The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-06-12
Block-COal Operators Say They Are Now Com
petitors, While Heretofore They Have En-
joyed Exceptional Privileges and Prices.
On the Other Hand, Miners Claim that the
Rate Offered Cannot Be Accepted.
If Political Heelers Would Keep Away Set
tlement Could Be Reached-lIow Workers
Are Affected by UnfayOrable Conditions.
OPERATORS AND MINERS.
What Is Said on Both Sides Concerning the
Pending Disagreement.


What Is Said on Both Sides Concerning the
Pending Disagreement.
From STAFF Correspondent of the Journal
Brazil, June 11.-Outwardly there is no
evidence of great miners strike affecting
the thriving town of Brazil. The people
seem to have plenty of money to spend, the
streets are full of farmers, the stores are
we'll stocked and no one is inclined to COM
plain of an extraordinary dullness. That
condition would surely attend a strike of
far-reaching effect. but as the stoppage of
work is confined only to certain class of
wage-earners the ordinary affairs of the
place go on as they are won't to do in
moderately prosperous times. A block-coal
operator and o block-coal miner have
in the past been 4rivileged per-
sons so far as the market in
which both are interested is concerned.
They were exclusive, and therefore enjoyed
privilege of asking a higher rate, which
the bituminous operator and bituninous
miner would like to have, but could not
get. The product of the latter in seeking
for purchaser has always found the prod
uct of somebody else on the Same road.
But block coal, on account of its excellence
for certain purposes, has enjoyed an ad-
vantage in the purchaser seeking it. Con-
sidered as fancy coal, it has commanded q
fancy price, and therefore, ever since it be-
came marketable quantity, the
man who provided the means
and money for the man who
supplied the labor to mine it has had q
place of his own among the coal producers.
That was before the days of fuel oil and
natural gas. These two quantities, while
affOrding convenience and cheapness to the
manufacturer, have destroyed the exclusive
preteDsions of the block-coal operator.
He is no longer a baron in his peculiar
estate. He has been compelled to come
down to a level with others who have some
thing to sell. Indeed, according to his rep
resentations he is in a worse condition than
if he had never been privileged person in
the fuel market. He is not accustomed to
the new order of things, and says that he
has reached the point when labor must take
what he can offer, and make a small margin
of profit. or quit.
1t is right there the operator and miner
cannot agree The latter, whether right
fully or through deleteriOus influences, is
unwilling to accept the opera tors repre-
sentat tion of the condition of the market.
He wants his position of being an excep-
tional miner TO continue, while his en-
ployer. as that person puts it, is struggling
to find place where he can sell his
product. Natural gas in Indiana has de-
prived the block-cOal operator of a market
altogether. Now we must go to Chicago"
said one of them yesterday, land there,
with fuel oil helping to make matters
worse. we must take our chances with the
bituminous operators. We can no longer
fix q price. Competition does that,
and that, too. on another quality of coal.
We must accept that price or quit. In try
ing TO adjust ourselves to this change of
conditions we come in conflict with the
duction the miner does not want to accept
the only price for labor we can offer. In
fact we are driven to the wall. and cannot
even consider a compromise" 1t was
suggested that arbitration might do what
persuasion could not, but the answer came
from the gentleman quoted that persuasion
was not used, nor could arbitration be ef-
fective. There is nothing to arbitrate,"
said he. IAN advance. no matter how triv-
iial. on the rate we offer means close We
have no differences with the miners. We
refuse Dsr to prise accept it, The AnS solution ey
of their difficulty rests with themselves"
But it is claimed by the operatOrs-those
that while the miner is unwilling to ac-
cept 20 cents, the rate for block from May
until Nov. /, he has no objection to work
ing in bituminOus coal for % cents. Some of
the blOck-coal miners have gone to work at
that rate in the bituminOus shafts, but
others will not, although the offer is open
to them. They prefer block coal, not only
on account of the cents higher price, but
also for the advantage In screening block
yielding only 20 per cent: slack TO 40 per
cent. from bituminOus. This is the condi-
ton the operator says he is compelled to
face, and that, too. with more men at his
command IT hewould continue the old rate
for block coal than he really needs. "Crude
oil and natural gas" said one, ''are not alone
in depreciating our markets. We saw this
state of affairs coming before either had
much effect on 1t. A Chicago firm, about
three years ago, went to New Pittsburg,
naces. They took the bituminous, turned
it into coke, and sold it at less price than
we could block. That was beginning of
our being crowded in the market. At the
same time we were paying 50 and q1 cents,
used by the iron mills of Chicago, which
we at one time supplied. While we were
paying 50 and 80 cents the price attracted
coal miners TO this point. Eager to get a
good price in working coal that of
his own market for labor, and We were
thus pushed by him on one side and grow
ing competition on the other"
But up to Jan. the operators present the
figures of having paid their men an aver
age of S2.SS a day. Since then they say
they have been willing and are ready to
meet the demand of an unnecessarily large
number of block-coal miners for work.
They will either place them in the bitumi-
mons or block mines. but it must be at a
reduction, or they viii be forced to close
their shafts.
The operators and miners having thus
reached point where a settlement
Is impossible, except on the scale the
former offer, traces of the pestiferous poll
tlcian begin TO appear. Of course, he is a
Democrat of the worst demagogic type,
rushing to the front with his shouts of op-
preston, and gnashiDg of teeth at what he
pr0claims is the tyranny of capital. He is a
candidats or the heeler of a candidate. and
in both characters he is to be found in this
instance. Where his kind in other local.
ties try to marshal the labor vote in the
interest cf himself or his man, hero it is
the miner Ee thinks he has brought into the
procession. As there is no political tur-
moil this year one may ask what purpose
the agitatOr may have in seeking TO secure
political advantage from the labor
condition in Brazil. Such question
is a reflection upon the sagacity of
Isaac Z. Gray aud the foresight of Daniel
w. Voorhees,. When your Uncle Isaac was
Governor he had q henchman in the mining
regions in the character of q. Mine lnspec tor.
1t was McQuade. He has him still.
although McQuade assumes to act now as
INSPECTOR elected bv the late Democratic