Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-12-29
New York Herald.

New York Herald
WILKEsBARRE, Dec. 26.-When the !,
Herald warred against the formation of
the Reading coal combine, by which |
that road leased the New Jersey
Central roads and the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna & Western, and thus secured |
control of fully so per cent of the
anthracite coal product Of Pennsylva-
MIA, it was doing good work.
ltgave warning of what was bound |
to come as the result of such a deal.
The result has come.
Christmastime festivities have come |
and gone, but to the miners of Lu2crne |
county 1t brought, instead of joy and |
gladness, sorrow and suffering. Sorrow, |
because they were unable to observe the |
day as they have done for years past;
that there came no Santa Claus down |
the narrow chimneys of their cabins;
that the thin, worn stockings of their
little ones hung limp over the cold fire.
place and Christmas was no Christmas. |
Suffering, because of poor clothing,
little food and smouldering Ire; because
of enforced idleness, disheartenedness
and black despair setting down upon
them and weighing them down under
dark cloud Of depression that is eating
away their love of home and of kin,
causing them to lose their manhood and
rapidly driving them to point where
ii Is feared resignation and despair will
give away to hate and violence and
cause such reaction that the bloody
times of terror of the MOllie Maguirism
may be repeated.
What is the cause? Lack of work
and consequent lack of money and
therefore of food and clothing.
This condition of affairs has existed
for months, but never has it been felt
more severely than ut the present time,
time when there is rejoicing all over
the country and partial starvation here.
Luzerne county lives by its mines,
and the miners and men employed
around the colcries constitute the ma
jority of the population. The lack Of
work exists all over the county, and yet
tho men are wllliag, aye too willing, to
work. In some cases they have de-
manded ii.
GIVE US WORK." is THE CRY.
A long continued cry is arising from
the throats of thousands;
"Giye us work !"
The cry for work, that money can be
earned; work, that the hearthstones may
be kept bright with the warm glow of n
fire; work, that food may be bought TO
keep soul and body together; work,
that the little ones, SO numerous usually
in a miners family may be fed and
clothed and ductored work, that the
wolf may be kept from the door during
the winter; and work, that the de.
preston and despair consequent to com
paratiye idlcness may be relaxed.
In some collieries the pick and shovel
and blast can be heard three days during
the week, but in the majority work is
going on only two days out OF six. In
many others the men earn money but
one day in each week-four days in Il
month.
No wonder the miners are dis
heartened; no wonder their hearts fail
as they see their family of four, five,
six, eight or ten, sometimes more, look
ing to them for food and clothing.
$13.23 FOR A MONTHS LABOR.
An incident that occurred the other
day no longer seems unreal or unnatu-
raj. 1t was pay day at one of the mines
and the pay car was on the siding wait
ing for the men to come for their en-
velopes. The men walked to the car
with a slouchy air and mounted the
steps with surly indifference.
The little packages Of money were
very light. In some there seemed hardly
anything and yet they all represented
the earnings of an able-bodied man fol
month. One middle.aged man, good
practical miner, opened his envelope and
found in it Sl3.23.
This man had every day in the month
been ready and willing to work. He had
entered the mine every morning pre-
pared for work only to be recalled to Tit
surface by the announcements
mo work to-day; there arc no cars.
This man had a wife and six children
at home. lie was already heavily il
debt, and $l3.23 was the amount will
which he was to provide for himself ant
seven others for II whole month.
Is it any wonder that man withou
the highest order of moral and physi
cal courage should give away to dcspai
and drink under such conditions!
! think not.
This man went directly to the .salool
and in half an ,hour. had forgotten every
thing in his drunkenness and spent al
his money.
THE COMBINES FLIMsY EXCUSE.
The excuse of the company that ther
are no cars means that the market i
overstocked with coal. As matter q
fact there is no demand for it and con
sequently the coal companies would los
money by working their colleries FIJI
time. The last two or three winter
have been so unusually mild that tn
production, the amount OF which wa
based on the consumption of previou
moderately severe winters, proved to
great. Consequently there is a larg
stock of coal on hand,
The situation is becoming more an
more serious. Unless there is lon
siege of cold weather this winter, dul
ing which u large amount of the Owe
production is used, it is probable thg
the hard times will continue until nel
spring and summer and probably nel
fall.
l saw an old miner to-day who ha
worked in the mines fol 20 years. II
is an intelligent man and somewhat ,
q leader among his fellows. lie said :
~ have been following mining for
living and never before in my eXper
ence have | found times so hard. VIII.
if we could live as cheaply as the HUI
and Polanders, we could manage to s
along; but we were not raised that wa
and we must live as our fathers u
When we pay rent, coal and powd
bills there is nothing lett The compal
will be sorry for this if they push u
men too far with starvation starii
them in the face and their little on
looking pale and haggard and only hi
clad. | tell you, my friend, the m
will become desperate and they VIII Il