Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-07-27

1
and Elsewhere - General Indus
trial Situation-The Conference OF
Leaders to be Held To-Day.
Eugene V. Debs finds that his con-
nection with the great railway strike
in the west, and his subsequent prose-
cution in the courts, has led to the
public conviction that he is a dan
gerous preacher OF Anarchistic doc
trines. If he has accomplished moth
| ing else by his visit to West Virginia
he has at least succeeded in removing
this impression from those with whom
he has been thrown in contact. HIS
! personality is attractive. There Is
about him that something which is
sometimes described as magnetism
He is more than six feet tall and spare.
His features are clear cut and rather
intellectual. Hair light in color and
! in quality, large mouth, and hnuly
| blue eyes which light up IN animated
| conversation. He impresses one Win
| his earnestness and apparent sincerity.
! Mr.. Debs arrived in the city at 4;5O
| o'clock yesterday afternoon, accompa-
/ MED by Vice President Rae, OF the
! Brotherhood of Painters and Decora-
tors. They came directly from Fair
mont. A Register reporter, who called
! upon Mr.. Debs at his room in the
| Stamm House. was cordially received.
| Il like your paper" he said. 1t mas
| been very fair and impartial in It's
| reports of the situation in the Fairmont
/ region. giving statements of facts with
! out any coloring / have read 1t with
| interest ever since came to West Vlr-
| ginia."
Mr.. Debs chatted very pleasantly Tor
nearly an hour on the strike sltuatlOn'
and the industrial situation generally
| A question or suggestion by the re-
j porter, touching upon the condltlon OF
! the miners, invariably caused a rather
/ attractive smile to disappear, ana
more serious, earnest look TO take It's
place as he warmed up to the sub
| ject.
THE West Virginia miner is IN
worse condition than a chattel slave,
/ he said. "and l have told them that the
fault is largely their own. They are
4 industrial slaves. The situation III the
| Fairmont coal region is truly deplor-
able. 1t offers a most inviting field Tor
a student of economic questions. MINI
ers and garment workers have been
! ground down more than any other
/ classes of labor, while none should be
! better paid or more prosperous. A
! miner should not work more than SIX
hours a day, and it is possible, with the
| aid of machinery, to shorten his day
TO four hours, and yet produce sum
! cient amount of coal to meet the ue-
mand.
when I was in Alabama recently
visited by invitation, mining selIle-
! ment. and the condition OF AFFAIRS IN
! West Virginia is almost as BAD as
! observed down there, with the eXcep-
ton that the country in West Virginia
is more pleasing. Men say they are
| ignorant. uncouth, dirty and rough.
HOW can they help it? Their spiritual
nature is dead, their intellectual ma
ture petrified, and only the animal re-
mains. A few years in the mines
deadens the intellect and destroys
whatever ambition may have existed.
| They have nothing to look forward TO.
! There is no bright side to their nVes'
During the winter season some OF them
never see Gods sunlight. They go TO
work before the break of day, and
come out of the bowels of the earth
! after dark. Then they go to their
/ novels. where food is scant and cloth
/ ing scarce There is no incentive 10
clean I'D, no opportunities for develop
! menr of their social natures. Day
after day this routine is observed, for
the loss of a few days work VIII
| plunge them deeper into debt.
J "These are the men who are en-
deayoring to better their condition by
asking for living wages. did not
come to West Virginia to seek money
I or political preferment. To extend
whatever aid can to the down-trod-
den miners, is honor and glory enough.
"There are individual operators who
would be glad to pay living wages, but
there appears TO be a conspiracy 10
! keep miners in perpetual condition
of debt. If they find they are getting
their accounts Strengthened, they dis
cover thar they will not be required to
work for several days, and then they
/ find that the company stores are will
| ing to extend credit. and they go back
and toll and toll, in a condition lnti-
nitelv worse than chattel slavery. Con-
victs in a well-regulated prison are
better off than many of them. am
not making wild assertions. l have
in vestisatedand l challenge contradlc-
ton of any statements | make.
would be only too glad if others would
investigate We want public opinion
on cur side. We need 1t. The cause
is lust and we deserve it.
Mr.. Debs related several converse
ti0ns with miners in and about Fair
mont He had been told by many Of
r..,Syn hat all were in sympathy with
nv nv ~, movement, and if they could
. 49,. 80 Netteir fear all would drop
me $Sscharged that the min
tOois, he-N gegion are cheated;
ers N the FairmontN6 for IS cents a
thJt they really void for two tons
ton; that they are p&hold from one
t8 the car, when they more. He had
MALT % one-third of tolSf check lists
k in his valiSe a numbT NSv earnings
H Of miners. showing month"; accounts
Il varying from So 10 S25, anc%showjng
with the company stores, ne newt
small balances carried over to til and
month. Their wages are smA ever
their work is not fteady. They H,ir-
get out of debt Merchants in En-.
! mont will tell YOU that they nav from