorance. An
Am srican miner would never submit
to such outragss. The Irish.American
miner struck and then quit Just as
soon as he became intelligent enough
to make an effective opposition to the
hardships imposed by his employers.
The present state Of things would not
be possible with any other class Of
workmen, excepting the Chinese, and
il will not remain long possible even
with tho ignorant Poles and Huns.
There is a third reason, too. why we
find this extraordinary situation in
SAL 10 a. 4.
the thousands, isolated and cut off
from nearly all other channels of
employment. They are compelled to
dig coal and half starve, or not dig
coal and etarve entirely. They cannot
NOW or reap, or weave or spin, or
write or paint. If they had the mau-
ual ability to learn anything else they
could not do so for want of mental
activity. They are first slaves OF
ignorance aud vice and second Of their
masters. Their condition has absolutely
nothing to do with protection or free
trade, excepting that were it not for the
protective tariff they would not be
here at all, but still be starving in
n
the American system the Pennsylva-
mia coal mines would probably be un-
developed fields as yet, and we sup
pose that it is better to have the
anthracite mines in that state uncoy.
cred, even under the present condi.
tions, than not to have them in use at
all. OF course the free trader will dis
pute this.
The conditions ia Pen nsylvania will
regulate themselves after awhile. The
coal pool and the coal barons cannot
last forever. There are other coal
fields and other miners throughout the
country and hy and by when these get
better able to supply the great demand
for heating material, the Pennsylvania
cormorants W III melt away like snow
In the meantime no more OF these
Hungarian slaves can be imported and
those that are here will learn to protect
themselves better the longer that they
are here.
Let it not be forgotten that this
pitiahle Instance which the free
traders have bsen in such gleeful
haste to hold mp before the country as
a proof Of their preaching is the gen
eral condition under the coal barons
of England and Belgium, and that il
has been the general condition for
fifty years. This Pennsylvania ex-
ception to the general prosperity OF
the country under the Americ. n
system. which free traders 10 delight
TO expatiate upon, is unfortunately a
relic OF the system and conditions
which the latter would have us adop
in America. But on the contrary il
should teach all men the necessity OF
extending the principles OF protection
so that they include men and womer
as well as material things. Let ths
tariff Of intelligence. good morals and
capacity for self support be placed
upon the immigrant, and such shame
full conditions as those existing in tn,
Pennsylvania coal fields will be i'm
possible.
--
WITH dozen s'favorite sons" in thl
f36ld kha atunoeuhpra ia fikalw tn claa