The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-06-14
A Monientous Contest.

A Momentous Contest.
The great bituminous coal strike has
reached the eighth week of it's exist
ence. 1t is the most momentous con-
test ever fought in this country be-
tween the forces of labor and capital.
Fully 10000 miners arc affected, and
these are scattered over the States of
Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Vir-
ginia, Ohio. Indiana, Tennessee, Ken
lucky, Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Mis-
souri,, Kansas, Colorado, Arkansas, and
Indian Territory and New Mexico.
The strike has now reached the stage
where vast business interests are Grip
pied. The service of many railroad is
p%aralyZed, the wheels of many mills
are motionless: ships tug idly at their
anchors, unable for want of coal to
continue their voyages, and in some
cities the supply Of water and electric
Indiana, Alabama and Pennsylvania
bloodshed has been rife and violence
still impends. the militia of i've States
are in service, and in others are held
in readiness to suppress riot and pro-
tect life: fatalities, unfortunately, have
been numerous, especially in the coke
regions of Pennsylvania, and only a
pretext is awaited in ether States to
D~recipitate more violence and bod
shed.
Among the miners and tho c derend-
ent on them there is much suffering,
thousands being on the verge of star
nation Ecnnn,aIl r iS this ca in Ala
hama where the workers were in no fit
condition 10 strike and where SOUP
houses at the present time are a neces-
sity.
Miserable Condition of the Miners.
The cause of the strike which has
resulted in such widespread s~tagnatiCn
of business is twofold. The first, OF
course. is the low wages paid in the BIZ
luminous coal fields. No other class of
workers than the bituminous coal min
ers have been so harshly treated, so
cruelty imposed upon, so %wronged, 30
miserable. AS a rule the cost of min
ing bituminouS coal is from 81 TO 66
cents a ton, of which the miner re.
ceived from 40 TO 10 cents.
Out of this miserable sum he
must pay Il helper and he is
oONhCt " O. II ouSU, Tx
latter being deducted from the weight.
His loss of wage on the latter account
depends on the honesty of his employ-
err. CT rather OF his employers super-
intendent. At the ordinary mine great
in lust' ce an ! wrong are complained OF
on this account, The miner also usu-
ally rents his cottage, or hut. from the
m~iEe-Owner. usually a corporation, AID
the rent is often exorbitant. The com
pany also sharpen lis tools for him at
q generous price an sells him his
food, clothes and blasting p,wde".
charging on the average - per cent.
more than the p,ices charged at the
neighb rhood stores kept by private
persons. IN this way the company ire.
quently receives back or held back on
the store and rent accounts OF it, me
nearly all the wages that have be Il
earned during tue month.
Starvation Wages.
The acreage daily earning Of a miner
is less than 50 cents, and to add to his
burdens and the hardships of hi; 1t
his cuploym Mt is i regular. Scaat as
the miners wage has been, serious re-
auctions have been made since the end
of last sumner. Fir / there was a GU.
of ) cents g ton, an! then in some
mines OF iG cents. What this meas
may be iudaelfr from the fact that in thc
10 ahtnta5 re.iJn of West Virginia
the men were receiving only 81 cents q
ton in lsT. Assuming that the aver
age pay was - cents a ton, the last cut
brought it down to 35 cents. This
means earnings of about 70 cents g
day, which, with irregular employ
msnt, '~dockage," and thu inCrdinate
prices charged by the company stores
brought the miners wages to the star
walton point.
While this cut in wages was in effect
in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, cen.
trail and southern illinois and parts of
Kentucky and Tennessee reductions in
other fields were threatened so as 10
make wages correspond.
Another Cause of the Strike.
The second cause of the strike was
the desire of the United Nine Workers
of America to enfOre general instead
Of local or district settlements. a
general settlement would mean pro-