The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-25
MINERS SAVE MONEY
BANKS IN THE ANTHRACITE REGION
HAVE LARGE DEPOSITS.
Eccentricfties of voters i'm Some OF
the Towns-What President Mitch
ell Has Done for the Diggers.
". e. Curtiss Hazleton letter, in the Chi


the First National, pays 50 per cent. diVi-
dends- Its stock is worth $500 for 500
shares. 1t stands third in the United States
in its dividends and surplus-the Chemical
National and the First National OF New
York only exceed ii in prosperity. 1t has
savings deposits of over $S.Oc0.OoO upon
which interest is paid. and about % per
cent. OF them belong TO about 200 miners
Other banks have similar deposits of small
er proportions. There are savings institu-
tons at different localities among the small
mining towns. AT Hazleton the banks
have about 100000 savings deposits from
miners, and which they claim is the largest
amount of any place in Pennsylvania in
proportion to population. or course 1t is
impossible to obtain exact information on
this subject but the officers of the bank
will talk freely if their names are not men,
toned. General inquiry at the banks 1
have not been able to reach shows that
about 20 per cent. of the men employed
in the mines or perhaps $4,000 of those
affected by the strike, habitually save
money and also that the patrons of the
savings banks are almost exclusively
Welsh. English or Italians. Miners of
these Mathematics are pretty generally
frugal and thrifty and come to the banks
regularly every day to deposit few dol
lars. The remainder of the miners and
laborers spend any surplus they may hap
pen to have from their wages in the sa-
looms.
No saloons are allowed and no liquor is
sold upon the territory controlled by the
mining companies but many miners will
walk five or six miles to the nearest village
to get drunk every pay day, and some of
them stay drunk until their money is ex-
hausted. One of the reasons for the de-
mand for two pay days month is to have
two opportunities to get drunk.
PRESIDENT MITCHELL.
President Mitchell has made favorable
impression here. and seems to possess the
confidence of the miners. He has a cool
head, is a convincing talker and has firm
grasp of the situation. Few men of his age
have ever assumed such responsibilities as
he is now carrying. He has the welfare of
several hundred thousand people on his
conscience and his orders involve financial
risks that are calculated by millions. If he
fails he will go into oblivion with Debs and
other unsuccessful agitators. If he wins
he will be man Of national influence. Mr..
tive of Braidwood ILL.,, and his home is at
Spring Valley, where he worked on a farm
when he was ten and entered the coal
mines before he was thirteen years old. he
Is now thirty-one. His father was a miner
and was killed by accident in the shaft
where he was working when Mitchell was
four years old. His mother died when he
was two. The orphaned child was then de-
pendent upon the charity of friends, which
accounts for the tender age at which he
began to earn his own living He married
Miss Katherine O'Rourke In Spring Valley.
He has four children, one boy and three
girls.
Becoming member of the United Mine
Workers when he was sixteen years Old
Mr.. Mitchell has taken an active part III
that order and was made secretary-treasur-
er of the north Illinois sub-district in 1895,
and the next year he was sent to Spring
field and obtained the enactment by the
Legislature OF the gross-weisnt law ana
other measures of importance to the min
ers Mitchell was made a member OF the
State executive board in 1897 and the same
year became an organizer for the nationaI
organization. He was made vice president
I'm January 1898, and the following Septem-
Der he was appointed president, succeeding
NJ D. Ratchford, who had resigned TO
accept an appointment on the national IN
dustrial commission.
Mitchell was elected fourth vice president
of the American Federation OF Labor In
1897 and still holds that office, as Wei as
being a member of the executive councii
He was elected president OF the Unlteo
Mine Workers in January. 1879. and re-
elected last January, there being no cahol-
date against him.
Under Mitchelps management the order
has grown from So 900 members TO l4O.OO
members. Outside of his career as miner
Mr.. Mitchell was president or the Athletlc
Association of Spring Valley. president OF
an Independent political reform club and
member and officer of various social, liter
airy and educational clubs. He was presi-
dent OF the Spring Valley Board OF Educa-
st1x. t&afn he a a (afn0IlH
and an A. p. A. fight against him defeated
him for reelection to the Board OF Educa-
tion
Mr.. Mitchell Is a Democrat and voted for
Bryan in 1896. Although he says he never
allows himself to be Influenced by political
considerations in matters affecting the
union, he has issued several orders In
tended to prevent the strikers from getting
mixed up in politics.
HOW THE MINERS VOTE.
have thus far been unable to discover
any politics in the strike, although some Of
the labor organizers claim and some of the
operators believe that President Mitchell
has received both financial and moral sup
port from Democratic sources. Nor do see
how the strike can affect the political situ-
alton in any measure except TO excite ap-
prehension in financial circles 1t will fur
nish text for campaign orators and give
them an opportunity to dwell upon the OPP
erations of the coal trust, but there is no
probability that the federal administration
will be involved In the controversy, ana
neither candidate for the presidency can be
held responsible for what has occurred or
what may occur here.
AT the last election all the counties in the
| anthracite district gave President Mckin-
ley generous majorities, although the most
of them are usually Democratic carbon
county (Mauch Chunk is expected TO give
he "a IN nd l.Utb
| majority at every election, but Mckinley
carried ii by 1000.
Luzerne (Wilkesbarre) is Democratic
| stronghold and elected Democratic candi-
| date for Congress by 200 majority in 1896.
although IL gave Mckinley $500 majority.
Lackawanna county (Scranton) gave Me-
| kinley 1000 majority. and Mr. Connell. the
Republican candidate for Congress, had a
| majority OF 1900 in 1896. although IL fell of
| TO LOO in 1898. Politically speaking. the
ScrantonianS are eccentric people. They
send Democrats and Republicans alternate
| ly TO Congress. and once gave Swallow. the
Prohibition candidate for Governor. a ma
| jority OF 200 Some years ago, at local
| election four of the nine candidates elected
to office We're Democrats and four were
| Republicans, with majorities ranging from
| 200 10 l.5O0 The vote for the ninth office
| was tie, and the two candidates divided
| the term and the salary.
northumberland county. which is usually
Democratic by 500 or more majority. gave
Mckinley 1900 There the Republican can
| didate for Congress this year Is a labor
usp2 and sympathizes with the strike while
/ rhe Democratic candidate * captain OF
| the militia company and ts likely 10 be