Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-12-28
COMMUNICATIONS.
COAL VAN PlRES.
Driving Away the Men Who Distributed
Relief Supplies to the Starving.

Relief supplies to the Starving.
CHICAGO, Dec 1.-THE Spring Valley
Coal Company denies the truth of the
statement sent out by the Associated
Press, on information furnished by me,
that the coal company refused employ
ment upon re-opening the mines to the
miners who took a leading part in the
distribution of food, clothing, and medi-
cine to the sick and starving and to the
officers of the union during the lockout.
and has also compelled the miners TO
give up their union. The statement was
true; the denial is untrue. 1t is vital
the fact should be understood, not to
make or unmake any ones reputation
for veracity, but that the public may
know what means are being employed
to terrorize and impogerish the working
people,
In a letter written the day before
Thanksgiving prominent member of
the Spring Valley relief committee said
to me:
The company are putting the men to
work as fast as they can-that is, the
men they want to give work to. Seven
of US have been refused work, and five
of those seven for certain will get no
work in Spring Valley. Their names
are James O'Hair, Andrew Bourke,
Thomas McNulty, Chris. Wemer and
Henry Hill. They will have to 90 and
seek work elsewhere, which is pretty
'hard law" in the winter, after seven
months idle time. As far as sending
relief here now Is concerned, none of the
miners would take anything to distribute
for fear they would be dealt with like
these five, and be made victims and have
to leave the place. If you could do any
thing to find work for me ] would go to
Chicago.
: Confirmation of these statements is
right at hand from the other side. In
its issue of Thanksgiving Day the Spring
Valley Gazette, the organ of the business
men, not the workingmen, said:
At the miners meeting Monday even
of town few men, who have not yet
got work from the coal company. Six
men are on the list, namely, A. d.
Bourke, Harry Hill, Thomas McNulty,
Clement Lalliment, Ed. Travis and
Chris. Weimer. The Sis was the entire
balance of the money remaining in the
hands of the relief committee.
Of these men who are ION the list"
Bourke was the president and McNulty
the secretary of the Miners Union up to
the end of the lockout. Hill was the
chairman of the relief committee, and
the others active members
A late letter informs me that four of
these men, Bourke, Hill, Lalliment and
McNulty, the leaders of the union and
the relief committee, have gone into
theii involuntary exile, and by the same
mail comes the Spring Valley Gazette
stating that Bourke has gone as far
away as Missouri. These men have to
leava their wives and children behind
them.
AS to the union, the miners, besides
submitting to the Punishment of their
old leaders, are compelled to give up
their union by signing iron-clad con
tracts by which they bind themselves,
individually, not to take part in any
combination to obtain better wages,
and agree to leave the settlement of all
grievances to the sole judgment and
decision of the company. The company
refuses the union any recognition in
matters between itself and the men.
The value of the company's denial
may be sufficiently judged from the fact
that the only quotation it makes from
the Associated Press dispatch is garbled
by changing the word lockout to strike.
The trouble at Spring Valley was Off
cially declared to be not a strike but a |
lockout by the special commissioners
employed by the governor of Illinois to
investigate it. The anxiety of the COM
pany to mislead the public on this point
is evidence that they cannot afford to |
stand by their action in apply ing the
torture of famine for seven months to
5000 people in order to buy their labor
"below cost"
HENRY D. LLOYD.