Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-05-12
THE PEOPLES COLUMN
Everybody Can Publish Their
Views on Timely Topics.
CORRESPONDENTS DISCUSS THE UP
PER LEHIGH COAL COMPANY, FOs-
TER's ROADS AND THE RECKLESS
USE OF PEA SNAPPERS.
FREELAND, Pa, Nav 8. 1892.

hEhLAND, u, MAY o, loJA.
EDITOR TRIBUNE.-Knowing that the
readers of your paper are many, / would
like to say few words regarding the
semimonthly pay law. Last week the
Upper Lehigh Coal Company surprised
their employees, or, to make the matter
palmer, l should have said the more
intelligent class of their employees, for
like every other place we have two classes
one class that would like to see the
company as well as the workngmen
obey the laws of this great common
wealth and another class that don't care
how things go as long as they get smile
from the bosses for their sayings against
the interests of their fellow workingmen.
Well, the better class of this company's
employees were surprised at the audacity
of the company in daring to say the law
which calls for semi-monthly payment
of wages would be violated. But such
is the intention of the company, and
why can they go and break the laws of
Pennsylvania and do as they like with
workingmen?
Because, in the first place, the labor
ing class is not sufficiently organized to
fight for its rights and see that no tyrant
dare disrespect the laws of country in
which our forefathers struggled so hard
to found government in which an in
jury to one would be the concern of ALL"
| do not say that if the workingmen of
this company were organized as they
ought TO be they should strike for their
rights or do such as that. But if theywere
organized as one, regardless of national
ity and creed, the operators then would
respect our laws, workingmen would get
fair days pay for their work and con-
tract laborers from foreign countries
would not be dumped on our shores. |
Monpolists would be glad to come on a |
level footing with the employees, would |
listen TO our grievances and be willing to |
arbitrate with us.
AS it is at the present time we cannot |
say anything openly against the tyran-
nical policy adopted by this company,
for the pets and lickspittles of our bosses
are everywhere about us with wide-open
ears and ready at any moment to carry
all they hear to headquarters (the COM
pany store). The consequence would be
our dismissal, and we would probably |
be blacklisted over the entire coal
regions.
Some men will say that nothing was
gained by laboring organization, and
point to the strike of 18S7-SS as proof. |
To certain extent that is so, but who
Wdo iCppOioiUlc lOT bildI SCTlke. Inc
General Executive Board did not call
that strike, and it would never have oc-
Cured but for a few subordinate leaders
who had not sense enough to see that
the result meant defeat. The Board |
could have settled the grievances of the |
men, but for these same petty leaders who |
wanted all the honor of the victory
themselves, and because they failed |
they cast the whole blame on the orga-
nization, and to-day many of these past
leaders and ex-prominent Knights are
the very people who are upholding coal |
companies in breaking the law. They
had not brains enough to succeed, and
because they failed they are jealous lest |
the men themselves may accomplish /!
what they could not do.
But if the organization had been kept
up as it should have been, and not been |
unjustly attacked by these ex-eaders, we
could demand at least respect from the
coal companies, and the men would be
in position to have the laws of the
state enforced. 1t would be fair to pre-
sumo that before long workingmen will
be glad to return to the organization, as
our places are being filed by the cheap
foreign labor and the companies are
crushing us in every way they can. 1t
would seem we are no longer needed
here, and unless the employees organize
properly we will all have to go west and
shoot jack-rabbits for living. Yours
respectfully, X. OF L. MINER.