The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-04

win is INFAMOUS COERCION metnous,
were out OF his way. See how cheer
fully he went to work and knitted
wages in his United Verde properties
In Arizona to a scale that suited his
p~hilanthropic purposes. He mas no
roubl doing that kind OF thing In
Arizona because there he has no Ana
conda company to tight. i don't see
any other way for the miners OF Butte
to reduce their wage but to strike for
IL. We should all hate 10 see a strike.
IL would be . terrible calamity to Butte.
But as long ~ the Anaconda company
Is In the hands of a coercionist hke
DAILY. a strike Ia the only way out-un
less the election OF Marshall would nix
1t. hat might bring about the desired
result fast enough by knocking silver to
30 cents"
Don't you think" said the hardware
clerk. don't you think that IL a griev-
ance committee were TO go to DAILY In
the right spirit and present the situa-
ton In h right light. he would ac-
knowledge the Justice Of their de-
mands? They certainly could make a
very strong argument for lower wages.
They could say: See here. Mr.. DAILY.
during the last 10 years practically ev-
erything has gone down in Butte but
wages. Take the common necessities
Of life. Beer has dropped from 10 cents
to 5; whiskey has gone down In our
midst and continues TO go down; board
has dropped from $40 to 81; groceries
are from 5 to Is per cent cheaper; rents
are lower and clothing has fallen on.
Everything seems to have taken a tum-
BILE I'm Butte except wages and w. A.
Clark. Now we ask you. In all fairness.
II IL is right that you should insist on
keeping up the same scale OF wages as
was in force 10 years ago? Is II right,
Is II honorable. is IL just? The other
mining companies say they are willing
to come down II you do. and we have
every reason to believe that they are
honest and sincere. We are sure OF 1t.
How can you afford to stand in the way
OF a large and universal reduction of
wages? Do not understand us. Mr..
DAILY. as threatening you; but you
should realize-it is our duty to INFORM
you-that IL you persist in coercing us
into accepting $3.50 a day, you may
force us to AXE extreme measures. We
should be very reluctant to do 1t, but IL
may be necessary Now, I honestly be-
~lieve." continued the hardware clerk,
that IL a grievance committee should
go to Mr.. DAILY with a good, stiff song
and dance like that. he would think
twice before refusing TO grant all they
asked"
ITS clear you don't understand the
situation at ALL" sneered the bookkeep-
er. You simply don't understand IL.
So absolute is the system of coercion
and terrorism practiced by the Anacon-
da company, that the miners. even
among themselves, don't talk about any
reduction Of wages. They don't permit
themselves TO dream OF any such
things. The holder and more radical
ones may sometimes say to themselves
It's high wages. his $3.50 a day. there's
no mistake % II. But the Anaconda
coerces me into taking II, and
II demanded less l would lose my job.
On the whole I guess / won't kick. I'm
in for IL inc there's nothing for me to
do but grin and bear it. The Anacon-
da company" continued the bookkeper,
"has actually cowed its men into think
ing that. It's the most scandalous CO.
ercion / ever heard Of"
But after all, that isn't the worst of
it," said the dry goods clerk. THE An
aconda company is trying TO coerce the
people of this state into its way of
thinking about silver. 1t frankly and
unblushingly admits that the higher the
price of silver, the more money II can
make. the more men II can employ and
the longer his Infamous $3.50 scale of
wages will continue in Montana I
haven't a doubt hat II the Anaconda
company has the power II will coerce
the price of silver back to S1.29 an ounce
and then where would Butte be, gen.
tlemen. where would Butte be? The
Anaconda company is simply trying TO
coerce Butte into believing that on this
silver question its interests and Butte's
interests are Identical. 1t wants ia
elect a democratic congressman and a
democratic United States senator for
the open and avowed purpose OF having
Montana represented at Washington by
the persistent advocates of silver. OF
course w. A. Clark and h Butte Mine
object to this vicious and ~unprincipled
scheme and a nominated a goldbue
ticket. Butte has got to be protected
from the horrors of free coinage. some
how"