The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-04-16
TO MINERS: ORGANIZE!
VALUE TO THE FARMER is
VALUE TO THE MINER.

VHLO6 ~ ~ & Hs
Labor Is tho Creator of All Wcslth. and
the Wealth Should Remain I'm the Hands
of Those Who Produce It-Organize and
Educate.
After ten days trip among the min
ing camps of Iowa, ! am more than ever
convinced of the necessity of organiza-
tion among the miners. am more than
ever of the opinion that the men who go
Gown into the bowels of the earth to en-
gage in the arduous work of coal mining
do not receive fair ard just cOmpenSa-
tion for their labor. / have only to wit
ness the great train loads of coal thai
are being carried to market. and see the
proportion of coal that the miner re-
ceives no pay for. to convince me am
right in my opinion. l would ask the
miners of Iowa if they have ever thought
of the vast amount of nut coal that goes
into the market from our state? Accord
ing to the report of our state mine in
SpectOrs for the two years ending June
30, $3.50. there was an output of nut
coal amounting to 1.c5i.021 tons.
II We estimate thiS nut coal to be
worth co cents per ton. VIC will see that
for the two years named it amounted to
S632,4l6.
But in order to better understand the
magnitude OF the nut coal output, let us
put it this way. We will suppose this
nut coal is loaded on cars OF 10000 ca
raciiy, and we will find that it takes 52,-
701 cars to carry this nut coal to market.
Again, let US put the matter in an
other light. We will suppose that these
-. 1O1 cars of nut coal were one con-
tinuouS train. and allow forty feet for
each car. and we would have train
.?sls miles in length. all loaded with
nut coal, produced by the miners OF Iowa
for those two years, and for which they
never received one cent of wages. |
would like to ask the miners of Iowa il
they are satisfied with such conditions
existing between themselves and their
employers? If they are, then they have
no need of any kind of organization.
Organizations, or unions. are for the
benefit Of those who are dissatisfied with
the conditions under which they exist.
Union of crafts. or trades, is for the
purpose of bcnefiting those who unite or
come together If the coal miners of
Iowa are rendering labor for which they
Go not receive Just compensation then
they should unite or organize for the
purpose of securing a wage that will
compensate them for the work they per-
form.
Whenever any craft or trade wish to
secure any benefit, either through legis-
1ation or by concession on the part of
Those who employ them, they III, st first
unite their strength by systematic organ
ization. and then perfect their plans of
procedure before they can hope or ex-
pect to accomplish airy good results.
And here let me say that if the miners
of Iowa expect to secure any benefits for
themselves the sooner they organize Just
that much sooner will they be benefited.
Our organization declares in unmistak-
able terms for an eight hour day for all
miners and mine laborers. We firmly
believe that eight consecutive hours is
long enough for miner to work at any
one time in order to secure living for
himself and family.
We believe there is nothing we stand
SO much in need of as education upon
the great questions that affect capital
and labor. Ard so believing. we favor a
reduction of hours from ten to eight for
days work, thereby adding two hours
for study each day.
II we expect to get better laws enacted
we must be able to understand what kind
of changes are needed in the laws now
existing.
And unless We educate ourselves upon
these questions that relate to capital and
labor, we are not in position TO make a
demand for any certain or definite en-
actmpnt in our behalf. For the simple
reason that we do not know for certain
whether or not we are going to be bene-
fitCd thereby.
Aud in order to become educated upon
the questions that are of Importance to
or laboring people, we must got to-
gefher and discuss the evils that we have
got to contend with and ask for the
remedies that must be administered for
the cure of the evils we complain of.
/ believe there never was time in the
history of our country when it was SC
easy for the laboring people to organ
ize into their respective trade unions as
now. and l believe there never was a
time when organization was needed
worse than it is now.
Witness the vast accumulation o1
wealth in the hands Of a few. Believe
me. brother workmen, there is nothing
that we should fear more than this very
system that allows these great accumu
lations OF wealth in the hands of few
people. Why? Because labor is the
creator of wealth, and the wealth
should remain in the hands of those who
produce it. When we sec the people who
produce the great wealth Of this country
becoming poorer every year, and those
who do not produce any of that wealth
becoming richer year by year. We shouie
pause and take time to investigate tn.
causes that lead to these great accumu
Iations of wealth. And wheh we hav,
found the root of the evil, administer
remedy that will bring about pcrma
neat cure. To educate ourselves up t.
that degree Of intelligence that will en-
able us to take decisive action upOl
these questions, we must be brought to
gether and united in our aims and OBJ
jects, and the one way to accomplish
this is through some permanent Organi
zation as the limited Mine Workers O
America whose organization is ma
tional, whose aims are for the education
and advancement of all mine laborers
And here let me make this appeal to you
my fellow countrymen, that you com
into this organization and help us Will
we are yet weak in Iowa. Help lis t
educate our brother workmen on the eco
nomic questions that undcrlie our gov
prnmcnt. For unless we are intelligcn
men, we fail to be good citizens on tn
one hand, and on the other we becom
an easy prey to those who wish to or
press us and filch from us large porto
of our hard earnings. And again, brin
in the young men and the boys when W
meet in our halls and school houses I
discuss these questions. Let us loo
after their education in time. for it wi
not be long before the burdens Of go,
ernment will fail upon their shoulder:
and il we wish to have a better systel
to prevail in the production and distr
button of the wealth of this country "
must educate the boys Of to-day, fo
they will be the men of tomorrow, an
into their hands will be given tho r.
sponsibilities of shaping the dcstinies {
this republic.
I 1t is duty we owe to ourselves and I
the rising generations, that we do nc
( waste the talents that have been give
to us, but rather that We increase theI