Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-07-12
COMPANY STORE BILL.


also 80 out OF every 100 of the bills on
the statute books. He closed with an
ironic allusion to the care which corpora
tions on occasions seemed to exercise
over the minerS-a care such as the
wolf exercises for the lamb.
COMPANY STORES DO EXIsT.
George Chance, a representative of
the miners. said that he wished to an
swer the assertion that company stores
no longer exist. He then read the
sworn report of the committee appointed
to investigate the condition of the
miners in the anthracite regions. The
report attributed most of the evils of
the miners awful condition to the exis-
tence of company stores. This report.
which was presented only month since,
gave a terrible picture of miners lives
and stated that these stores do exist
| and denounced them in unmeasured
terms. Chance referred to the speech
made in tho mining districts by Cover
nor Hastings just previous to his cleo
tion and of his declaration there made
that he was unalteraby opposed to the
company store system.
Mr.. Fahy, president of the Miners
Association, followed. He spoke of per-
sonal experience with company stores,
and stated that the assertion that they
have been lcgislated out of existence is
too absurd to merit a sober refutation,
He insisted that the charges in company
stores were so eXorbitant that the miner
can never, with all economy, save a
single penny for his many emergencies
Mr.. Fahy denied the statements that
the miners families themselves do not
wish this law passed. He said that he
women wanted.
MERCHANTS FAVOR TIE LAW.
d. A. Scheutzer, merchant of Sha-
mokin, followed to plead for the signing
of the bill. Eleven other merchants of
Shamokin, Mount Carmel, MinerSville
and IIazIeton asked that the bill be
signed.
Matthew Long, of Hazeton, enumera-
ted specific cases in which his neighbors
were compelled to deal in the company
stores and not merely to deal there,
either, but to take also certain articles
which he is ordered to take and which
he may not need ut all. ''For instance, >
said the speaker, lone man is forced
to take Il 1O0-pound bag of -four each
month, when he only needs a 25-pound
bag. He must get rid of the superfluous
amount AS best he can" He cited other
instances in which groceries, etc, were
left by the company stores at different
houses when they were never ordered
Yet the miners must keep and pay for
them despite all protest
SENATOR CoYLE CITES EXAMPLES.
Senator Coyle spoke also in favor of
the bill. He said that the 10 per cent
tax would not fall upon the employees;
that such an argument was mercst
sophistry. He went into detail to ex-
plain the beneficial features of the bill
and its advantageous workings for the
miners. Senator Coylc cited the case OF
a miner who lost his legs while at work.
He opened small candy store, when he
was warned by the company store that
there was no room in the place for any
other store. He was obliged to quit and
face starvation. Senator Coylc referred
in scathing terms to the allegation that
miners wives and mothers could not
trust their husbands and sons to handle
the wages which they themselves had
earned. The miners are not dissipated;
they are not drunkards. They are fully
as worthy of confidence as the mine
owners themselves.
AGAINST TIE MEASURE.