The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1899-05-12
NO CHANGE IN THE LABOR
SITUATION.
British S. S. Nigretia Snip island, /
May 1, is9a. )

1hdl " ~
Editor Democrat SAr.
May l ask you to insert the follow
Ing In your valuable and favorite pa
per in response to an editorial OF the
Scranton Chronicle, under date OF
the. 18th ult., headed "No change in
the labor situation" The editor ap.
pears to be In ignorance OF the facts
In the matter, and with your permits.
sion, | should like to rectify some of
his statements for the benefit OF him
and others.
In the first place, he states that
foreign labor has superseded
our own men, but he does not
state why they have done so. Our
own men were asked to come out and
work but they refused, and why? Be-
cause one or two OF the wOuld-be
a%uttcrat members OF the assOcia-
tion wanted to compel the steve
dOres to take out to work whom they
choose, but TO be paid by saidpsteve-
dUres' dollars, and because the steve.
dOres kicked, some OF the officials OF
the associations Or some OF the agita-
tors, warned the men not to go work
with the rest OF them who considered
the association was trying to do an
act Of injustice. Suppose |, or any
one else, should walk into one OF the
stores in town and say To one OF the
clerks here. "You have worked in this
store long enough. Get out and let me
have a turn at it," That just about
illustrates what the association pro-
posed to do at first and that caused
all the trouble.
Regarding the white scab labor that
he speaks Of, | beg to Correct him. and
to inform him that there is no white
scab labor out here. All are members
Of the Timbermen's Benevolent ASST
citation, an order chartered by the Gov
ernor of the State OF MississippL and
which we received before the others
had "a charter at all. So who are the
"scabs?" The stevedores have never
refused to give the Scranton people
employment, and are willing to give
them labor to-day il they want to
work. and | feel satisfied that a large
number Of them would willingly re-
turn to work If permitted by the boss
es OF the association to do so. and |
know that all who are out here and
interested in Scranton would like to
see them at work.
Regarding the wages paid, the
stevedorcS never objected to paving
the scale Of wages as drawn up by the
association. MOI did they object about
hiring any hut members Of the associ-
alton, nut they objected, land in my
opinion Justly so) to paying those
wages to any n whom they did not
wish to employ. and in this free coun-
try To endcay0r to compel a person to
give employment to another against
their wish IS simply outrageous, and
antagonistic to the constitution of
any free country.
think II saloon keepers would Quit
making sensational speeches, and
store keepers attend strictly to their
business of selling goods, whatever
grievances there may be between the
~stevedores and practical baymen,
could easily and amicably be arranged
in short order. All or nearly so, of
the practical white baymen OF Scran-l
ton are down here now at work. and |
many Of the colored would have been,
II they had not been overruled by the
advice Of Others.
The editor Of the Chronicle also
states that the stevcdores need not
cast their eyes in the direction of the |
baymen to y%ield-thus urging them
to hold out. Yet in another column
he suggests arbitration. How does he
reconcile the two? With regard to
settlement by arbitration, why not
let the officers of the two associations
appoint a meeting and see what can
he done in the matter, and thus nut
an end. If possible, to this miserable |
and prejudicial struggle.
His .claptrap" regarding capital
might do very well for some anarchist
society or other, but IN this instance
is not worth commenting further
upon. Respectfully,
FOURTEEN YEARS A BAYMAN,