The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-25
AN OLD SORE OPENED.
Renewal Of fractional Quarrels
at Newcastle.
The OLD MINERS RElNsrArED.

ouperfntendent Corey Discharges Many
Mon and Hires Their Old Enemies
Each sides story.
The old fsctional fcud among the miners Of
Newcastle has broken out again, and the owners
Dfthe mine, the Oregon Improvement Company,
have taken hand in the fight. For some six
weeks 7. b. Corey, superintendent of the mines,
has been discharging men who have belonged TO
the faction which has been in control ever since
the riots of two years ago and has been hiring
others who belonged to the losing party in that
quarrel. Meanwhile, the mine and buildings of
the company have been guarded by members of
6u1livan's Detective Agency - . precaution
against an outbreak Of violence. The company
has also brought suits in ejectment against six
Of the discharged men In order TO regain posses
sion Of the houses which they occupy, one
months notice to quit having been given on
January 20 or dates about that time.
The parties to the controversy were inter-
viewed yesterday by PosT-INrELLIGExcER re-
porter with view to learning the merits and
extent Of the quarrel. As usual in such cases,
the statements Of the several parties are hope
lcssly at variance, except in regard to the gen.
eral facts. The statements of each party are
therefore given separately.
charged men and against whom an ejcctment
suit has been brought, and Harry seaman spoke
on behalf of the men who have been In control
Of the mine ever since the riot in 1859. They
said:
"For some time past there have been more
1eoo, the company shut down part of the mine,
% that there 10 only work for about 100 men,
yhile there are about $50 men employed: We
work up among the men, 30 that all should get
their share, and he agreed that when man had
4niehed his breast be should take his turn at
getting another. About five months ago Hugh
Deyine, Charles Devine. Alexander Fairfield,
Patrick FiIburn and several others, all nom
union men, were working every day, Sundays
Mr.. Corcy's orders and they refused to share
the work with tho other men. Our committee
!squsstsd y Mr. Corey to give them only fair
give them all the work he wished. He even
1aid other men idle and put Filburn and Fair
ssThis state 81 affairs lasted until six or seven
weeks ago, when Mr.. Corey discharged twenty
one men and put Filburn and that gang In
their places; He then gathered up all the old
all Of whom had left the camp except four OF five,
and put them to work. He also gathered up
men lrom all over the country Italians, Bohe:
he didn't hire many of these foreigners. Some
men were brought here who were noted for
eal,ssct1sggins e Gilman, but he had trouble
Gether be has hired about seventy five new men,
% inst there are a. many now as there were be-
lore . he began di,sschssging The discharged men
Before the first batch OF men were discharged
M. Corey brought here City eight armed detec-
2 nsht .nd on the
began discharging men. Sheriff Woolery also
came with two deputies, Brooks and Phiibrick,
nut siser three OF four . days he saw that there
who was the canse Of the trouble in 1859, came
- one Of sulIivan's men and wanted Woolery to
dspSt1zC him The guards are stu here armed
there IL nothing for them to do.
Though all Of the old knights Of Labor who
w
their assembly, No: 1886, but held no meetings
for year aud half They began holding meet
% san ne sp nsfs n the
bly, and caused the riot in 1859, we were all
knights Of labor, but when we found that Ter
everything their own way we withdrew n and
formed . lodge of the Federation of Labor with
about $50 members 1t was then that Terrace
and Ramsday went to Gilman and brought the
men from there and Cedar Mountain to drive us
out of the pit and thus started the riot. Well,
lately the men at Gilman and Cedar Mountain
Labor again, so that we could all be in one
organization. Accordingly about New Years
John Costello, . member Of the executive board,
came out here and organized us into Assembly
2,Hs5 with 135 members The old assembly OBJ
jectcd to the admission of about 80 OF our mem
bers, but when Costello called upon them to
10 ali except William Penmsn. He answered
the charges and was initiated with she rest of
u& Costello went from here to the General AS
there
'sMr Corey has repeatedly said that he did not
want any of the old hands here; that he was
III said the tme sos the 'ns
Per cent advance last fall that he was going to
get rid of the sold stiffs We are not going to do
anything until William Penman gets back from
the national miners convention at Columbus.
He was to lay the matter before the conventions,
and We expect him home any day, when he will
report the decision."
Labor driven out after the riot, and recently re-
1nstated, tells another story. He says: 1.-TWO
years ago the old knights OF Labor were thrown
out OF work and hfty-six of us blacklisted all
over the Coast by the federation. We could not
get work anywhere in King and Pierce counties
because they had blacklisted us. They cannot
Peny that, for their names were signed to the
fircular. The trouble in the old assembly arose
between Penman and Terrace, and we were
fbout equally divided, SO that everything had to
pc decided by q rising vote. The assembly
tnally broke up, seventy four men joining the
federation and fifty remaining knights.
The riot followed, and then the knights were
out OF work: We have never worked at mining
spinCe, but all except one or two have gotten ON
well, working on farms, in logging camps and
IN Seattle. stu we have held our assembly
together, and have had meetings of six to ten
men, but the oppression from both the company
ana the other men was so great that we dared
not meet In a hall, SO we met in house i'm the
woods Nearly all the men have stayed in
Newcastle and the neighborhood
Towards the end of December Mr. Corey
came to us and told us he had concluded that
we were more imposed upon than We had i'm
posed on the company and offered TO put us to
work ana shortly afterwards we returned to
work. At the time We went back, we objected
to having any detectives brought here and
refused to go to work under their protection.
Never at any time did any detectives go with us
to the mine. That's what Corey and had q bad
Spat about, because I'm down on detectives Ii
any trouble occurred, it would probably be in
the dark aud the detectives would be as likely to
shoot the men they were protecting as the
others. We miners all know one another in the
dark by our voices, SO there is no danger with
us. The detectives have only been used to
guard the company property and don't blame
Mr.. Corey for having them for that purpose.
MIR. Corey has not brought in any foreigners,
Tor there Is not foreigner who was not here be-
fore he began discharging men. About fifty
new men have been put on, all OF them old
Knights of Labor This quarrel between the
federation men aud Mr.. Corey is simply about
their pets. The federation men wanted to have
the snaps given to their pets, Howell Jones,
John Dobson ami others, and Mr. Corey wanted
20 favor his own pets. But what's the use of
kicking against petsg There always were pets
IN every mine ana there always will be-
L. r. Corey, superintendent of the Oregon
improvement Company's mines, gives VET
another account of the affair. He said: IL
agreed 70 the turn system and asked the men to
furnish a list of the men in the order in which
they were TO have their turn. When il came 10
the turn of q certain seven men. the organiza-
tlon insisted that they should not have their
turn. while the seven insisted that they should
30 that l was between two fires. wrote this