The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-10-11
COUNTY PLATFORM.

We, the Socialist Labor Party of Scluyl-
kill county, in convention assembled do
hereby assert our devotion to the cause of
the people and pledge ourselves to exert
every honest eudcavor to correct existing
evils.
We deuounce, as tending to place a
premium on crime, the custom of allowing
county officials who have been tried and
found guilty of offences punishable by i'm
prsonment, to escape to just penalty of their
crimes by compromise That is: by
resignation from the Offices they have pros
tituted.
We denounce this because it is funda-
mentally wrong. and also because it does not
seem to dove.tail with our time honored.
stereotyped SChuylkil county verdict Not
guilty, but pay the COSTS
We place ourselves on record as being OPP
posed to the system of administration of
county affairs that denies assistance TO
worthy people in destitute condition, ON ac-
count Of scarcity Of money in the treasury
and pays Judges munfcent salaries for SER
vices they do not perform.
We denounce the system of election con-
test that obtains under our present laws. An
insuperable burden is placed upon the tax
payers and the contests are drawn out from
year to year until the contest is decided.
We deuounce the system of administration
that allows the railroads, the common
carriers in direct opposition to the laws of
the country, to discriminate against the
interests of the anthracite coal region by
giving cheaper freight rates to the btumin-
Gus districts, thereby running the anthracite
coal trade and driving the people of the
region to bankruptcy, poverty and destitu-
tiUu.
We denounce, condemn and censure, under
protest, the iniquitOus system of fixing the
wages of the miner and laborer of Schuylkill
county, as every mean advantage is taken Of
the wage Garner to substitute lower grades of
fl.s.N IL.
tween the operators and the w. B. A.
organization, and feel confident that the
contract has long been broken and ought to
be discontinued, as the W. b. A has long
ceased to exist.
Certain collieries in this region have taken
upon themselves the privilege Of making
rules in direct opposition to the laws of the
state in regard to the hosting of men from
the mines, &c, thereby subecting the men
to various dangers and discomforts, by COM
pelling them to remain at the bottom until il
suits the convenience of the authorities tC
hoist them.
We denounce the arbitrary system OF
making rules, together with the starvation
wages paid TO miners, and the inhuman and
| barbarous treatment accorded to labOrers whC
do not understand the laws well enough tC
defend themselves
We denounce the system of contract labor
where the laborer is subjected to the greatest
abuse and receives the least pay
We denounce the passage by the Assembly
of what is known as 'The Workingmen'
Compensation Act" making employees re-
sponsible for any injuries his workingmen
may receive, unless such injuries are due to
the workiugmen's own carclessness.
We reatfrm the constitutional privilege of
the people to peacefully assemble and petit
tion for the redress of grievances and we
denounce. as legalized murder, the shooting
down of men peacefully marching along the
| highways that has occurred at various times
and places under the system of government
by injunction.
We declare ourselves unaltemlly opposed
to the system Of government by representa-
tion, and demand for the people the right to
vote directly.
Resolved, That we will use our best
endeavOrs to accomplish such reforms and to
eradicate such glaring evils as have been
enumerated.
COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS.