Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-11-09

lnUcn fcfcN'u ny tnt thoughts. words
and habits of many of their philos-
| ophers, Sagcs and sports.
Years ago there were those who,
| like the Chinese. reckoncd that nobody
worth living for existed beyond the
great walls which Nature has set
about us, and that our own contracted
area was a sort of hermitage for
christian nobemen and profane pu-
rists.
We are glad t" note, however. that
this condition is improving. Things
are not like they used to be, at least
not 50 much so. The guagc of pop
ular thought and liberality is broaden
ing and the scope of religious and po-
litical and personal liberty is widening.
In proof whereof we submit portion
of letter of "reminiscences lately re-
ceived by one of our most prominent
citizens from Il former resident of the
region, and handed the JOURNAL for
use as it deems proper:
was determined not to live III section
where mans lips were sealed by outside in
tolerance The maxim Of large class of
your oath-bound people was-"think as we
hink, say as we say, or keep your mouth
shut" To speak otherwise was to be brand
"A traitor or blackleg. | remember well the
darkest days in the history of your little
mountain city. Not unlike Proctor Knots
49,, Al g ,lo
and consideration was bounded by Dams
and Savage mountains. The Knights of
Labor owned the earth and God had fenced
it in for them. Their cramped-up minds cor
responded with the size of the small spot
they had nearly ruined by the carriage of a
little patent leather Satchel monthly from
the depot to the Grand Central hotel by the
chiefs and high priests, guarded by a half
dozen delegates-walking. The object was
little funny business and big dinner at the
expense of the honest but deluded miners
and their dependent families of women and
children who had to sacrifice many of the
necessares, not to say comforts of life to pay
for fine travelling clothes and fancy meals.
All this for owl-like looks outside ard sage
talk behind barred doors about objects and
purposes of public nature, but not dcbata
bile in public.
am glad to hear that the miners are com
ing out from behind locked doors, and |
hope to sec the day when it can be said of
each of them that he is "his own Knight of
Labor'-a freeman in free country, uncon-
trolled by the walking delegate who seeks to
fatten his own carcass and make skeletons of
his fellow beings.
Demand and supply govern the trade
throughout all the ramifications of consump-
ton and production. Be it labor or gold
either must rise or fall as demand grows or
diminishes. For one, on this rock ] stand
and bid the waves dash and the winds howl.
Long ago, as you well know, was utterly
disguised with the Noble Order, and stand
here Just as | did during the days when or
ganized ignorance almost ruined the Georges
Creek valley. The first law of nature is
self-defence; the second is much like unto
tive shall not have something for nothing,
and the last is exactly conrary to the real
views of those of the Noble Order who
thought they owned the earth All organiza-
tons having public aims in view must come
out and tear down their sgn-'I won't and
you shan't ~ They must stand like other
people on the platform of equal rights to ell
ployers and employees, and there will be no
more strikes, nor suffering women and
children.
Put this letter along with that from
Denver, Col, elsewhere printed, and
it would seem that the history of
N,hl, n,.1.,. ntnn,it,.,, ,,,l tbn h,n,r
raphy of Knights of Labor corruption
lists are pretty familiar to some folks
besides the JOURNAL. "Querist," par
ticularly, is mine of information.
He knows almost as much of Master
Workman biography in this county
as John Chambers.
JOHN CHAMBERS reports that he is
responsible for all that appears over
his own name.
John is always knocking down
something that was never set up.
He also intimates that he wrote the
letter in the Homecoming Reoieo of Oc-
tober %.
No reader of any literary discrimi-
nation whatever will believe that state
ment.
John says he did not provoke the
controversy.
OF course he didn't. Does not every
body know that it was the JOURNAL,
not John, that advertised its great
success i'll inviting T. B. Mcclure to
lecture on labor.
John is willing to drop" the con
troversy, too. Certainly he is. He
Al L Al