Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1889-10-24
Correspondence OF the Ledger.

ato AEuc as nthpoQs
Correspondence OF the Ledger
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo-, Oct. IT,
State Labor Commissioner, Lee
Meriwether, returned to Jefferson
City to-day from a tour of inspec-
tion among the coal mines. in the
northern counties of Missouri. Mr..
Meriwether reports on the part of
some operators methods of tyranny
and oppression, and violations of
the laws SO fiagrant and of such
long standing, that it would be
difficult to believe them did not
the commissioner have sworn doc
uments proving the truth of every
statement made. 1t seems incred-
ible that mine operators in this
State should pay their men in
pasteboard checks that are not re-
deemabIe in cash for ten years, yet,
as CommissionerMeriwethe shows,
the Mendoza Coal & Mining Co..
Of Mendoza, Putnam county, is, and
has been, doing this very thing for
number of years.
"The law" said Mr.. Meriwether
| to-day, requires corporations to
| redeem all checks or tokens of in
debtedness issued to their employees
within thirty days after the date or
delivery of the same, or upon the
first day subsequent to the day on
which such checks or tokens of in
debtedness are issued. This law is
laid down SO plainly and explicitly
ON page 50 of the Acts of 1885 that
hesitated to believe any company
in Missouri made it a practice to
issue checks to their employees and
refuse to redeem such checks IN
cash until the expiration of ten
years. l made personal visit to
Mendoza and the result of my in.
vestigation shows a condition OF
affairs worse even than has been
reported. From sworn affidavits
now in my possession, as we'll as
from host of unsworn statements, ii
appears that the Mendoza Coal &
Mining Co not only issue checks
to their employees, such checks no
being payable until January 1
1899, but the company coerces o.
intimidates their men into trading
at it's stores, the penalty for refus
ing to do this being dismissal from
the company's service. I hav,
sworn statements of employees O
the company who were told by tn
president that they must trade a
the company's store or be dismiss
ed. One miner states unde
oath that he saw a writer
notice on the letter head of tn
Mendoza Coal and Mining Co. AM
signed by the company, statini
the amount of goods bought by
miner and serving notice that i
. his purchases at the company
store were not increased he woul'
be discharged. I called mas
meeting in Mendoza to which bot
employers and employees were IN
vited. A large crowd was presen
: several hundred miners and tw
or three officers of the company
After stating the object of the meet
ing, miners arose and told public
Iy the same stories that they ha
previously told in private that tn
3 checks issued to them were no
redeemable in cash for ten years
and that the company used fore
in compelling trade at Its store
such force consisting in threats G
dismissal from the company
3 service. When called on to stat
their side of the case in questio
S one of the officers of the compan,
3 present said that they were salts
e fed with the situation and ha
nothing to say. I urged them t
: speak, remarking that if they tel
the occasion beneath their motto
e they were mistaken that althoug
this was but handful of men as
!; sembled IN a remote corner of tn
State, that nevertheless what wa
: said and done would 60 to all part
t of Missouri through official re
e ports and through the public press
but the officers did not care to sa
whether the charges of the miner
> were true or false. The presiden
of the company, however, has ae
: mitted in a letter to me that tn
= checks issued to his employees ar
= not redeemed in cash until Jan,
!, ary 1, 1899. In response to m
u letter asking whether or not th
Mendoza Coal and Mining Con
pany required employees hoidin
the company's checks TO wait te
!. years for the cash, in case the
d did not desire to purchase good
e Ketcham wrote stating that th
checks are only payable in cash ,
the time stated therein, viz jan
II, 1899.
The commissioner exhibited Sc,
erai checks, made of pasteboar
and about the size and shape of
silver dollar. The checks wei
for various amounts, from fiy
cents to two dollars, and each or
bearing the autograph signature {
the Mendoza Coal and Mining Con