Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-22
SOME PLEASING FACTS.
The Mining interests of MIR. Cable
and His Employees.
What an Iowa Journal Has to Say Re-
terest In Connection Herewith.

The Muscatine Meas Tribune. in
speaking of the mining town of Gable,
among other things says:
Here on Camp Creek, near the north
east corner of Mercer county. is located
the town of Cable. with its 100 popula.
ton, named in honor of p. l., and r. X.
Cable, who in 1868 opened and operated
the coal mines in Coal Valley near this
place. and who subsequently discovered
and developed rich and extensive coal
fields in this vicinity. and built line of
railroad from Rock Island to carry to the
world the product of their mines. Any
one having widely observed the char
acter and condition of the towns and the
people of other mining places, will no.
tice here happy contrast in the material
makeup of Cable and its community,
Iraceable, perhaps. to system of justice
and liberality, inaugurated by the Ca.
bles. in the building and running of their
road, and the development and manage
ment OF their mines, and as a reward for
which they have had neither strikes nor
lockouts in either of their enterprises un
der the old regime nor during
the more modern management of Ben T.
Gable, 1.-THE present democratic candidate
for congress) who for liberalitv toward
the working men and sympathy in their
behalf appears TO be a "chip off the old
block" PareD,hetically, and perhaps
without political prejudice, it might here
be remarked. that how to elect or beat
Ben Gable, constitute the principal topi-
cal conversation on this side at present
Our republican brethren point with pride
To the fact that his father presented one
or two thousand dollars to the town OF
Rock Island and its charitable institutions
and several thousand tons of coal to its
poor people, and claim because his father
did this Ben ought to be defeated. The
democrats claim that while he has a mi
lion or so of his dads dollars, he has
earned good many of his Own-that i,
is no great crime TO keep them in crcula-
ton; that Ben Will be the next congress.
man; that he will represent and respec,
the cause of the laboring people in con.
gress as he has done outside-that he is
no cheap sucker whom the corporations
can control with their cash. and thus the
warfsre wages, with the chances 10 favor
of the Cable cause.
lDe pTlnClpA mine, the CaDle, employs
at present 275 miners. while during the
busy season 300 or more are required
The proprietors from the start Investigate
ed the labor problem diligently, and after
few years experience solved the prob.
lem, so far as they were immediately con
cerned. in sort of cooperative way. based
upon the showing of their books, which
indicated that one-third the value of the
entire product, which last year was about
2OO.O tons, equaled the cost of original
investment. plant and repairs. one third
the cost of hauling and marketing anG
third an equitable allowance for its
mining. On this basis the miners have
been paid. this allowance being regulated
by the price of coal in Rock Island, anG
they receive pay for all the coal they
mine, hence are not beaten ont OF thei
nut coal and slack they mine, as is tht
general rule elsewhere. They own thei
homes, are sober intelligent and indus
Gus people and appear to be happy an
contented.