Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-10-12
AT TACKS ON Mr.. HANNA
Proved to Be BaseIess and Charges
Utterly False.
What Prominent Labor Workers Have 10 Say
Respecting Campaign Canards.

Chicago, Oct. 11.-Mr. William A. Kar
ney, an iron worker of Pittsburg. ha
been identified with the cause or organ
lied labor for many years. He is nov
first vice president of the amagamate,
association OF the iron and steel worker
ana ne was four years vice president .
the American Federation of Labor. III
day. and when asked If he had seel
Robert Askews recent attack on Mr. M
A. Hanna said:
Yes. | have read Robert Askew's re
cent attack on Mr.. Hanna, and, in com
mon with the great mass OF working
men. | consider 1t purely a political docu
ment;; gotten up for the purpose of njur
ing Coy. Mckinley an dthe cause Of pro
lection and honest money. II Mr.. AskcW
had wanted to enlighten the public con.
corning Mr.. Hanna's treatment of his EN-.
ployees Why did he not give "A history OF
| that the firm of Nj. A. Hanna az Co.. have
controlled it? Instead of doing that he
makes, upon his own unsupported au-
thoflty, number of charges relating to
the affairs of mine that NJ. A. Hanna
d Co. have controlled only about Il year
4 began looking into the charges
i against Mr.. Hanna some weeks ago in
the interest of labor and not of politics
except as | wished to see the triumph OF
| the cause of protection At my request
Mr.. Horace J. Stevens of Ishpemng
Mich. gave this subject Il thorough in
| run reply TO my question he says:
4" The first interest secured by Mr.
| Hanna or his firm was In February. 1890.
when the winthrop mine was brought By
~ a. Hanna q Co.. ana Mr. Fred
Braastab. a leading merchant of Ishpem-
ing. Previous to its purchase that mine
was called the 'man-trap" on account of
its danger to life and limb. but under
IT'S present ownership il has become one
OF the safest mines in the district The
number of accidents have decreased al
though the force employed and the output
have increased.
Inn
for the mining companies to build houses
TO be rented toemployes. land being rented
also to those who wished 10 build for
themselves. at an annual charge of So
i year Many of the employees OF the
Winthrop mine had built little homes and
PAID an annual ground rent untilt the Win
throp Company, under Mr.. Hanna's d.
rection. RENTED this rent, since when
they have PAID nothing for the use of the
land. This change from the csta blished
policy OF all the mines in the district was
made by the company. by Mr.. Hanna $
express order. long before the panic had
compelled other corporations 10 reduce
their rental
Mr.. Hanna believes that it makes a
better citlzen OF man to own his own
home. and therefore he gave to those
miners who wished to build home the
full use of land. These lots are generally
more than an acre in size some of them
penny of rental Is charged. while other
mining companies charge so 4 year for
much smaller piece of ground
The first strike that took place Ia
TINS district since Mr. Hanna became in
terested here was In October 1890 the
question in dispute being one of hours OF
labor The second strike occurred in 1896
ON the question OF wages The miners
where the strike originated visited The
other mines in a body. inducing the men
TO stop work. The manager of the Win
,hrop mine. Mr.. Braastab, was absent.
hut upon his return all was satisfactorily
arranged IN short time hr NH
cessions and the men returned to work
They had been idle But a hours The
men from all the other mines remained
out for three weeks. and then returned
to work without having gained their
point These facts are stii fresh in the
minds OF most of the miners of the Ish-
pefhlhg district. ! endeavored to secure
mutual concessions among the miners
and managers during this strike. but Was
unable to DO so, although that result was
reached III the case of Mr.. Hanna : prop
ertN without the intercession of outside
parties.
The second and last strike in the dis
uict took place last summer beginning
July 10. 1896 and continued five weeks
me miners az the Winthrop Were salts
hed with their wages. but walked out on
account OF he strong pressure from other
mines. After q conference between tho
manager and the men. the miners of the
winthrop unanimously decided TO return
to their places. but were prevented from
doing so. as the miners at the other mines
had decided that all should go to work ar
none. Eventually the mines of Ishpeminls
proper We're compelled to call on the Gov
ernor for protection. or at least did cali
on him. though there had been no acts Of
violence. The 9Th michigan State Regi-
mont came and remained here nearly four
weeks. All the mines received protection
except the Winthrop which felt that il
did not need any. and not a soldier came
near us property. IL employed no extra
watehmen. had no troops left 100. 900 worth
OF machinery and surface improvements,
an uhguarded. and no attempt was made
TO destroy or injure any of it. Three
weeks before the strike ended the miners
voted to allow the Winthrop men To 90
back TO work. which was done. and they
worked steadily during the last three
weeks. while the soldier We're there
guarding the property of the other mines
of the district
" on the first day of this month all of
the mines of the lshpeming district re-
Winthrop. The employees there are still
receiving the same wages that We're paid
before the cut at other places. Wages
are maintained. but this mine has paid no
dividend for the past three years though
in ordinary times it is very profitable
Other mines have paid dividends during
mat time. but the president of the Win
thfop, Mr. NJ. "A. Hanna, thought ii better
TO allow the employees to earn Il living
than to squeeze out "A dividend by reduc-
ing wages The Lake Superior Iron Mine
in which Mr. Hanna recently became in
terested. is the Chaplin At Iron mountain
w DIX was begun there about Il months
ago on a large scale. Since then the
company has never passed pay day
ana the employees are again paid in hard
cash. a change most grateful to them
after Il long experience of deferred pay
mcnts and due bills that Were only passed
at Il heavy discount. Mr. Hanna has also
directed the remission of the ground rent
at the Chaplin. which was formerly
charged employees living on the companv's
land. and they now occupy the land rent
free. "
II condense the above from the report
OF the long and comprehensive investiga-
ton made by Mr.. Stevens There is no
room for a possible doubt of the truth of
his assertions and it surely seems that
the man who gives his employees land rent
Tree to build their homes upon merits the
praise rather than the condemnation of
the friends of labor
have taken pains also TO inquire into
the charges made against Mr.. Hanna in
other fields of labor. especially the lake
sailors and in the course of my inVestiga-
tons have received the following which
most emphatically exonerate Mr.. Hanna
the first being a letter from Mr. T. H.
Lewis, president Ohio State Trades As
Union:
Columbus. O.. Sept 2S 1896.
Dear Sir:-In answer to your recent let
ter OF inquiry. / would state that had
charge of an investigation of the marine
interests of Ohio made under the auspices
OF the Ohio bureau of labor statistics. In
1854. My inquiry went back for 20 wears.
extending beyond the time of the trouble
between the Lake Carriers Association
and the Sailors Union. There was no
evidence found In the course of this in
to CHI @1,.,, r.,