Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-11-07

INC IosltiOn ne Idkes.
UPPER LEHIGH, November 4, 1892.
EDITOR TRIBUNE.-In these days of
monopoly and trusts, when the whole
attention of mankind is centered on the
most scientific method of defrauding and
robbing his fellow man, it is worthy of
notice that we live in a state in this mag
nihcent country where fraud and decep-
tion have been practced on the poor and
helpless to such an extent that it is
without parallel in any civilized nation
in the world.
1t would require too much of your
valuable space to treat this subject prop
erly, and for that reason we will only
take view of recent events which have
transpired in our midst and which con-
cern US most, the principle one of which
is the latest fraud perpetrated on the
laboring man in this region and then
given out to the public as something
generous and charitable, namely, the re-
cent advance in wages.
Much has been said concerning it, pro
and con, throughout the region, and,
while it is considered a blessing by
many, it is not by any means the bene-
fit to the laboring men which those
who pretend to be so generously inclin-
ed, and their supporters, claim it to be.
What is known as the Reading COM
bine is the point from where this late
move originated, and the workmen who
imagine that they have not been forgot
ten, and that the combine has been
formed for the sole purpose of protecting
them in the future, are not up to the
methods used nowadays to rob the public
and then have it sanctioned by law
The poverty, misery and suffering
which is to be found in the mining re-
gions is never taken into consideration
by the stock gamblers and railroad swim
dlers in their mad rush to acquire gold.
They stop at nothing. Humanity of
every description is trampled beneath
their feet, no matter whether it be
orphan or widow, the helpless or friend
less, it is all the same to them, and
everything which comes in their way
that might thwart their onward rush
must be crushed until their object is
attained.
Workmen who think men of this kind
would pass sleepless nights for the sole
purpose of advancing their wages with
out any remuneration to themselves are
badly deceived and must surely be the
dupes of heresy or the ardent admirers
of newspapers controlled by these men
of which there are so many.
hC plCbSnuCu duNdllCc Ill WdRtS WAS
received with open arms by the miners
in this section, and at first it appeared
as if the sun of prosperity was about to
dawn on the downtrodden workmen of
this region. Everybody was pleased,
and here and there cautious word
could be heard in praise of the combine.
Miners could be seen calculating to
what extent it would increase their pay
at the end of the month.
Merchants wore pleasant smile and
were happy, because it would enable
some of their customers to pay up who
had become in arrears on their books,
and all other men in business were
pleased alike, hoping that stray penny
of it might come in their direction.
But it is the same old, old story. The
public has been duped again by the
crafty tricksters who now control the
coal trade and to all thinking men this
was to be expected, the only thing lack
ing was little time to see in what
shape it would come.
The Reading Company, with all the
juggling known in the railroad business
could scarcely keep itself ahoat, yet it
guaranteed to pay the Jersey Central 10
and the Lehigh Valley yer cent
1t was evident from this, that some
scheme Of villiany was about to be
sprung on the pubic, and as the indi-
vidual operators of this region were an
important factor, and of no small impor-
tance, no matter what their pretentions
were, they were not adverse to the
scheme. They knew any advance made
by the combine at tidewater would
equally effect them, and as they know a
good thing when they see it they enter
ed no objections.
Taking all in ALL it has been far more
advantageous to the individual operators
than to the combine, for the reason that
between the company store, living in
company houses, buying mine supplies,
ETC., they have been able to beat their
employees out of the advance given them,
while the combine has scarcely anything
to draw the advance back on except the
coal it sells.
The supposition is that every person
working in and about the mines had
their wages advanced. Such is not true.
Very few outside hands received it, and
at most of the collieries in this section,
it has been confined exclusively to the
miners and laborers.
Under the present condition of things
this advance is only a fraud; it is no ad
vance at all, and those who depend on
the generosity of the individual opera
tor will sooner or later, to their sorrow,
find them to be about as constituencies
as those who control the combine
Here is about the way it was worked
under this company and no doubt al
are alike in this respect.
Miners, laborers and few company
men were given an advance which
amounted to about thirty-six cents PEI
week or 81 Al per month on the average
wages paid.
Now this looks like an advance, bu
in reality it is not. To cancel this tn,
company increased the price of coal t,
their employees fifty cents per ton, anC
as two tons month is required for fue
by the average family, it is plain that O
the 81. "A advance per month given, tn,
company, by increasing the cost of living
receives 81 90 of it back again.
The remaining forty-four cents come
back to them from the outside men VIII
are obliged to pay loo more per montl