The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-19

during the day they went to the Knights
of Labor hall, where they held sort OF in
formal conference. A PosT-IyTELLIGEScER
reporter called on them for statement OF
the feeling of the men in the various
camps, but was told that they had nothing
for publication. Following are the COM
mittees:
Franklin-L N. Maxwell
Black Diamond-George McQuery.
Eewcastle-E. D. Mcconnell, Evan Johns and
Morris shannon.
Cedar Mountain-John Williams.
Silman-Frank Hsilstones and John Dryifa.
Another supply of firearms and am
munition was shipped to Franklin yes
terday by the company.
The meeting of the Western Central
Labor Union last night was well attended,
and all the committees from the miners
were present and stated the feelings of the
importation of the colored men to Frank
lin.
Mr.. Maxwell, from the Franklin camp,
said that the whole matter had been fully
covered by the newspaper reports, but that
the men hoped to be able to persuade the
negroes to leave. He said:
Fifty or sixty OF the negroes have met with US
and they say they have been deceived. If we
can only get them to understand the
true condition of affairs and raise sum
them back, that would settle 1t.
Another thing we thought of was TO close down
the other mines this company could get no
coal to fill its contracts. In fact Newcastle and
Black Diamond are closed down now. We have
seen evidences Of this difficulty for some time
past. Whenever house was vacated the CON-
pany would not let IL be occupied again. There
are six families inside the enclosure they have
erected around this armed force who know
but little about firearms, and those fam
lies are in constant dread. Yesterday one OF
the colored men discharged gun by careless
ness right In front OF one of those houses. Sim
liar accidents are likely TO occur at any time
and some one get injured We want to get the
local authorities 10 disarm them All the miners
except six or eight in the camp belong to the as
sembly, and only one OF the whole number has
talked of returning to work. There are about
125 men in the camp In all, and how
the company proposes to work 300 or 400 miners
there is something we cannot figure out. 1t can
not be done, for there is not room TO work 80
many men. This blow about the miners rum
ming the mines instead OF the company Is all
bosh. All the miners say Is: "You must mol
discharge a man because OF his work IN the
union, SO long as ne Qots uls WOiA pkoPS&Ay IL
the Mines" and we intend to see that this rule
Is observed.
Mr.. Mcconnell, of Newcastle, then made
a statement regarding the feeling in that
camp. He said:
The miners all quit at Newcastle Saturday, re-
fusing to work for any company that will
attempt to coerce and intimidate them into sub
mission. see by this mornings paper that the
raD0rtad that the o.
turned to work yesterday, which was Sunday.
That was rather a reckless misstatement, but
has probably come from the same man, who, in
yesterdays paper, asserted that miners could
earn 81 per day, and this morning says they can
earn s6 per day. Tomorrow expect to read the
statement that they can earn IS per day. The
fact is that they earn small wages because of the
fact that a large per cent of them are
constantly idle. And yet Mr.. Smith says he
wants TO employ more men. Tonight the en-
gineers, fremen and pump men are out, and
the superintendent is having hard task to find
some one to fire and keep the pumps running.
We had no direct knowledge OF Corey's move
ments, though we suspected what he was about
and saw statements published in the papers.
We have no fear of negroes working the New
castle mines, because the work Is
dangerous. The mines have to be worked
at half pitch, and the coal is
constantly tumbling down. Negroes can
not work It without the aid of some white
miners, and do not believe they can find them
in Newcastle, nor in the county. want to call
attention to one OF the provisions of the cele-
brated contract, which required each miner to
do a certain amount of work. I can say truth
fully that there is not miner living who could
get out the amount of coal per day required by
that contract. They say miners wages have
been too high but suppose they go down lower,
will the consumers have any cheaper coal to
burn? Who is to be benefited?
Mr.. Williams, of Cedar Mountain, said
that the men in that camp felt that
great injustice was being done the miners,
but they did not know what to do to
counteract it. Work is practically sus-
pended in those mines anyhow owing to
the poor demand for coal, so the miners
there are powerless.
Mr.. McQuery, of Black Diamond, said:
Work has been stopped at Black Diamond to-
the Oregon Improvement Company are closely
related. II the Black Diamond mines run the
Oregon improvement Company can get coal
TO ill its contracts, and SO the only
thing to be done was to shut down.
We have no trouble with our employers and do
not anticipate any, but ii the Oregon Improve
ment Company succeeds in reducing wages. al
we anticipate it intends doing, we can not ex-
pect TO receive as much we do at present.
Therefore 1t is our fight as well as that of the
other miners, against those companies which
are engaged in this depicable work"
Mr.. Hailstones, from the Gilman mines,
says:
We have been out now about nine weeks in
Gilman. Our trouble is too familiar 10 you to
need reviewing. 1t can all be summed up in a
single sentence: The superintendent insisted
on discharging lot OF men because they were
Knights OF Labor, and we struck against it We
were the first to get news of this movement of
Corey. Word came TO us in a letter
about a week ago. and we Immediately
sent notice to the other camps. Our best men
have been blacklisted. Several of them went to
Roslyn and secured work In the mines there,
but as soon as it became known that they were
from Gilman they were discharged. number
of those originally discharged and blacklisted
are men of families who have been trying to
build homes for themselves. What encourage
ment is there for man who is thus buffetted
about by the arrogance of heartless employers?
Another one Of the committee from
Franklin said that those of the negroes
who had talked with the miners had told
them that there were very few miners
among them. A number had been por-
tiers waters and roustabouts and that three
had been preachers. With reference to
being compelled TO trade at the company's
stores, he said that while the miners had
never been told they had to trade there. it
was noticeable that by so doing it pro-