Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-08-27
RaRsAs AGTAroR. GARdlErT. KANSAS.
The Railroads, the Miners Strike and
Arbitration.


living slides-a fraud says the report of con-
gress of 1888, 'on its face
"The companies dock the miners output ar
bitrarily for slate and other impurities, and so
take from their men five to fifty tons more in
every hundred they pay for. In order to keep
the miners disciplined and the coal market un-
der supplied the railroads restrict work, so that
the miners often have to live for month on
what they can earn in six or eight days, and
these restrictions are forced upon their miners
by Withholding cars for them to fill as upon
competitors withholding cars to 60 to market
Labor organizations are forbidden and the
men intentionally provoked to strike to affect
the coal market. The laboring population OF
the coal regions finally is kept down by special
policemen enrolled under special laws and often
in violation of law by the railroads and coal
and iron companies practically when and IN
what numbers these companies choose.
"These coal and iron policemen are prac-
tically without responsibility to anyone but
their EMPLOYERS are armed as the corporations
see fit, with army revolvers or Winchester rifles,
or both; are made detectives by statute and not
required to wear shields. They provoke the
people to riot and then shoot them legally.
''The people of Pennsylvania i'll 1873 adopt
ed a new constitution. TO put all end to the
consolidation of all the anthracite coal lands
into the hands of the railroads, this constltu-
ton forbade common carriers TO mine or manu-
facture articles for transportation over their
lines or to buy land except for carrying pur-
poses.
"These provisions of tie constitution have
been disobeyed dehanty.' The railroads have
gone on acquiring title to hundreds OF tho'l-
sands of acres of coal as we'll as of neighbor-
ing agricultural lands. They have been as-
eressivey pursuing the Joint business OF car
rying and mining coal. So far from quitting
it, they have increased their mining operations
by extracting bitunlinous as we'll as anthracite
Instead of enacting appropriate legislation as
commanded by the new constitution by pre-
venting forever any escheat to the state OF the
the immense area of lands unlawfully held BY
the railroads.
From the foregoing which | have quoted it
is quite obvious that any attempt to arbitlate
on lines of Justice to the miners is out of the
question. Why, in heavens name, do not the
fake peoples papers state these facts! why
don't they tell their readers that 500 tons OF
500 people can be moved on railroad tor &c
cents mile, or 90 cents mile, with the orioe
money and water of stock deducted! IS 1t moi
time every representative Of the Associated
Press every newspaper belonging toit was rele
gated to limbo and read no more! FOR the
amount of information of useful kind work
ingman would be as wise off at the end OF the
wear were he never to read line.
There is one way of satisfying all concerned
the one and only way, and that is public own
ership of the railroads and public ownership OF
kindred monopoes None know better thar
fake peoples papers the truth of this assertion
But the $50 900, 900 spent annually by the rail-
roads of the United States to corrupt judges
pack conventions, control legislatures and con
gress, will reach long way, perhaps as tar as
the Offices of the papers in question: lfe|
evidently must be content with existing conol'
tons, or they, too, like the downt-odden puolic
would cry out for change. No change Will
ever come from existing political parties. Every
voter of the United States must by this time be
aware of the fact.
Will they be sick enough in 1900 to call fo'
the devoutlv -to-be-worke change? We
wait i'll expectation!
BRO. YOUNG, of the Star and kansan, crit
cises Senator PETER for some remarks he made
few days ago. We have been watching Sen
ator PETER very closely, and we have seen Moth
leg to criticise True, he attended the middle
of-the-road Popust convention i'll Iowa. ano
made a speech, but we fail to see wherein he
said anything that would displease any reason
able man. His remarks with regard TO new
party we're in line with the belief OF the tore
most men-the best thinkers-of ALL parties.
We believe, and we have head many honest
Popuists, Republicans and Democrats say, that
a new party must and will be organized before
we can have any radical changes or any lasting
reforms. It is our belief that before 1900
reaches u.s. there will be an entirely new party,
with platform that is broad enough and com
preheusive enough to safely hold the millions
of men of all parties who are tired OF present
political conditions, who WILL UNITE, and we
believe that new party will sweep the country:
We believe in the free coinage OF silver and
gold, at the ratio of 16 to |, so long as metal