The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-06
POLYGLOT COMMUNE
ENGLISH SPEAKING MINERS
DRIVEN OUT.
The origin OF the MOLLY mAEuires--
strike. Were Responsible for the
bringing In Of Miners from A=stria-
Hungary aud Italy.

Hungary aud itaiy'
The current number OF The Century
has group Of papers ON the coal re-
glons Of Pennsylvania. Mr. Henry Ed
ward Rood. writing OF "A Polyglot
Community" says:
When anthracite came into general
use. the original miners quickly estab-
llshed themselves In their adopted
homes. and ceased to speak resretfully
OF childhood associations In Wales or
In England. They had an abundance
OF work here. and wages that would
seem a fortune In the old country. In
those days a Pennsylvania miner deem
cd il an unlucky month II he and his
two brawny sons failed to earn 500 or
more. They were not always paid at
regular Intervals before and during the
civil war, for money was not plentiful
in this region But they were credited
fully on the books Of the company. and
they were permitted. il not encouraged.
to purchase goods nj the company
store, where could be obtained food.
clothing. toys. furniture-in fact. about
all the necessarles and comforts and
luxurles the miner had learned to use.
Prices we're high. but wages CORE
sponded. and work was steady. but
after the terrible struggle between
north and south came a period OF de-
preston in business. Selling prices
dropped lower and lower. and wages
felt the result But the average miner
did not understand this. he saw tha,
the operator Of the colliery took wife
and children 10 Philadelphia or New
York as often as In previous years, and
that the superintendent wore clothing
as costly as ever. lie forgot that while
he had been spending his wages every
month. and often exceeding his account
at the company store. the operator and
other officials had been saving at least
n portion. II not the greater portion. u
their earnings The miners grow dis
conicnicd. and talked the matter over.
IS the panic drew near, they bad more
idle hours than ever. and their COM
plants reached the ears Of smooth
/ tongued rascals who Organized them
into a band ready 20 resist any further
oppression" as the business changes
were termed. And right al this point
let II be said that the old-time profes.
sional agitators referred to were wholly
different from the responsible. intelli.
gent men who have performed such
good service during recent years by or
ganizlng and directing tr1des-union,
like those which embrace the printer.
and locomotive engineers and hremen
II the anthracite miners OF Pennsyl
yania had been wisely led and firmll
controlled In the early seventies. IN
Keystone state would now be spare,
many black chapters In her history
But such happiness was not foreor
dalned. Owing In some degree to th
troublous times. and In a greater de
gree TO a group OF beings more deylllsl
than human. there sprang into actly
control OF n portion OF the common
wealth the most brutal. vindIctiye. Ter
rible conspiracy that ever ciyillzc
community had been cursed with D.
recent times-the Molly Magulros. ar
Il required the genius OF Franklin .
Gowon OF the Reading railroad. and Do
marvellous courage o. James Mcpai
land, a Piukorton detective, 20 break
up. and hang los leading spirits. 90
slugly. but In groups OF ten. Thor
within o few years. came the lion
strike" In the Lehigh region. when III
old hands refused 20 work under an
consideration. Week after week an
month after month dragged by. tn
collerles remained idle. the men. W,
men and children almost starved. Fo
tunes were lost In flooded mines and
burning breakers. And az last one
the greatest OF the operators ser
abroad to Austrla-Hungary an
brought thence TO his mlning-patch
Pennsylvania the first OF the 10
elgners." who have long ago succee,
ed. by their very presence. In driylt
out all OF the English-speaking mil
ers who could obtain work elsewhe
and who had the means to remove the
families. II Is an old story now. no
the first OF the Sloyaks. Polacks. Ital
ans and Slcillans who came here we
comparatively intelligent. and learn,
readily. In the course OF a few year
the work OF mining coal. And we a
know that year by year the lmm
grants Of such natlonalltlcs decreas,
In the scale Of civilization until tho
who have come to the anthracite fell
during the ilrst half OF the present 4
cade are, as a rule. much more DANCE
Gus TO the body polite than the @
cluded Chinese; for not only are tn
eager to work for wages on which
English-speaklng family would stary
b but they are supcrstitlous and mu
} derous. and do not hesitate 10 use d
Mantle II they desire 10 blow up Il
home OF one whom they particular
hate. Also. unlike the average Chin
man. each OF these foreign miners 1
sists on voting as soon as possible.
/ Bld for uaehelors