The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-24
The conI Miners, strike.

The prospects for the speedy settlement
of the coal miners strike do
not seem to be as favorable as
they were several days ago. The
attempt to get the men out in West
Virginia has not been attended with as
much success as was anticipated would
be the case. Even Mr. Debs, with his
suave reasoning, has not been able to in
duce the men to quit work In large num-
bers. 1t may be that the West Virginia
miners, being a little less quick Of mental
process than the professional labor agita-
tor, cannot understand why they should
quit work at wages which are satisfactory
to them, and take the risk of exceedingly
hard times and possibly starvation, for
the sake OF aiding in the strike of the
Pennsylvania and Ohio miners. They SYM
pathize with their less fortunate
brethren, but when sympathy takes
the form of depriving ones self
and family of the necessaries of life, it
becomes quite a serious matter The gilt
tering theories of Mr.. Debs. and the prom
ises Of his communistic Utopia will nei-
ther fill the larder nor stand off, the gro
Ger, and the West Virginia miners
know it,
At the same time, there are fair pros
poets that the miners who are on strike
will ultimately win valuable concessions.
Many of them, it is said, have been forced
to live upon an income of 50 cents a day,
out of which the coal companies have ex-
acted a house rental OF 81 to IS a month
and required that the remainder should
be traded out a. the company stores The
indications are now that the men win get
concessions IN wages and that the COM
pany stores, which they abhor and con-
denim, Will be abolished. Several of the
mine operators have announced their will
lingness to adopt a standard coal screen,
to pay their men in cash twice a month";
and to abolish the company stores. If
these concessions are secured, with GER
tain concessions in wages which are in
prospect, the strike will not have been in
vain.
While there is a probability of peace
full settlement, the danger of bloodshed is
not past. Some of the operators remain
obdurate. They have no desire to snare
profits with their operatives. They do not
care If men with families are compelled
to live on 50 cents a day, so long as they
can get their coal mined at that rate. They
are, therefore, talking of prolonging the
contest, and filing the places of their
striking miners with any cheap labor
which they may be able to pick up. If
this course is persisted in, there may yet
be serious trouble. The strikers have up
to this time depended upon moral suasion
to hold men out Of the mines, but the in
dications are that they would not look
on patiently if an attempt were made to
operate TIE mines with class of cheap
labor with which they could never com
pete
1t is notable fact that the strikers are
beginning to ask themselves how their
condition is affected by politics. They are
beginning to inquire why, if protectionism
is included in the tariff bills for the bene-
fit of American Industries. they get none
of the benefits. They cannot underste nd
why, with new high protective tariff
upon the eve of being signed by the Pres
ident, they are compelled to work for 50
cents day and receive all of their pay in
rents and high-priced groceries from the
company store. During the past week
the miners have seen congress guarantee
to the sugar trust profits of millions Of
dollars year, and all of the other trusts
in the list taken care of, while they, be
longing to the classes which really need
the protection of the government, are left
to shift and to strike for themselves. If
the strikers are wise, they will remember
these things, and when it comes time to
vote again, they VIII make such strike
at the polls that the republican party will
never recover from the blow