Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-09-08

hIi-o hIdheS OUT II pltIl'tl CdSe
Tor the miner WHO is compelled
to work underground for livelihood
foI himself and family.
"he trouble with "Philo" is-his
picture is overdrawn. The miner,
whose lot is so hard, occupies too small
II space as freeman in the back
ground at that. Ihe Declaration of
Independence declares that he twas
born free and equal" with every other
man, but ''Philo" ks his sovereign
ty below that of those mere creatures
of the peop!e--corporations. "Philo'
makes him kind of Lazarus sitting
at the rich mans gate, asking for
crumbs and getting kicks.
The true miner is not that kind
of Il man. He does not by implica-
ton regard his famIIy-in one breath
dear to him us the apple Of his eye
in the next Il milestone around his
neck. Nor does he make complaint
Of the fact that there are plenty
more in the SUM fix. IL does not
forget that behind the apparently
heartl"ss operator is the economical
consumer, who takes only SO much
coal us he actually needs; that, no
matter how good the ventilation in
the mine may be, he wants not Il ton
more. 1t often happens, too, that
this same consumer is Il working
man who never boycots the souIiess
operator, or even thinks of the
martyrdom his coal has cost.
1t has been IL standing wonder
with the JOURNAL why it never hap
pened in all the effort to rectify the
alleged wrongs of labor that no stress
has been laid upon the consumer
that no legislation has ever been
sought to compel him to buy coal only
from well ventilated mines, and then
make him take more than he wants.
Had this been done the miner would
have the operator, who is after all
mere mlddleman-a mere medium
OF transit by the neck and heels
50 completely that he could be
dispensed with altogether. The war
would then be between Greek and
Greck-the man who digs and the
man who burns coal-the real parties
in interest.
Turning now to the case Of Hon.
James y. Cunningham, who was
elected pledged to do certain things.
SO were john n. Benson and Will
liam Broderick, and the latter, so far
us we know, acted us honestly us Mr..
Cunningham. Yet these gentlemen
were not denied re-emp!oyment by
the soul!esss corporations for any
thing they did. What, then, was the
matter with Mr.. Cunningham? Per-
haps the difference between him and
his more fortunate colleagues was not
one of effort, but rather of mqHNcr
and tone. Perhaps Mr.. Cunningham
Il
harmless as IL dove" in carrying out
his pledges to make speciality of IL
certain piece Of class legislation.
Perhaps he did not reflect that in so
freely engaging to interfere with the
business Of his employers he was
monkeying with the pillars Of II tenn
pie that might just us freely fall on
his own head. Perhaps he WAS will
ing to accept the assets only Of his
own free, unrestrained action, with
out incurring the liabilities which
arise ont Of the equal freedom enjoy
ed by those whom he antagonized.
At any rate, if it was ''manIv or
justiIiable act for the companies to
have no use for Mr.. Cunningham
after he had assumed stand 50 de-
cided against what they regarded were
not only their own interests, but those
of their employees, then we are to un-
derstand that the ''manly and iusti.
fable way for anybody to conduct
business is to put and keep it in the
hands Of those who for any reaS0n
antagonize the proprietary rights Of
the owners.
That reduces the whole argument
to IL rank absnrdity.
The JOURNAL is twitted with oc
casionally reporting harmony in the
region between operators and Oper-
atives. 1t can do nothing to the
contrary, because, outside of an
anonymous growl now and then over
the right Of the companies to run
their mines in their own way, there
is not discordant note in the music