Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-02-15


region.
SaXony, too, has productive coal
mines, in which some q, 900 of her citi.
zens find employment. The other rs, 900
German miners are in scattered mines
throughout the country, and do not
play very prominent part in the labor
agitation OF the present and the past
year, because they are not sufficiently
concentrated to act in great bodies.
German coal is exported in large uuan-
titles to Holland, Switzerland, Scandi.
navla, and was exported formerly to
KuSsla and Roumanla. The export trade
Is, however, OF minor Importance when
compared with the domestic consump-
ton. Threats of IA general strike make
the whole industrial world between the
Kline and the Russian border shiver and
,lCken. In the iron industries alone
100000 men find regular employment.
In the manufacture of machinery and
instruments 1856 900 more work for wa
ges, to say nothing of the vast army
engaged in the textile factories, on the
railways, and on the steamships which
sail from German ports. The close
interdependence of these many indus
tries, especially of the coal mining and
the working of metals, was illustrated
last May when the miners strikes were
Immediately followed by the involuntary
idenes of 100000 hands engaged in the
manufacture of iron and steel.
Military Germany is hardly less sensi-
tive to coal miners strike than indu-
strlal Germany. A handspring of Won
Moltke's e eatness has been his unprece-
dented skill in utilizing the railway for
military purposes. By refusing to pro-
duce fuel to the railways the miners do
not cripple German trade alone. They
also paralyze the strong right arm of the
mighty Field Marshal. This state of
affairs moved Bismarck at the beginning
of the labor troubles to direct The rail
ways to increase their supplies of coal.
similar order was subsequently issued
by tie French War Minister
Finally, the most ominous though
most unobstructive feature of the acute
agitation in the German mines is that it
strengthens the hands of the already
pussait social democracy.
The demand of the miners last May
were for higher wages, shorter hours,
and better treatment il general at the
hands of their employers. These de-
mands were to considerable extent
complied with, and the miners returned
to work with the understanding that the
leaders Of their agitation should not be
disciplined in any wise by the mine ow-
ners In this particular, however, the
employers played rather sharp, and most
OF the workinRmen who were prominent
in the May strikes found themselves
either blackllsted or subject to many
petty prosecutions, The result was "A
Juggling and straining ut the mutual
relation of employers and employed,
which all but eliminated in another
general revolt in November A univer-
sal conyulsOn like that Of last MAY was
prevented by the granting of new con.
cesslons to the miners. With all this
peacemaking, however, there is still no
peace. From every big mining district
OF Germany still come the grunblings
and threats of the dlsContended labOrprs
The newspapers are full of reports of
miners meetings, at which all sorts of
eXtravagant demands, like for instance.
% or 60 per cent, advance of wages.
are made by the leaders, and embodied
in resolutions by their followers. The
great German coal industry is being con |
Quoted under the provisions of an arms |
tIce rather than according to treaty
of peace.
AS may be gathered from even a
cursory observation Of the recent labor !
movement in the German mines, there
is something back of it all besides this,
that or the other specified grievance
which was crowded to the front last
May or last November. This something
is the social democratic movement
aggravated by the recent rise of the
prices of the necessarles of life in Ger
many. Ever since the coming of Eerdi
nand Lasalle tins movement has been
gathering into its ranks the most on
pressed and i'll paid of German working
men, Lasalle was an ideal agitator.
whose fiery eloquence appealed 10 the
most b!unted minds. lie knew better
than any other man of the century how
to lntuse gall INTO words and 10 set them
to ranking IN the hearts of his hearers.
''Perhaps you believe You are men," he
exclaimed, IN his great speech TO the
worklngmens meeting in Lelpsic. That
Is a terrible mlstgke. Economically con.
sldered, you are only wares. You are
increased like stockings by higher prices
when you are scarce. You are got rid
of 10y lower prices when there is a
glut."
The back of the laborer," he wrote,
Ct is the green cloth ON which capitalists
and spectators play their game of for.
tune. 1t is the green table on which
they receive the heaps of money thrown
to them by the lucky coup of the
roulette, and which they smite to con.
sole themselves for an unlucky throw"
l.asSalIe bequeathed a whole library of
these clasSlralIy bitter phrases TO his
followers. TIE movement which he
Stained Is hnrI,n l IN rnn h. In, ,An..l. q