The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1897-10-16
CHEAP FOREIGN LABOR.
The Real Cause of the Trouble at sh
Hazieton Mines.

The mine owners eff pennsyiva MIA have
as class never treated their miner folk
with tender indulgence; and rather than
CouCede much, # any. TO the men on the
ground. they adopted IN an evil hour the
plan Of sUppiantlug their old miners with
new material brought from Poland. Hun
gary, Italy. Bohemia, and III genera!
from Southern and Eastern Europe. This
new labor could be employed tor much
lower wages than the old. 1t could also
be yp!oted-through company stores,
company shanties. and other methods
we'll understood by coal-mne oWners-ln
a manner that the old miners, who were
self-respecting. Englishspeakins citizens,
would not have endured for moment
\ score Of strange languages and dla-
lects were soon heard III the mines, III
Guiding Russian. Polish. Magyar, CZsch,
Croatian. Ruthonian. Slovenian, ANA hil-
merouS others besides. such as Roumanl-
an and Servian. not 10 mention ltalaa.
For a while the Supplanted men OF the
old regime fingered sullenly on the scene.
clinging 10 their little home>teads. and
hoping against hope for the work that
was not destined to lac theirs again.
They have for the most part been as
perSed throughout the country. Their
houses are ROW occupied by the new
corners from the poiygiOt proletarlat OF
Southeastern Europe: and under the root
in humble decency there will now be
found four or five families huddled to-
gether after the manner ot Polish and
Hungarian towns. 1t AL means a start
ling social change.
1t is not To bc SUPPOSED that these
newcomers would i'll Il V case have been
liked or welcomed by IL" nonmining pop
ulation of the Penn. ivania towns and
villages Of the coal regions. But the
prejudice against them was aggravated
by the fact that many OF the miners OF
the former period had driftcd into other
occupations III those towns. while stu
more of their friends and relatives lived
therea bouts. These have been accus-
toned To look with extreme aversion
upon the unatiractive population that has
monopolizcd the work of mining. When
it is remembered that the deputy shcri.fa
are drawn very largely from the class OF
village or town jewellers who hate the
Foreigners and deride their filthy hah-
its and queer languages, it viii be seen
that the strong prejudice might easily
helghtcn the danger Of Il misunderstood
ing under circumstances of proyocation.
The very fact. furthermore. that the new
miners as a rule cannot yet understand
English or make their EngliShSpea king
neighbors understand them, also in
crcases the risks. PROFESSIONALLY. these
people from Southeastern Europe are
tremely eXcitahle, and to outward APP
pearanccs an intractablc and ugly lot of
people to deal with. though, it is alleged.
they are easily managed by Supporters
who understand them and are gratefully
responsive to kindness. The mine own
ers have seemed with Deliberate intent
to adopt the plan of bringing more of
these people into the coal regions than
were actually needed. This has helped
to keep wages close To the starvation
point, while obviously rendering it more
difficult for the miners to assert them
selves. The present anthracite strike has
come about as a postponed but inevitable
reaction. Likely enough it found som,
occasion iii the great bituminouS Goa
strike of the West. 1t is the result OF
a bad policy adopted years ago by tn.
operators of the mines We do not mean
10 assert that all mine owners are alike
culrable. Some Of them have unwilling
II adopted methods which were forced
upon them by the harsh las of cnmpe-
tition.-American Monthly Review of
Reviews