Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-09-17

REGISTER will be 81 a year if paid in
ADVANCE, or 81 % a year if not so pad.
THE SLAUGHTER OF THE MINERS.
The tragedy at Harwood, Pa, of one
week ago today is of so terrible a charac-
er as not to be lightly discussed. The
Having of twenty.four men by fire arms
Ind the woundiug of twice as many
nore in time of peace and in civilized
community. is deed so appalling in it.
elf and its effects that it is calculated to
+ouse the deepest feeling and provoke
hastv conclusions. There are circum-
Itances possible that might have justified
he firing: but thus FAR there is no evil
hence that these circumstances existed.
f it is true that these miners were on a
Deaceable strike because their wages had
been cut down so that, cursed with
eompany store where they were morally
obliged to trade. they could not keep
themselves and their families from
hakedness and starvation: and that they
were unarmed and marching peaceably
4 llong the public highway, when, with
but violence on their part. they were
ired upon by the sheriff and his deputies,
ind the fire was kept up with deliberate
aim and deathly purpose while they were
-unnng away and seeking shelter, un-
, il more than three score of their number
were down in their blood, then such kill
NO was murder, and the awful respon-
Eibilitv of it rests somewhere and should
be forced home. If the public conscience
would not longer stand the whipping of
the negro a generation ago, neither Will
It now stand the public and wholesale
massacre of defenceess workmen, who,
for the most cOgent of reasons, were
Forced to differ with their employers. If
the situation be as indicated, 70 speak
within bounds, it will not be wise for the
authorities to attempt to shield the
guilty. The law should take its course,
the openest and fullest investigation
should be had, all fairness should be
Exercised to every one: if the shooting
was iustifiable, let 1t be so declared; if
unjustifable let the guilty be punished
Sheriff Martins statements in which
he denies that he did any shooting HIM
f self or ordered any to be done, and
states that he was knocked down and
trampled upon by the mob before the
firing began, have been widely published
The other side of the case has not beer
so fully given by some papers, although
the leading newspapers of the land have
been very fair in the matter and nearly
all unite in condemning the act of the
sheriff and his posse.
That the striking miners were or
starvation pay is indicated by the state
+ ment of Mayor Altmiller of the adjoining
town of Hazleton, who said to New
York Herald reporter:
"The lot of these poor people is mucf
lower than the public have any knOwl
edge. Many of them earn no Il ore thar
seventy cents per day. Some receive
eighty or ninety cents. or trifle more
possibly. 1t depends on the class o.
work they have to do at the mines
Some men are obliged to support them
selves, their wives and children on thes,
small amounts.
The employees of the coal companies
are expected By the companies to buy
their groceries, meat, etc, at the com
panies stores. which are located at thl
mines. They are not forced by the com
panies to do so, but the miners well un
derstand that if they do not they vii
soon be discharged. Prices charged by
the companies for provisions are mucl
higher than at stores which the com
panies do not own, but the unfortunat
miners are obliged to patrOnze them as
matter of self-interest.
The account of the matter from tn
miners point of view is also given by tn
New York Herald correspondent as fol
lows, under date Of September II.
drove to Harwood this afternoon an
obtained from several strikers their vel
sion of the circumstances leading up t
and including the shooting. John Eagle
is one of the strikers who was at tn
head of the body of miners who were o
their way to breaker No. in LattimC
when they were fired upon. He is
Hungarian, twenty years old, and speak
English fluently.
"Our people were out on the striE
with the Others" he said. "We had T,
ceived word several times from IL
miners employed at Lattimer that the
wanted to go out, too, but they wante
to find some excuse for their actor
They told us that if we would come ov,
and march by their mine they woul
drop their tools and Join us at once.
of
meeting we held in Harwood, Thursda