Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-07-30
Probably u Valuable HINT.

concerning the mining laws vi NAL
land" and does so at the instance
probably of politicians who do not
work in the mines of Maryland.
But as the questions have to be an
swered "before the snow flies' the
JOURNAL need not now speculate upon
them to any great or very' serious
extent.
The Forum cites q Carlos mine as
being peculiarly inimical to its polite
ians' acute senses of taste and smell.
For instance, they do not like pow
der.smoke, an avoidable asphyxiant,
which, however, for purposes not
stated, they associate with ''the ett"cia
of men and animals" which are una
voidable "stuporifics."
But suppose we take a lesson from
the Cumberland INDEPENDENTS theory of
pulp-mill abatement, namel y-have
the company prohibit the further use
of powder, just as the Consolidation
Coal company has done-would that
cure the difficulty?
We ask the question by way Of sug-
gestion, because the JOURNAL learns
oa careful inquiry that the mine which
has incurred the anathemas of the
political mining experts of arc-light
genesis is all right so far as it con-
Germs the efiuoia which violates the
olfactory virtues of the underground
admirers of five-year contracts.
This settled, let us get under the
surface-to something new.
The Forum, after stating that the vic
tins of powder-smoke asphyxiation can
be recognized without the formality of
an introduction, says:
To be sure, there is no law compelling them
to work there, but there is law which i'm
picltly states that they shall not work there,
nor in any mine in Maryland under such
conditions.
Is this possible? If so, is not the
editor-in-law and his anti-gas com
pany cohorts after the wrong people
Instead of the owners of the mines,
should they not pursue and bring to
justice all those miners who, in defiance
of "implicit' law, whatever that is, are
committing slow suicide ?
The JOURNAL, it has been fore
Swallowed, does not like the adverb,
implicitly" 1t is too weak. 1t
smacks of faith without reason. Were
the law explicitly prohibitory, it would
do for miners what the long contract
satellites practically contend that
miners cannot do for themselves. 1t
would bring each and everyone of
them before the grand jury for hnoac-
usgly working in mine likened by the
learned sanitarians of the dynamo to
a modified repetition Of "The Black
Hole Of Calcutta"
Now, then. gentlemen mine owners,
unlike the Forum, the JOURNAL has no.
body to make it wise unto salvation"
in this matter. 1t has only taken it
up voluntarily to intimate that if you
wish to make reprisals when you are
cited before the grand jury, the Forum
is already an outspoken witness to the
three-fold effect
l. That there is no law compelling
miners to work in your mine =
Nla+
hibits miners from working in one of
your mines, and
3, That miners, in defiance of that
law. are working in one of your mines.
1t is true, the Forum may be '.off"
somewhat in its construction of law.
as it is undoubtedly astray in its fail
ure to discriminate between avoidab.e
and unavoidable conditions.
The JOURNAL, for instance, has al
ways understood that the law is a Jug
handled continuance to make only
mine-owners behave; that it is, on the
other hand, a sort of special legislative
license to miners to exercise "their
own sweet wills"
But if the Forums reading be cor
rect, the law is, as it Ouyht to be, i'm
partial. 1t provides exactly the same
sauce for the goose as for the gander.
1t provides doubly against bad con-
ditions. The operator must not per-
nit them and the miner must not work
in them.
AS intimated before, however, the
Forum, true to constitutional failing,
may err, doubtless has erred.
But if so, is there not big compensa-
ton in the fact that it has furnished
a telling hint to the next Legisla-
ture to make the law as drastic. for
miners as it is for operators
The miners, it is true, may not draft
and pass unanimous resolution of
thanks to the Forum for this unwel-
come service, but all the same they
owe something to that paper for dis,
covery which shows that if the law is
not applicable to miners as we'll as
operators. it ought to be!
But, gentlemen mine owners and
miners, all future as well as present
embarrassment and friction may be
obvlated by stopping at once the use