People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-05-23
Want and Suffering.

| OcnSO NOOANIF klOUc "OACNs DNAO vi
the families are on the verge Of star
yation with nothing in the rhouse ex-
cept little -four given to them by
the township trustee upon the au-
thOritY of the county commissioners.
The total amount was 1000 pounds
distributed among the families of 200
men who were out of work. This has
been about consumed and the COM
missioners are not able to give any
more relief, the county being in bad
condition financially. If the relief to
the Scranton miners be continued, it
will have to be extended also to the
Peterton and Usage City camps,
where the.situation is as bad.
The average pay Of the miners who
are at work is from,s3 to $40 month,
not that amount week, as Labor
Commissioner Bird has been inform.
ed. Some Of the pay checks for two
weeks work yesterday ran as low as
eight and fifteen cents. One man de-
clined TO go after his check, because
he knew it was less than the months
rent he owed to the company. The
house rent now is sl.50 a month:
formerly it was 50.
One family Of eleven was found who
had nothing in the house to eat ex-
cept share Of the charity -four given
by the county. The house was al
most destitute of furniture. The
father and oldest son chad gone to
Frontenac in Crawford county in
search OF work.
In another house five young men
were found who had lived two weeks
on 1886, their total earnings. Their
daily diet consisted Of pancakes,
skim milk and little bacon.
A man who had only his wife to
keep showed his grocery bill for two
weeks as follows: Flour, 80 cents;
sugar, 50 cents; lard, % cents; ginger
snaps, 10 cents; cheese, 10 cents; pOta-
toes, 50 cents; crackers, 20 cents; coal
oil, 5 cents; stationary, 20 cents; but
ter, 10 cents-total, 1888. The next
two weeks they lived on 1881. Yes
terday his check was sl.96, which paid
his grocery bill. Other men who
have children live on the same
amounts.
One of the best miners in the camp
showed his monthly earnings for a
year, commencing in May, 1894, as fol-
lows: May, 1912; June, s25.5S; July,
1895; August, s26l4; September. s27.-
10; October, 1921; November, SIS;
December, sl5.7l; January, sl7.9S
February, 5000; March, sl2,5l; April,
A45.
Out Of the earnings of the men
they must pay for the oil they use at
their work and one cent out of every
dollar for pick sharpening.
The men, although in a starving
condition, are full of nerve, and will
not reveal the state of their dOmes-
tic necessities if they can help it. A
committee appointed to seek out the
suffering met no responses from fami-
lies who were really in need of food
The mining population is composed
mainly Of English, Scotch, Irish and
Swedes. They have lived in the
country from eight to sixteen years
and are full Of the American pride
and courage. They 90 not want
charity. They want work, and they
believe the state authorities and the
Santa Fe RoilrOad company can de-
wise way to give it to them. They
want the railroad company to take
more coal from the Usage district and
thus give steady employment to all
and increase the amount of earnings.
There are few unmarried men there
now, the yOnng men having gone
away, leayingIonly men Of families to
be provided with work. The state
board Of railroad commissioners, it is
claimed, could increase'the output BY
fixing more equitable freight rates to
Topeka and other places near by
which consume large quantities Of
coal.
CHAIRMAN Simpson or the state
board Of railroad commissioners said
this morning that there was no dis
elimination Of rates against the
Usage district. He said the relief
demanded might be given by discrim-
mating against other districts, but
that would not be fair.
Governor Morrill, has forwarded to
the Scranton committee balance of
al from the fund contributed from
various sources for the relief Of the
western blizzard sufferers last winter.
lie also asked for additional informa.
tiOn Of tie condition of the unem-
plOyed miners. To the county CON-
miSsioners of Usage county he has ad.
1rnrrA1 d.