Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-07-24
In Our Own Hands.


The Baltimore San of Tuesday morn
ing contains a strong editorial plea
for authoritative arbitration of labor
disputes.
The following paragraph, taken
therefrom, is neat statement of the
case:
The points at issue in this coal strike are
subjects for arbitration, not for battle. The
miners think they ought to have higher
wages. The operators say they cannot afford
to pay more. If both are acting in good
faith, the best way to settle the question is to
submit it for decision to some impartial and
competent third party.
No doubt about that.
But the determination of the "im-
partial and competent third party"
should bind operators and miners
with equal force.
The difficulty of doing this is itself a
momentous reason why more pacific,
more business-like methods than those
of the strike should be ascertained and
employed before ever strike is
thought of. AS matter of fact, if
requirement of more wages were one
of diplomacy rather than of loud talk,
factious complaints and bills of griev-
ances, work need not stop while ne
gotiations are going on.
The JOURNAL notices the Suns
article, however, mainly to reproduce
its kindly and true references to this
region and people. 1t says:
In this connection, it is most gratifying to
observe the friendly relations existing be-
tween the miners and employers of the
Georges Greek region in Maryland.
The Maryland coal miners do not belong to
the great trades-union, but they naturally
sympathize with the miners of other States.
That sympathy, however, it is to be hoped,
will not lead them to a disregard of their fam
lilies. The Maryland miners are distinguished
as beng, perhaps, the most intelligent in this
country. They are educated, selt-respecting
citizens, occupying good comfortable homes
and enjoying exceptional advantages under
olatS laws t'ttooCu ipl llSli It ItN-
ances which have driven the Western miners
into the present strike may be real and bur
densome. But they do not seem to be shared
or felt in the Georges Creek region.
These remarks afford an excellent
opportunity to state that the current
activity and prosperous condition of
this industry is most largely due to
the return to this region of a number of
large contracts lost several years ago
to Clearfeld, Pocahontas, etc. These
have been re-secured at no little labor
ployers. Those consumers, several of
whom, looking to constancy and per-
manency of supply, have since tried
all sorts Of coal, even Nova Scotia, are
now glad to be at "home again." be-
lieving the intelligence, education and
high character of our miners are a
more secure barrier against Interrupt
ton of work and supply than the mix
ed conditions of other regions afford.
Without feeling o. intending to ex-
press any apprehension whatever, it
would nevertheless be lasting pity if
upon any preteXt our people should
allow themselves to be persuaded to
break a faith founded upon their ac-
knowledged qualities of good citizen
ship. The loss to themselves and the
region in such an unhappy event
would be immediate, and irreparaple
for years to come.
The present high tide of work, with
its rich income, is a prophecy verified
each semi-monthly payday of what is
to continue if we will have it so.