Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-31
A MIGHTY MOVEMENT.
Eighty Thousand Crushed Golfers
Combat a Coal Combination.
TWELVE THOUSAND TRAIN HANDS
Express a Willingness to Add Their Forces
to the Miners
THE CAUSES OF DISSATISFACTION

SHAM0KIN, July 30.-The movement
among the colliery operatives to organize q
union similar in general features to the old
disrupted, but once very powerful, Mine RS
and Laborers' Benevolent Association,
occasions much attention and discussion
throughout the entire anthracite ceal min
ing country. When it is known that be-
tween 20, 900 and 81, 600 mine workers are
interested IN the movement, it will be
readily seen that the undertaking is a
mighty one. Then, too, besides the great
army of colliers directly enlisted in the
labor union enterprise, it is understood that
1900 train hands employed upon the coal
roads have expressed willingness to act iii
concert with the miners.
4 bitter antipathy has been engendered
against the Philadelphia and Reading Rail
road Company, and this animosity increases
as the days lengthen. The corporation has
always been regarded as a soulless, grind
ing monopoly, and, now that the corpora
traversing the black diamond fields (with
the exception of those roads operated by
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, as
well as virtually controlling all collieries,
the Philadelphia and Reading Company
welds power that is at once colossal and
oppressive. More than three-fourths of the
coal tonnage of the SchuylkilI, Lehigh
W NOUlLS anu laChdWdlDd regions Is u0u6I
the palm of the hated corporation.
Gradual Reduction of Wages.
Ever since the consummation of the deal
that placed the Lehigh Valley, the Della
ware Lackawanna and Western and the
New Jersey Central Railroads under the
management of the Philadelphia and Read
ing Company has the policy of the reduc-
ton OF wages been pursued in all depart
ments, a feature that has always'character-
lied the corporation Not only has COM
pensation been reduced to the lowest pos
Eible figure the starvation point - but
wholesale discharges have been m ade in the
colliery and railroad departments Many
faithful and deserving men, who have
grown gray in the service of the companies
enumerated, were removed from positions
they held for years, and these meu are now
idle, with no prospect of securing employ
ment, as their days of usefulness are nearly
past.
With the advent of the hot summer
months, and the consequent general de-
preston in the coal market, announcement
made through the coal agents of the
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Com
Tany that the working time at the mines
would be shortened. No sooner had this
order been enforced than the miners were
startled by the publication of au order that
wage swould be reduced 10 per cent The
ItluCblOu dlltcleu between 1U,UUU ana lD,UUu
industrious, poverty-strlcken miners, who
have large families dependent upon them,
most of whom have experienced untold and
Geplorable miseries. To stand 10 per cent
cutting down of the already too meager pay
meant complete starvation for themselves
and families
Too Much to Be Stood.
The long-oppressed and suffering miners
have borne much, but this large percentage
sliced from their poor pay was too much.
There has been no regularly organized
miners union in the Pennsylvania anthracite
coal fields since 1875, when the once for
midable Miners and Laborers' Benevolent
Association was bankrupted and disrupted,
rcIoslng up its career as the never-to-be for 1
gotten 'long strike" ended, the malcon- |
tent men accepting the terms offered BY the
operators and returning. to work. The great
struggle between the mine owners and colli- |
ers for supremacy lasted for a year.
Fully aware that it would be useless to |
appeal to the monopolizing Philadelphia |
and Reading Company for an entire aboli- |
tion, or some modification, of the obnoxious, |
and what is regarded as an unwarranted and |
unjust edict, as all previous appeals Of such |
q nature have been in vain, it was resolved |
by the intelligent and sensible leaders |
among the men to organize an association |
for their mutual protection and advantage. |
As the outcome of this resolution, meetings |
were held here and elsewhere, and, after |
considerable animated discussion upon the |
subject, it was agreed TO establish a union |
similar in style and its general principles |
to the former popular Miners and Laborers' |
Benevolent Association. |
succrss from the Very Start
Starting the most actively and harmoni- |
ously, success attended the miners from the |
beginning, and what a week ago represented |
bOdv of mon num berinp seraral fboueopds /
has rapidly grown into an organization |
whose roll OF membership has the signature |
OF 10000 hardy sons of toll, who are thor |
OuGhly in earnest and united in a sentiment |
that means disaster to that wicked, demor- |
alizing and oppressive monopoly, the Phila-
delphia and Reading Railroad. What has |
been commenced here is but the beginning |
Of the end, as from all quarters of the vast
anthracite coal country come well accred-
tied statements showing that all classes of /
mine lahorers and railroad men are in full /
and entire sympathy with the movement |
that promises the elevation of the ground
down employees of the coal and railroad |
baronS
THE DISPATCH correspondent has visited
every portion of the Schuylkill, Lehigh,
Wyoming and Lackawanna regions,
having been located in many of the promi-
nent mining centers for lengthy period
and miners and business people have been
interviewed upon the topic now uppermost
in the minds of the people, that is, the in
auguration of the onslaught upon the
corporation and its associated interests,
and the general opinion is that the contest
that has been commenced will augment in
extent and vigOr until the whole hard coal
country will be involved.
Extent OF the strike Mo yement.
1t is intimated that fully three-fourths of
the colliers employed in Schuylkill, North
umberland and Columbia counties are ac-
lively engaged in the strike movement, and
as able and popular representatives have
been dispatched to ali the surrounding coal
countries to secure the cooperation and as
sistance of the dissatisfied and grumbling
workingmen, it is certainly safe to pre-
dict that the crusade against the offending
monopolists will be overwhelming in great
ness when the miners have been crushed
beyond endurance.
An Open Letter From President Weihe,
The following letter OF acceptance will
scarcely need any explanation:
PIrTsBUHG, July 20, 1892.
Mir. VI. Saler ESQ.,:
DEAR SIK-Your favor of to-day in W hich