Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-09-20

America as Leading up TO INC sIlAAo
ordered in the anthracite coal min
ing region of Pennsylvania:
The Statement.
Indianapolis, Ind, September ID, 1900
The members of the national executive
board of the United Mine Workers OF
America, realizing that the material well
1Iee viii be in5iuriousIy anected by a gen
eraI suspension of work in the. coal fields
OF snn of a concentrsted public opinion.
and having a profound respect for the
oop i1 1o make a generai statement for the
information of the public
one can have a greater apprecIaa
of the anthracite coal miners, than the
people. The coal miners and their fami-
lies, the coal companies and the coal car
rying are but a small portion OF
the vast m~ultitudeS whose interests are
so directly and Indirectly connected with
the coal trade that a conflict of Sucn
magnitude would materially anect tnelF
welfare.
the great manufacturing industries or the
east: the wholesale and retail business es-
e eanilih and Tailroad s trans inter:
ests. la~boringmen and capitalists, will an
That an the world ri I may know that we 6ave
done all that honorable men can 90 10
avoid the conflict, we herewith submit a
1.-The average wages of the anthracite
miner for many years have been less than
$50 annually. During that period OF time
the cost of many of the necessaries of life
has been increased over 20 per cent. An IN
crease in the cost of living without a cor
responding increase in wages is equiva-
lent to a reduction in wages.
Abuses Alleged.
THE laws of the state of Pennsylvania
make make 24oo pounds a aoa ton m,0 OF aa aTe aoms
for a ton, for in addition to hat are
4-4-RfNo-F D10r1nf nffan roach
ing IL per cent. of their daily earnings,
for any Impurities which may be sent Out
the car, instead of being required to
furnish a well-rounded heap on the car
at the 1ee 1re SaVs %eT as WdI oT been cSSm agfGeSS
to increase the amount of coal In each car
by building ? g 1.-The ,g same a PeEper T6d 9dga
powder used in mining from their en-
Of powder that can be purchased else
where for S1.50 per key, and which whole
sa .The ayr are aSou re 81 Red By many of the
companies to deal in 'pluck-me' stores
or leave their employment.
month for a doctor, whether they need
him or not, and nave no voice in saying
:"The smallness of their earnings. to-
gether with the great cost of living, has
from school before they have reached tho
g prescribed by law, and place them al
work In the breakers, In order TO keGE
the family from starvation.
Complaints Ignored.
when any miner. feeling the burden Of
these conditions, has gone to the manage
ment and asked to have them removed, he
has been told that II he does not like 1t ne
whenever they have organized in any
agent asking to have their grievance
considered the members of the
have either been discharged or nave beer
told thai the evils Nnnld not he rpmPdiad
because of the competition from he's Other
companies.
ers of the whole region have met anC
asked the coal companies TO meet them
conditions on an equitable basis, so that
each would know what his competitor
Sa VS. a a E a nna no f6ei Io nsiitiogn fo o1u y cons o.
ference has been completely ignored.
Whenever the business men, clergy.
men or outside influences have appealed
to the coal companies to correct some OF
the evils complained of, their requests
have been denied; and when. as a last re-
wired the presidents of the great rail.
road eompaniss, who control the anthra.
whole question to arbitration, the propo.
sition has been treated with silent con.
"Eaving exhausted all other means OF
adjustment, we had reached the point
of the anthracite region TO continue work
ing under unjust and ~tyrannical condi'
lions or counsel a strike.
investigation Invited.
1--WE nave chosen the latter, and, hav.
ing done so, we invite a thorough, i'm
portal and public investigation of the
conditions existing in the anthracite coal
fields. We believe that the great Ameri.
can heart throbs in sympathy for the
down-trodden and oppressed, whether in
this or in any other land. We know the
great power of the public press in mold.
ing public sentiment With an abiding
faith in the justice of our cause, and 9
consciousness of the knowledge thai
wbosoever else may villify and abuse US
the Great Jehovah knows and under
stands the rectitude of our purpose, we
appeal to the American people and the
American press as the greatest arbiter.
on earth to assist US and sustain us II
our hour of trial.
"On behalf of the National Executive
Beard, United Mine Workers of America
we are, sincerely yours.
JOHN MITCHELL,
President.
w. B. WILSON,
Secretary-TreaSurer."
the United States Supreme Court