Evening star., 1899-04-14
WOULD ASK A BOND
Proposed Incorporation of Labor Or
ganizations.
TREAT THEM LIKE THE CAPITALIST
A Coal Operators Proposal to the
Industrial Commission.
5 I r l ES AND STOR ES
5 L r IKES AND STOR ES

| dent of the Illinois Coal Operators Asso-
! citation and general manager of the Spring
| Valley Coal Company, was today before the
! industrial commission which has been hold
| ing sessions in the Bliss building, opposite
| the Capitol. and gave testimony specially
concerning the mining industry of Illinois.
| He said that the eight-hour agreement be-
| tween the operators and the miners was ac
ceded to by the operators against their
| judgment. They did so as a result Of the
| demand of the strikers of 1897.
| One of the reasons for opposition to a
| weekly pay day on the part of the opera
| tors was the fact that on the Monday fol-
| lowing pay day many of the men stay away
| from the mines The eight-hour day IS in
| operation among the miners in Illinois,
| Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana To those
men who work about the mine by the day
| the eight-hour rule had been an advantage
| because they got the same pay as formerly,
although at the time of making the reduc-
ton of hours they were To take reduction
of 20 per cent in pay. But to those who
work underground and who are paid by
their output he thought it had been no ad-
vantage. as they had reduced their earning
capacity 20 per cent. If the miner was
willing to reduce his earning capacity he
thought the eight-hour day was an advan-
tage to his health. The operators had no
complaint against the eight-hOur rule ex-
cept that those who work under it are
obliged to compete with others who work
on the basis of a ten-hour day.
He thought the system of taxing mining
property in Illinois was not just. The COM
pany buys the mining rights from a farmer,
under which he has the privilege of work
ing whatever coal veins may be under the
surface The assessment is made under the
assumption that coal land does exist under
the surface. although it may not be found
there. 1t should only be taxed if the state
could show that the coal did exist.
The Interstate Ia greatly
to the advantage of the general public and
certainly to the advantage of the shipper,
although there were reasons for complaint
Sat times
Doesn't Believe in Trusts.
In a combination of mining or manufac-
turing the purpose is one of economy of
administration and results in throwing a
great many out of work, especially
those who keep books, sell goods and man
age properties.
Il look upon the whole movement of
forming combinations and trusts said Mr..
Dalzell, las wrong. 1 do not believe in a
trust / do believe in men in the same
line of business getting together and try
ing to arrange prices to get fair
remuneration for their product. think
trust would be danger to the republic
were it not for the fact that the American
people, when the proper time comes,
able to rise up and oppose abuses"
laws that compel the employer to assume
the ordinary dangers of the business, or
for accident which might be due to the
neglect of the emplOye to take necessary
precautions for his protection, or who vio
lates Il law rule for the government
of the mines. They had adopted all rea-
sonable rules to protect life or limb and
believed in laws that would tend to protect
life. Mine inspection laws should be rigid
and inspectors should be competent and
non-partisan. He thought children go to
work at too young age. In Illinois q
child can go to work at fourteen years of
age; he thought they should not he permit
ted in the mines or in factories under six
teen years of age.
They had operated a store. but in 1894
on account Of the complaints of the miners
| they had sold out, and it had since been
run as an enterprise with which the coal
| company had no connection. They had
| opened their stores in order to fix the prices
and not allow stoTekeeperS to charge eX-
! orbitant rates. Yet the miners had COM
| planned. Their profits had been small and
| they lost nothing by selling out. Now the
] the store. but they have no interest in the
| profits, and men can deal in other stores
/ if they wish.
| Company Stores.
| As carried on by his company formerly he
| thought the store was a benefit to the
miner, bat IS carried on by some companies
| in other localities of which he had heard
| they We're a great hardship the miner.
| Mr.. DalZell believed in arbitration and
| Cancellation as means for settling labor
| disputes. not in compulsory arbitration, be-
| cause "a man convinced against his will is
| of the same opinion still" He thought that
] labor organizations should be Incorporated
/ and that they should deposit with the au-
/ thorities of the state in which they are 10
/ Gated a sum of money or bonds, in order
| that it might be made as responsible before
| the law as is the capitalist. He thought the
I strike was a great injury to the capitalist
and laborer alike. The plan he suggested,
| he thought, would oblge an organization TO
| carry out any agreement it should make.
! as a capitalist can be made to carry out
an agreement.
| After a recess Mr.. Dalzeu continued his
| testimony. The witness suggested the in
| corporation of trades unions. in order TO
| make them equal to the employers before
| the law and 10 make it possible to enforce
contracts He did not advocate such a
| course, but thought it was worth consid-
ering.
| In reply to a question: he could not recall
| any case in which the miners organization
| had voluntarily agreed to an arbitration
J and had then gone back on it. He would
| not want to submit any question to a no