The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-18

Magnstes and managing eFJieers OF thu
Coal Trust in New York and rhilsd 1
phia affect astonishment at the strong and
nearly universal public sympathy which
is being expressed for the striking
miners in the anthracite region. The
only genuine surprise they feel is that
the truth OF the situation should have
so thoroughly reached and permeated
the public mind. To charges of tx>or-
ton and oppression the Coal Trust
enters a general deuial-a denial which
on the face OF IL brands the trust with
mendaciiy and perfidy.
Fifteen years ago it was no unusual
thing for an Industrious anthracite coal
miner to make wages of n hundred and
fifty dollars a month. That was before
many of the economies at present in use
we're known practically. Then the cost
of production was greater and prices no
better than now, If as good. Today the
miner is looked upon as phenomenon
who can earn ninety dollars a month,
and the majority do not make half and
often not more than a third of that
sum. The reason for this change is that
during the last decade there has been
persistent and relentless struggle on the
the part of the trust to crush the miners
into condition of half starved ami
stupid slavery. destructive of intelli-
gence independence. and manhood, and
meant to be so.
Finding the men organized in only a
few places, the operators began
MachiaYelian system of crushing local
strikes in the organized districts by
making temporary concessions to the
miners in the unorganized districts.
| Then the strikers, being starved and
humbIed. fresh exactions were i'm
posed upon all. One of the devices used
is fair Illustration of the injustice OF
all. At one time 1T, was the rule to re-
ouire from the miner forty cubic feet of
coal as the measure of ton. This.
however was subject to "dockage' at
the breaker head for slate. the proper
ton of which to good coal was decided
by an official called ''docker, whose
business and interest it was to see that
| coal cost the operator as little as pcs
sible. So the decker locked liberia ly,
that he might be sure of his JOB and
promotion. In one of the numerous
settlements following the labor dis
turbances in the field, the trust agreed
| that If the miners would send up forty
eight cubic feet of coal as the measure
! of a ton, dockage would be dispensed
with, the excess of eight cubic feet being
assumed TO cover whatever slate might
be in the mass. This agreement was
| never kept on the side of the trust. The
miners have been compelled TO produce
forty-eight cubic feet instead of forty
AZ formerly. and the larger quantity
has been regularly docked as before,
In theory the mine cars hold two tons
| Once they did, but by substituting sheet
iron bins for the old wooden ones. raising
the sides and increasing the width, the
cars now hold nearly or quite three tons.
Vet The miner is paid no more for mining
the contents Of new than he used to be
maid for that OF an old two ton car.
The foregoing are but two of the grieV-
a,ces against which the miners protest.
| Others have been presented in these col
unns in previous issues. Massed together
I
they make as unpleasant picture OF trust
ranacity and cruelty as could be conceiv-
ea II is outrageous that in time Of al
legged full dinner pail prosperity, when
| the Coal Trust is making more monty
than ever before, it should be tolerated
in subiecting an army of honest working
men TO the conditions it has forced upon
the anthracite miners of Pennsylvania
YET IT is to just such conditions that al
tho vyageworkers of America Will be re-
duced il the trusts and monopoiies are
given the four years more of unbridleo
mower in national affairs, which is al
they need TO complete their hold upor
Congress. and to pack the United States
sunreme Court in their interest. The
election of Mckinley and Roosevelt. witt
trust House of Representatives a
venal. corrupt, and defiant of the Consti
tuition as the Republican majority in thu
present one. would settle the question o
industrial slavery to the trusts for tn
next generation, or until the system shoul'
be overturned in some sanguinary futur
revolution. II the American people, witt
the lesson of the Coal Trust before thei
ewes can bring themselves TO vote III
creature of the trusts into the Presiden
tiaI chair again, they will deserve all tina
is in store for them