The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-24

bit DlbuInlHOuS operators TO secure
the Anthracite Market-Says That
Thousands Are on Strike Because
They Were Forced Out.
Rcv. Luther Hess Waring. pastor of
the Evangelical Lutheran church. in
the course Of a sermon delivered in his
church last night on the strike situa-
ton. charged the leaders Of the present
strike with being bituminous men and
intimated that they were working for
the interests of the bituminous opera
tors. Rev. Mr. Waring had other
things to say which indicate that he
believes the strike is "a mistake on the
part of the men.
lie took his text from the eplstle OF
st. Paul to the Corinthians viz: Bear
yC anOther's burdens and so fulfill the
law of Christ" After speaking for a
few moments in "A general way, telling
how few there really are who have
ever felt the need of something and
who have never had to bear a sorrow,
he plunged into the strike question.
Let us consider for a few moments"
said he "the strike which is now in our
midst. Let us leave prejudice and pas
sion at home. The strike is not on
trial here. 1t is on trial before God.
Some of the judgments of God are
given TO this world, perhaps one will
be given in this case. Let us first con-
slider few automatic principles.
NOT ANTAGONISTIC.
ut must first be understood that
capital and labor are not antagonistic
of themselves. Each is necessary to
the other. They are different forms of
energy which must work together or
not at all. Labor has a legal and moral
right to combine in an organization
and capital has the same right
1T must be understood that It Is
neither honest nor honorable for q Ia
borer to break a legal contract entered
into with his employer but in the alb
sence of a contract he has the unques-
toned right to quit work if he so de-
sires.
IF man persists in his determna-
tion to remain idle after quitting work
and if this remaining idle leaves his
family in need I believe that is not
right. st. Paul says: IF man will
not work, he shall not eat The labor
er ought to be Il producer and the man
who remains idle is only burden and
a parasite on mis- fellow-men.
Amy man has a right to work and
also the right to be idle, but there lis
another law which is generally recog-
nized and that is that no man has any
right to interfere with the work Of any
other man. He has absolutely no
moral or legal right to interfere with
any man engaged in legitimate work.
I'm the present clash between capi-
tai and labor there are many differ
ences of opinion. Take the company
doctor grievance, for instance. They
are probably good things if their SER
vice is coed and bad things if their
service is not good and the men are
forced into paying too much for their
services But there are many COM
panies in fact the majority of COM
panies, who have no company doctors
Why should such operators be called
upon to arbitrate this grievance.
grievance that doesn't exist between
them and their men.
THE COMPANY STORES.
Take the company stores. They
have shady past ana many of them
Il shady present. 1t is claimed. and
probably with truth, that the company
employees are Coerced into trading at
them, and that the prices charged are
high. But the majority of the COM
panes have no company stores. This
subject should be settled between those
operators who have them and their
own employees.
The operators should not wait for
the offer of arbitration. If any Just
grievances exist they should announce
their Willingness to remove them. But
we must remember that the operators
are the only ones who know how much
they are required to charge for the
coal. We must remember that every
ton Of coal which is mined means one
ton less in the mine, and that the
operator has got to take into consider
alton the fact that it is only ques-
tion of time when the Goal in that
mine will be entirely exhausted.
BY the time the coal is exhausted
the operator must have made not
merely the interest on his invested
capital. but also the entire principal,
as the property is then practically
worthless. | can't see any just reason
why there should be cast iron wage
for every part of the anthracite field,
aug ih'it IMAM wat VN'lN NI'lh III inc
state of Pennsylvania should receive
exactly the same salary.
conditions in different parts are so
different that it is ridiculous to talk of
a universal scale. Some mines are near
the surface; some are a thousand feet
deep; some have thin veins, where the
work is hard, and others have veins
twenty feet thick, where the work is
easy, All these things have got to he
taken into account when the men talk
of the same wage for every part of the
anthracite region.
1T must be remembered that whom
coal is down i'm price the operators
can't afford to pay big wage. From
all the figures 50 far given publicity.