The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-25

| l0unueu until Uhe1r lives became DuT-
den. You will therefore leave off the
signature to This statement. Album
Clant corroborative testimony will be
furnished by addressing our Brother
lhood.
MEMBER j. NJ g. l. S. b.
The missive shown above is, in short
out a speciment brick. The story it tells
is only a detail-only one setting in
the mosaic of black wrong which
makes up the Hanna treatment OF
| y orlingmen everywhere.
".
Those of us who are we'll fed, well
igarmented and well ordered, ought not
to forget that necessity makes fire.
quently the root of crime 1t is well
for MS to recollect that even in our own
lawabiding, not to say virtuous cases,
the only barrier between us and am
archv is the last nine meals we've had.
L may be taken as automatic that a
starving man is. never a good citizen.
With this in our mind, what shall
be said of the man who arranges
famine, Who forces a labor strike with
its prirati0n its riotiHg, its disorder,
its bayonet thrustin@. and its bloods
letting as am incident in his money
heaping? If necessity breeds crime,
what is he who creates the necessity?
Let nae tell a chapter i'm the history OF
the Mark Hanna millions.
There are those who VIII recall the
tremendous mine strikes Of 1894 Blood
flowed and the torch flourished Build
ings were burned, men were shot down.
Women with their little ones were
starved and bitten by hunger Now
as 10 The cause of the strike.
HANNA'S INsPIRAE4SE.
1t was in the autumn of 1898 The
weather was raw and chill, but the
Hanna Inst for money was as hot as
ever Hanna conceived a plaza money
inspira.ti0n At his call there came
to his Offices in the Perry-Payne build
ing. Cleveland Ohio, the magnates of
Western Pennsylvania and Eastern
Ohio mines. They talked, considered
and at the word of Hanna made this
plot 1T was plot to bleed the public,
and as a detail to throw thousands Of
miners out of work, and into want,
and need, and sorrow.
Separating from this Hanna confer
euce, those in the black pool repaired
TO their coal holes and put all the men
to work they could sign. They mined
coal day and night They piled it up
in cbon mountains. There were never
70 Eany at work i'm the mines, never
SO sIlvh to do rs the harvest of this
i}re1E-ueek digging and blasting and
Mining OF coal, the pool, with Hanna
at It's head-even as he is now at the
head Of the Mckinley syndicate, plan
ming for 4 White House-stored in
barges ON the Ohio river over ,300,-
GOO tons of coal. while $500 tons were
stored along the shores Of the Great
Lakes.
With these 100000 tons of coal in
hand-''up their sleeves" as runs the
can't of the alleys-the trap IF the
Hanna pool was ready for the spring
ing. The first step was to stop the
production of coal; do il, too, so that
the blame therefor would rest with
the men and not with the pool. This
was readily brought to bay as a pro-
position. The miners everywhere in
the coal holes of the pool were cut and
trimmed in their earnings. AS il that
might not be enough, another cut was
ordered.
l.
In moment the men We're out, work
was brought to a dead standstill, and
the strike the Hanna pool had plotted
for was on. Then the strike spread.
Sympathy strikes were ordered along
the whole line of mines as far West
as Council Bluffs. The soft coal pro-
duction came to an absolute end, and a
coal famine set in.
Along with these things, of course,
came the militia, and strikers who
needed it, were shot down or stabbed,
or dubbed in an intermittent but de-
cisive fashion, as in such case made
and provided. Meanwhile, like spider
in its web, the Hanna inspired coal
pool sat back, biding its time. ,Fhe
strike might proceed, blood might
flow, the tide of their profits was flow
ing in, and they must watch and take
lit at the flood, and so on to fortune.
SIGNAL GIVEN BY HANNA.
Leap by leap, upward went the price
of coal. The pool, hanging to their
barge-stored 100000 tons, awaited
the Hanna word to sell. But Hanna
did not hurry; the market was not
yet ripe, the tide not yet at flood
Coal went up dime, a dollar, two dol
lars a ton.
"Now!" said Hanna, and at the signal
the pool unloaded its stored 1000, 900
tons and gathered to it's Golfers a
round profit of 100000. The pools
aim was reached.
1t didn't take a weeks space there
after to settle with the striking min
ers. The pool had what it wanted, the
miners old rate was restored. and the
coal holes were filled with those slaves
of the lamp again. The above is a true
story, and one which, over walnuts and
wine, Hanna tells often to his friends
as illustrative in a graceful way of the
honesty and sagacity wherewith he
conducts his business, and brings his
fat millions to pass.
"
Let me tell you the dark romance of
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