Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-18
Especial correspondence,l

I'm this pOllllcnl struggle, NHVlt 'HV
issue Is the prosperity OF the country,
we must brush everything else aside
Now, what Hanna really meant was
that the republicans consider the pros
perlty Of the trusts the chief issue To
insure that everything else must be
Brushed aside,
But he literally and unlntentlonal'y
Endorses the democratic position in
saying that the prosperity Of the whole
country Is the issue, The democrats
contend that we have had trust pros
perity and not that Of the whole people
In fact the masses have been heavily
assessed In order TO pile up trust mil
lions,
There isn't any doubt about the real
Sly Of trust prosperity When the wire
trust makes Sl5,0OOOO0 In six months II
is prosperous, But In order TO do that
II doubles the price OF barbed wire to
The farmers and closes five factories,
throwing thousands OF men out OF
work,
The republicans believe In encourage
ing this sort OF trust prosperity II
does not matter to them that the work
man and the farmer have less than be-
fore the trust was organized.
Trust Prosperity.
The coal combine is prosperous, II
has a monopoly OF the anthracite coal
OF the world. BY working It's men long
hours and at low wages Il secured the
largest output OF Goa, this year that
was ever known In the anthracite field.
Recently It has advanced the price Of
coal two dollars ton to the consumer.
The advance alone netS the coal trust
e2,O0o,OOO week,
How about the miners who dig the
coal out OF the earth? They are not
prosperous. In fact. they have been
90 near starvation that they recently
went on strike. Then public attention
was called to the awful conditions I'M
der which the Goa combine forced It's
men TO work, An average wage Of 90
cents day, Only 1870 days Of work
last year The miner furnishes his own
blasting powder at $3.50 II kcg. lie
could buy II for 90 cents from anybody
but "the company"
The miner never sees dollar OF cash
from one end of the year to the other.
He is forced to trade at the company
store" There he pays from 40 to co
per cent, more than even the trust
prices on necessarics In the open mar
ket,
II his family is i'll the miner must
patronle the company doctor, lie even
lives in the company hut, by courtesy
called u house.
The miners strike caused the whole
country to draw the contrast between
the prosperity Of the coal combine and
the starvation Of its employees.
The republican party has made II
clear that IL favors trusts, In four
years President Mckinley has not ac.
qulred courage enough to interfere
with any trust, no matter how Illegal
or unjust its transactions.
HnnnRA Fears.
Now Hanna fears that the miners
strike will defeat the republican party
next month, He is trying to patch up
a compromise which will send the men
back TO work until after election.
Unfortunately for Mr.. Hanna's pans.
The miners want their union recognized
II any concessions are to be made,
They know that II the operators deal
with them as individuals all conces-
. Sions are likely to be revoked immedl-
ately after election, If an advanced
wage scale were signed there might be
some hope Of permanency,
In any case, the operators will make
the consuming public pay the bills, If
the miners go back to work this week
al a ten per cent, advance in wages the
public will still be charged with the -
per cent, advance which went into er.
feet Immediately after the strike was
declared.
Bryan has called attention 10 he de-
plorabe conditions under which the
miners work. The democratic press has
so successfully put before the public
the justice of the miners demands,
that Hanna is forced to assume sym.
patty for the men which he does not
feel.
Even II the strike Is settled before
plpct inn thp nuhlir ,pill NAT rnrnaS
that the coal combine Is still doing
Business at the old stand. The people
want to replace Mckinley by presi
dent who will look out for the welfare
of the masses.
Republican Indifference,
The Workngmen's Political league
of New York, has lust passed resolu
lions calling attention 10 the indffer
ence Of Hanna and other republican
leaders TO labor troubles in the pnst
four years, They declare that his in
terest in settling the miners strike a
this time is purely political one
They are entirely right Hanna has
always been the enemy Of organized
labor lie wrecked the Lake Spameu'l
union, Of Cleveland, by his arbltrur,
and unreasonable attitude toward mel
who were cniy asking living wages an,
fair conditions Of labor. II Is too u,l
for Hanna 10 pose rs friend Of a., Ia
boring man, His record is too we!
known.