The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05
THE COMPANY STORE.
Defense by n Goat Baron of Mnch 'rit
iciEed Institution.


Il see that thcy'v lcglsatcd against the com
pany store In New Jersey" said the coal oatoh'
Well I'm glad of ", for l think the men VINO We
been growing about the company Stores III 'he
mining and lumber districts for the past few years
wit now get a lesson which will teach them
whole 10, and will ultimately result In placing the
Company store on a more solid basis You know
what a company store Is don't you rs simply
| a big notion house somewhere cut In the woods
conducted by u mining or lnmbcr company
where the employees are expected I" huN 'h''
clothing and supplies I've had r'"r "pl"t'
iunltes for studying these Establishments 'hah
most men. for down in West Virginia VIC run
one Of the largest ones in the country, supplying
the needs Of 800 of our coal miners The ng'm'
ton against these institutions was started rgh'
among my men, and here's how " happened
'On account of strikes IN the Pennsylvania
coal districts II was deemed necessary Ia sir UP
the miners in West Virginia So Eugene V.
Debs honored us with visit. lie found our
men a pretty well satisfied lot Of miners living
we'll within their incomes and getting n good
prlce for iheir work lie looked over the terri
| tory and finally decided that the company store
| was the best medium through which To SOW the
| seeds Of disconien, So he asked the men how
much money they had saved. They hadn't
saved anything. Where then had they spent
| IT, why, In the company store. How. then, were
| they making anything when the money 'hc'r
employers gave them went back into the company
| cuners Why. they weren't making any.
! thing. Could they make their purchases any
| where but in the company store Why, no. THIS
| was mighty good soil IN which a. SOW such seed
| The miners had never appreciated before how
| they we're being swlndicd. The company store
must go Mr.. Dcbs led the miners out aud W.
| had n strike on our hands ! won't talk about
tina, strike because the facts arc pretty we'll known
| THE strength of Mir Dcbs's statements about
tho company store lay IN the fact that they wcr"
! perfectly true ! hc principle of the company
| store is all wrong and you can't make II lpul;
| right on paper Apparently, there's no excuse
for selling goods al a small profit h. your employ
res and forcing them 10 tradc with you But
when you take up the facts. things begin 10 look
| different Let ne tell you some Things about
the company store that We nun. ltiSh very large
| establishment and sell everything from M
lasses candy to shoes. There isn't thing that
| tho miner wants that he cant get right in oar
store. and. mind you. cheaper than he can yet IT
anywhere else There is no competition because
oniy sn,, m. hcs things and At rcns"nnbl" p,n
| Now the agiator bawlcd. What night has the
| company 10 any profit? III tell you what night !,
| has In the first place, the company St"r" ~ an
| expensive thing to run Guuds have Ia I've brought
| from long distances and hauled through wild
| mountainous country by mules large part oi
the way Two or three men Of brains have To- hr
employed nj good salh'i"S a. run things and last
bu, not least steady profit hns t. hc malr IN
! II We had attended stnctlv H. our coal business
in 1897 aud 1895. We would have closed down hall
of work, In 1897 We los, 100000 on our coal
| mines which We made up IN the profits 81 ou'
It's no Use for us In tell the miners tina, their jobs
depended on the existence 81 the company stnf"
They wouldn't believe It But u Nigh, ~" inirr
cSting information for some 81 the Legislators
| who. without taking the trouble H. lock nj" th'
facts, have been bowling about the Outrageous
| Cnmpany stores lime and again the pruhis
| of our store have lust made up fur nu. losses IN
, business LOSSES which We would not have SIs
| tnincd had We thrown half Of uu' men out IT work
| md closed down tho mines, In that respect alone
| doesn't II strike YOU that the company Sto'c Is
rather the friend than the enemy 81 the coal miner
| Wow everything We sell Is al the hrSl quality
and although We exact small profit w. really
sell at a lower price than dealers III III" n"at"N
! villages nr towns sell the sane things \ shur
time age our book keeper came To me and rcpnftt
that although John Floyd q miner had "nrn"'
$50 during the month he had spcn, but 81 at on
store. John Floyd was n man NC must luhN M
apparently Now mud YOU II FLOYD wanted
To- save his money We had no objection hut ~
from our store found Floyd ono Sunday morn
ing sitting in front Of his shack whiting siicL
with brand new pcnkntc. lie had u brand
How much did you pay for thosr shoes Floyd
| asked
Don't you know We sell you better Shot
than that for s.. 90" said
"Floyd allowed that he guessed not aud look
very wise. | finally wormcd 1t out II hln tina
having received his month's pay. he had In hay
y day of that cost lin So hired a wnodmnn'
| horse and wagon 81 more aud driven nf,"",
! miles to Icntrcyiilc. where he had blown ~ hi
money IN gaudv booking clothes for himself an
his wife. returning h M absolutely rcnn ".r
Two weeks Into flnyd's tcnt-rrillr shoes hit
fallen tn pieces and he VAS ground trying Il
, got credit for things for himself and his vii" -
our store lust let him cut MS feet On tEc EtIuu
fnr a wccS then HELPED him out Nuu cpnlhn
re-, Floyd I" buy anywhere but at our s''r
now L. save your liic.
Il could tell you a lot of other things ahp',
! the company store about the miurtS who rul
| into debt 10 u aud then skip out and n hVndrc'
| aud one other things. but " won't make TIE prn
| clplc ~ the thing right Wait unul the cr'upnu,
store is abolished and you'll hear a vail iwn
the miners thatll make yoAr hair stand "n end