The Saint Paul globe., 1900-10-28

industrial engine, and to do away with
them without offering any substitute
| would be to cause an explosion that would
| wreck the whole structure of industrial
life
The history of strikes in the anthracite
coal region, from the beginning, has been
one of constant Improvements in the mat
ter of violence The first great strike
| and most bitterly fought up to the pres
ent occurred twenty-three years ago as
an outgrowth of the railroad strike of
1877. Pittsburg was the storm center of
this strife. In the bituminous region
around that city the loss of life was very
great, and property to the amount of
S5,OO0,OOO was destroyed. Compared with
this, even then. the loss and violence in
the anthracite region was slight. During
the twenty three years since that time
local strikes have been going on almost
continuously in the various towns of the
Lehigh, LaclSawanna and Wyoming VAL
leys, but SO orderly has been the con-
duct of all parties concerned that, with
thiO C@ACSpl1OI OIL tie 1GIHSnIdDlG affair al
Lattimer three years ago, scarcely a ru-
NOR of the movement has reached the
outside world. Only about year and
half ago at Nanticoke, town of some
5000 inhabitants, more than so srlen were
on strikefo six consecutive months with
out attracting the attention of the public
by so much as a brickbat thrown or a
window broken.
The present strike has covered practi-
cally the whole of the anthracite region,
which includes populatio of about
1,000,0Gq people, all of whom are more or
less directly affected by the movement.
While The leaders of the strike are most
ly Of the better class of Irish, Welsh
and Scotch, within recent years the larger
portion Of the coal region digging popu-
ton has been drawn from the most up-
desirable element of the immigrant
classes, the Slavs of East Central Europe.
These people could hardly be expected to
improve upon the poor sanitary condi-
tions which surround them in the COM
pany houses and towns, and so the gen
eraI provisions for health and comfort
are meager. The average wages are $27
per month, with long periods Of enforced
sidleness in dull times. The credit system
and time checks prevail almost universal
ly, SO that at the, end of a month work
the wages of an entire family are eaten
up in providing the means of subsistence
- S, 49,
and clothing purchased from the company
store. at excessive prices. The savings
of the majority of the miners must nee
essarily be meager, and when strikes,
such as the present one, come on, many
are upprepared. AS a result, men, wonl-
en- and children go unfed, When to the
pangs Of hunger is added the sight of
armed deputies placed among the miners
ostensibly to guard property, but in many
cases really in order that their presence
may incite deeds of violence which may
necessitate the calling out of military
force and thus 90 away with hired pro-
lection, the temptation to overstep the
bounds of law and order becomes very
great.
But surrounded by as great provoca-
tions Ito deeds of violence) as ever con-
fronted a looting army, and facing the
added hardships which winter will bring,
these 1500O0 striking miners have met
every temptation with sobriety of tenn
per, a reasonabieness and fortitude which
deserves no other name than heroism.
May they continue in their course to
the end, and furnish to the industrial
world the much needed object lesson of
a great strike settled without violence
or destruction of property!