The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-03
MINERS, RIGHTS.
a Workingman Discusses the Situation
From the Miners Standpoint.

10 The EDITOR: In this mornings issue OF
your valuable paper you discourse, and might
add literally, the legal rights of employer and
empioye- / regret to observe that you take no
cognizsnce whatever of the moral rights. in
tend TO prove in this article that at certain times
and.nnder certain conditions the moral rights OF
men are more worthy of consideration than the
mere legal rights
In your elaborate argument TO the effect that
both employer and employe have like privileges
granted them by our constitution and laws, you
seek to strengthen your position by comparing
the miner to the city smploye, especially the
clerk. You say:
The right of the owners of the coal mines at
franklin at Black Diamond, at Newcastle and
at Gilman to hire whom they choose-white
men, negroes, unionists or non-unionists-is q
fact as certain and positive Is is the right Of
merchant in Seattle 70 choose his own clerks
and portera. They have the right to hire such
men az may be willing to WORK at such
pay as may be mutually satisfactory.
They have no right 20 demand or compel the
labor Of any particular man at any particular
rate of pay; nor, on the other hand, have the
mine workers the right TO compel employment
at any particular pay or under terms of their
own suggestion The proposition 10 just as
broad as it is long-neither has any advantage
In law or Justice over the other.
From your editorials am inclined to the be-
lief that the PosT-ISTELLIGESCER wishes to take
an impartial position in this controversy. Such
being the case, / hope you will permit me 10
analyze your position, though it may terminate
against you.
Mr.. Smith, who keeps grocery store in town,
hires Mr.. Jones, who claims 10 be grocery
clerk. Jones works for Smith as long Smith
suits him, and when he becomes dissatisfied,
be quits. The same is true vice versa-no
great inconvenience to either. Smith al
ways get some one to suit him, and the chances
are that If Jones is a competent clerk he can OBJ
tain suitable employment as quick as Smith can
get suitable clerk. Mr.. Jones don't have to
pack his furniture and move, or sell them TO
second hand dealer for next to nothing. He
need not take withdrawal or transfer card
from the beneficial society he belongs to- He
does not have to bid goodby to all his friends,
and his children can continue in the same pub
lie school and no interruption need occur in
their studies. In fact, the change of employ
ment does not affect his home or social rela-
tons, and, consequently, no employees of that
class ever try to run the business of their en-
ployers, transgression of which the mine own
ers so bitterly complain.
The thinking mind should always look for a
cause when 1t sees an effect. When we behold
number of union men in the city quite willing
to let the boss do the hiring and discharging as
ne pleases, and again another number of union
men, in the same county, members of the same
central body, emphAtically objeeting 10 the dis
charge of any miner unless reasonable and Just
cause is shown, the question naturally presents
itself, Why do these men, so nearly related to
each other, take so Numerically opposite views
from each other on 8 matter of apparently
trifiing Importance?
j have pictured the clerk and what il costs
him TO change situations. Let me picture the
miner. The miner and his family. use "family
advisedly, because whenever you see a miner
without family, and large one at that, you
see curiosity" arrives here, looking for en-
Payment; he puts up at some second-elass hotel.
de can never afford a hrst-class one. After
day or SO OF rest he goes TO the mining camps,
looking for work. and at last he finds a job.
UnlAe the clerk he don't take off his coat and
go TO work at once. He first inquiries of the
superintendent is for house in which he and
his family can obtain shelter. Having pro-
cured house he goes back to town, takes his
wife and children to camp and goes to work.
As q rule the miner is fond of his home The
very pretty little gardens that we see in the
front and back yards attached to the miners
humble homes in this county proves his fond
ness for his home. For the first few months he
spends every cent he makes in the company's
store for food, clothing, especially clothing for
his children in order to send them to school,
and furniture and some nick nacks and brie-a-
brac to beautify his new home. Certainly he
buys all these things on credit in the eompany's
store for two reasons: First. he has no money
to purchase for cash; second, the company
allows no one else TO keep store in camp.
After four or five months OF hard toll he has
succeeded in getting himself and family fixed
up--that Is, his house looks home-like; his fam
lily can go to church on Sunday in their Sunday
apparel, though he himself hasn't been able as vet
to get a Sundays rig Here a new problem
presents itself. ''Maryi' informs him that the
blessing IN the way OF an increase in the family
Is fast on its way. "Pat" knows by experience
what that means. 1t win take at least 500 to
pay the doctor, nurse and christening. and
therefore concludes to economic. His pur-
ahASA IN fhs ,wsa Al
minimum His purchases in the company's
saloon he entirely obliterates And here the
trouble commences.
Just as soon as he ceases spending all his
earnings in the eompany's "pluek-me" enter
prises, Just as quick his goods landing with the
company superintendent or pit boss ceases Mr.
c. }. smith, the manager of the Oregon Improve
ment Company, will deny this, but denial won't
do him any good. Common business sense sub
stimulates my assertion. IL is to the interest of
the company to give the most work to the man
who spends the most of his earnings in their
store because of the enormous profits they make
on the goods they sell poor Pat, and here Mr.
Manager will rise again and deny that the COM
pany makes enormous profits This denial will
do him no good. am aware that some stapies
are sold by the company at q reasonable profit
but as 10 the balance, such as millinery, dry
goods, cooking utenils, canned goods and cloth-
ing, other then overalls and jumpers | am
decide who comes nearer being right charge
the company with making unreasonable, nay,
outrageous profits, or he by denying il
Ii is often said that corporations have no souls
How much truth there Is in the saying am not
called upon 10 decide, but that much is certain
that no matter how generous or philanthropic
the Eastern stock owners OF the Oregon I'm.
proveuent Company might be, when Mr.. Smith
sends them his monthly report, they win look
81 the bottom figures, and Mr.. smiths standing
with the company and his salary depends on
these very hguers Besides, when, at the last
session OF the Legislature, bill wss presented
by miner 10 abolish ''piuck me" stores the
company and all its hirelings concentrated their
strength to defeat the bill o, how the poor
miner pleaded. With eArnestness that
brought tears from his eyes he pictured the
root OF all evil in mining and logging camps,
and many Of his legislative colleagues Joined
him in shedding tears, but the shining twenties
OF the company soon oyerpowered ths poor fell
lows pleading and the bill was beaten. Itiss
TACT undenlable that had the legislature Needed
the esrnest advice given 10 ii by the poor miner
we would not today be confronted with this dis
graceful spectacle. the state troops under arms
or the criminals and thugs of ali
states imported 10 our glorious site
70 maintain our peace. have heard
many members OF the last legislature claiming
that they voted against the bin because 1t would
intimidate capital. and | ask these members
new, from purely business standpoint ian
swer, beg of YOU which 10 the nest injurious