Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-06-05
A CRYING OUTRAGE.
AN Interview With Two of the Col
ored Men Who Were Taken
to Franklin.
Shows That a Most Dastardly Ont
rage Has Been Com
mitted.

Reports have been sent out by the As
ISOLATED Press regarding the Franklin
mine difficulty, which have been grossly
colored and misleading. The Worm
was unable to obtain anything authentic
until Thursday morning, when two of
the colOred men-Daniel Webster and
Phillip Lane called at this office
They had three companions. all of
whom were on their way back to st.
Louis. Webster said that some weeks
ago Mr.. Corey, of the Oregon Improve
meht company, came to st. Louis and
made arrangements with an employ
ment agency to gather up 500 or 600 col
ored men to take the place OF the Frank
lin miners. Mr.. Corey remained in st.
Louis and superintendent the work of Sc
curing the colored men. They asked
him if there was a strike or any trouhle
at the mines, to which Corey answered
IN the negative; that Franklin was a
tlourlshing city OF over 1000 inhabi-
tants, and he would give the colored
people steady employment for three
years. Under these promises he Sc
cured five carloads at st. Louis, two car
loads at Chicago and one carload at
Kansas City. The total number of men
secured was GAG. When the colored men
arrived at Franklin they found it was
new town, and that the miners had been
out OF employment for some two months
and reduced to a starving condition.
They found that when the mines were
running at full blast they employed only
$50 men, and they worked them in
shifts of 40, giving each man two or
three days work a week.
When the colored men arrived at
franklin they found they had been
duped, there being work for only 40 or
50 colored men, and the white men were
completely shut out, and colored men
were set to work at reduced scale of
wages.
The coIored men became indignant at
once and 100 quit Immediately, and
they are leaving every day in squads.
Webster said all the colored men
would get away from there Just as soon
rs they could.
He said that when the white miners
found out the colored men would leave.
rttey set about to raise them some
money and treated them finely. That
the best Of good feeling prevailed be-
tween the Whites and coIored mep.---.
The white miners are simply starry
ing; some are giving their furniture and
all their effects away and leaving the
place" said Webster, land we DON'T
propose to remain with this corporation
SO that they might be able to reduce
the men to 4 worse condition than
slavery"
Webster says the importation of the
coIored men is simply to break up the
labor organization, and he added:
They cannot use us to do it."
He says the Governor was asked for
assistance, but that he was very indiller-
ent about the matter and would do
nothing.
The labor organizations of Seattle and
surrounding places are trying to raise
$4,000 to charter car to carry the colored
people back
Webster and Lane are bright young
men and talked intelligently and freely
OF the outrageous conduct of the corpo-
ration in bringing them out here to
crush almost iieless slaves. He reports
ease where woman informed him
that her husband had been out of en-
ployment for more than two months
watching for the mines to open, but
now that the colored men had been
brought in she did not know what they
would do. lie says it is heartrending
sight to see the distress of the white fam
lilies
They left Thursday night for st. Paul.
where they propose to work their way TO
st. Louis by boat.
twill be remembered that Mr.. Corey
stated that he was not in the employ OF
the Oregon Improvement company, but
these high-toned corporate officials think
no more OF lying than they do of sleep
ing.-Iudustrial World.