Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-05-29
noSOroLisrs' WORK.

ANN AlaiuANNNH ANAAHNhN AAAh wv
bloody work Of laft week ip the
Conncllsyillo coke region Of penusyl.
vania b. liable TO repetition, and tho
d'nlDulty BE- n8 nf from nual settle.
mont us ever lu the event VI such an
unfortunate proceeding as further
Cotf lots, Sc is quite probable that the
sirsrrs viii be- again tue principal su'.
iefots, on ia the desperation Of their
si,uatlon they resort 10 mob tactics and
thus compel tho state authorities ~
lake vigorous means TO suppress dis.
iuruhncog. The mine operators, how.
ovcr nrc in position 90 Eeep within
the letter 0i the law auI Invoke 10 aid
tor tho uucctn OF tuuir uiIu Ia tho
contest.
Going beyond the immediate cir.
cum'Iauces which precipitato tno con.
lli1a there, anu which are Themselves
bat the effects OF a more distant GAUGE,
aud looking At the matter from a dis.
passionate standpoint it appears plain
that thu mine operators iu southwestern
Pennsylvania must lear in great
measure tho burden Of responsibility
| Tor she awful conditions which exist.
10 ascertain tho purposes whion IN.
spitu some Of tue operators It IL u,ces.
sary ~ mhkc lul brief review Of the
events which led b.. 10 the present de.
turuanccs. The public we'll fomtmOers
the Homestead troubles VI lhroo years
ago, whom "A, g., Fhck, mauagur Tor
the Carnegie company, was severely
though not dangerously wounded.
Alr. Fr.ck, at that time, was regarded
W not fee from culpnullity Ia caus-
Ing tho trouble there by his
oppressive measures toward working.
men. lie has recovered from the i'm.
mediate effects uf tho bullet wound
received then, uuy whether he has
learned tho lcaiJu OF moderation 10.
ward the working oIaHrs may DO
judged b. suustu uont events.
There are iu tue C0nuullsvilio coke
gion, according 20 latest reports,
lG1la ovens, with au estimated wyo,ly
productive capacity VI lUi,7ei tons Of
coke, OF the oycus, 0,liD, Or moro
than half belong 10 tho n. q. Fuuk
Coke company. a large proportion Of
the remainder nru under its leg8u aud
control. 10 Will be- thus seen that the
FriCK company practically controls tho
business. lf it chooses 20 i1r11 re-.
ductioa IN wages, othcs operators must
DO likewlsc, 10 COM etc la business.
The same 10 true regarding the
price, and when tho Fuch COM
puuy makes reduction The other.
must meet it, until Il has become
sort OF unwuJon law among tho pro.
ducsrs To simply follow the lead Of
tuuir large competitor and combine
with 30, % prurryu themselves.
lu February 1891, the Fuck scalup
placed the coke az -,75 pcv ton, Cad.
ually this hgur5 was lowered until Boo
September last 30 was selling at sl.Ul.
Ia October "a further reduction was
made, TO sl1l, iu Decemu1s another
cut TO sI,i5, AMI lu January last still
another 90 sIla, sIl of them belns
m8do by tHu fugk company, aud
causing some of tlr smaller operators
I JocI81u down because they could no.
/ compete. By lais muau0 ,nors wasaa
ezcr-s Of mluer., and ns tho clraum-
stance. OF those unemployed became
more Buai.euoI uy tune, taore
came tho recent move wAicl lod
100 the general strike rlg Eack lu
loraal claimed that Tine low price Of
coke uuuysululuI reduction iu wages.
aud the cutting order came, lu which
other operators Joined The result thu,
Eris known. AMI n1w, oven before
thIugs have settled INTO quiuudr.
comes tho announcement lual tho
| Fuos company 1910 Increase is prices
lor coke,
| An exercise i tHu power OF mll1.
I poly Tor tbr purpose of crushing OUT
competitors aul reducing wuramgu ta
"a situation where they have NOT G1an-
cIal strength 90 move Without regard o.
tNe viii Oi employers 0l labJ. and
then building itself ou the ruin, 10
ono Of tue chief causes tina, DO
! producing trouble Ia these times.