The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-10-04

Life aa the FeEasyIs.1iA Coal E-xioks
eixE Land.

D9FiuE Ii4<e % SAfaAs -AAls0st y ES@
eixn Land.
Sew York sun.
ITO the average American, said =
bus iness man Just down froEn the coal
reg ions, the various strike meetings
are intensely odd aud interesting. No
W he re else In the world can such ks-
<efp bIAges be met. Why. / feel as IL l
we're just back from big tr;p through
europe. In week | have heard har-
angues ia all European languages, pos
,ibly save spanish and Ere. ch. Al
Mahanoy CiIy John Fsleski made
spec hes TO crowd vi miners in ball
dozen tongues. He counseled sobriety
snd loyalty 10 the cause Of labor, pre-
sumabiy, but the Americans knew not
lis hearers had bland, serious faces.
They all wurk in the mines. Andrew
Pars ish also spoke in the Slavonic and
Lithunian tongues. Nearly every msa
in tile crowd smoked his pipe and occa-
sionally cheered
"At Nesquehonnlng SiAvonics ora
tor with an unpronoanced namei kept
yelling to the crowd In tones that souD-
ded alike for some time. got young
Siav 60 translate for me and he said the
speaker had Numbered out: We must
strike. il We are men. tlf We are COWS,
We will work. Are you men or cows?
His hearers all yelled for strike, where
upon the orator shouted back: AN
swered ike roaring bulls
Then the orator denounced weak
backed men. Stay at home with the
women and take in your cabbage and
cut ssuerkraut,' was the advice Of u
German striker who spoke for peace
aud against mob violence. | found that
che foreign strikers were on the war
path against Slavs and Huns from the
strike districts, who were willing to
work where operations We're still car
ried on. such men We're denounced as
dogs, and they took up the cry, Death
to the dogs! Let the women Kill the
dogs" At other places the foreign or
ators paid great attention to advising
the Slavs to be careful what they said
One of the orators thus advised his
darkskinned hearers:
keep your tongues between your
teeth. Don't talk. What you may say
secret detective will hear, and he may
make you pay dear for it when all this
is over. 1t may cost you your JOB OF
your liberty
"Fhese olavs are very suspicious, es-
DcClHlly vi luUcC IOU vi
ity. They live in clusters and are very
clannish. They never become natural
lied, but drift about as the gypsies
from place to place, wherever they can
get labOring work 10 do. The Poland
ers, however, are more substantial. sc
are che Italians and some Huns. In q
| short time, if the strike is not settled
| theu.ands of these Slavs will 60 to tht
soft coal regions for employment. IL
there is any violence these untutOreC
men will be showed to the front, as they
are very excitable when aroused and
under the influence of 'pOlenki, mix
ture of beer, alcohol and rum I hey
are hard workers and do fair days
work in the mines at from 81 to $1.2O {
day. At one OF their mass meetlng'
they do not stand together, but II
gruups some distance apart. Many keel
chatting while the speaking is goInt
on. A good speaker can ha rangue I
crowd for an hour, ringing the change
on Is minute substantial speech.
have seen them pass big pipe, ke th'
MsREyJh.hte REyJh.hte1A 1Amaariisp .lpdians.- fgnm one. Il
"They are very penuriOus. Not man.
fire off any money in the beer saloons
| have seen them pass flask just llk
la pipe, and drink without taking thel
ewes off the orator. Their women cav
the shanties and form the back groun
of many outdoor meetings. he w0me
have their hesds tied up with small re
,hawls, but they do not attend indoo
meeting. They gossip and laugh dt
f ring the speak,. g and enjoy the attach
made on the dogs and cows IL
hun women are stout and courageou
and are ready to do any thing to hel
their men. They never lock any doo
when they go to sleep. They have m
{ ney saved. but 1t would puzzle a burr
lar by daylight to find out where 1t
d hidden away.
| "rhe Welsh, Irish and English a
r the pioneers and we'll settled, and are
If great credit to the region. SO are tl
e Poles. The slate pickers and break
10 ,ys are bright and well learned. VIII
n washed up tney are fairly good loo
ing. The boys are full of fight for the
b shts. Many sing unusually we
ONE of the boys are nephews of IN
d who once were rich and known as t
coal barons.' The Siavs, like the
lives, are intensely in earnest in Il
strike business"