Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-05-20

While a committee of the legislature
is pursuing its investigation of the con
dition of affairs in the coal mining re-
gions of Pennsylvania it is a significant
fact that none of the corporations inter-
ested in the truck store system has
sought to make any defense or palli-
alton of the abuse. Witnesses have
testified in crowds that this nefarous
system lies at the bottom of the miseries
of the coal miners, and in doing so they
have fully described the operation of
the system in defrauding honest labor of
a large share of its earnings. But much
the worse feature of the abuse is in its
demoralizing effect upon the miners in
encouraging Il disregard of the value of
money and in discouraging habits of
thrift and economy. Although the gold
standard is still maintained in this coun-
try, it can hardly be said to exist so far
as the miners in Pennsylvania are con
cerned. Within the range of the truck
store system the honest money standard
| for the payment Of wages has been prac
| tically abolished. The only currency
known to the miners is in the shape of
store orders for truck or in the we'll
worn passbook.
To the charges concerning this abuse
the mining corporations engaged in it
have made no answer. Is this because
the system is incapable of defense, or
because the corporations feel so secure
of the legislature that no defense is
necessary? In chartering corporations
with the privilege of despoiling labor OF
its wages the general assembly of Penn
sylvania has flagrantly disregardcd the
primary obligation of the state to pro-
tect the weak and innocent from the
strong and the guilty. But it is urged
that after all the futile experiments to
abate the ''pluck me store" iniquity fur
ther legislation would be useless. This
is a poor plea; and it is made only by
those who have no sincere desire to sup
press the abuse.
There are several means of graphing
with this system which have not yet
been fully tried. The first is Il statute
directing the courts of Pennsylvania to
treat all contracts to pay wages in store
truck us against public policy. con
tract to pay Il bet on an election or on
horse race stands on a far higher moral
plane that contract to receive wages
in store truck, for no workingman in his
senses would freely enter into such
contract. The next remedy is in an
amendment to the general corporation
act of 1874 to prohibit all mining and
manufacturing companies from keeping
store in connection with their opera
tions. This amendment, when rigor-
ously enforced, would at least stop the
propagation of the greed of pluck me
store corporations
The final remedy is to impose a mer-
camille license of s., 900 on every store
carried on by a mining or manufacturing
company; and if this should not be
enough to arrest the profitable iniquity,
let the license be doubled. 1t will be
said that such license would be in vio-
lation of the constitutional provision re-
quring all taxation to be uniform upon
the same class of subjects" A mercan-
tile license upon class of corporations
keeping store would be uniform, the
same as is high license fee upon liquor
saloons or the taxation of insurance
companies. Besides, the ore-keeping
corporations operating mines or facto-
ries would be put out of court by the
statute declaring this branch of their
business against public policy.
In its partiality toward particular
interest the general assembly of Penn
sylvania not merely taxed out of exis-
tence but absolutely prohibited the
manufacture and sale of a chemically
pure and wholesome article of food in
order to make butper dear to the miners
and other consumers. The courts have
held this legislation to be perfectly
legitimate exercise of the police power
of the state. Would not legislation to
suppress the ''pluck me store" abuse be
an equally legitimate exercise of such
police power, as well as a performance
of the duty of the state to prohibit acts
that are contrary to public policy?
The senior senator of Pennsylvania
has chivalrously made the memorable
declaration that he prefers ''to enter the
barricades with the men in blouses.
Let our Little Gavroche' mount the
barrcades with the blackened and be-
grimed men in blouses who toll in the
coal mines, and help them to break
down the system by which they are
cheated and despoiled. Although the
extirpation of the company store alone
is not inscribed on the bed roll of reforms
to which the Republicans in the legs!a-
ture are pledged, it is worth any of the
rest. The emancipation of the coal
miners from a demoralizing servitude
the statesman. -: > :
q.