Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-05

CHICAGO, October 4.-What price Is
the Republican party to pay the coal
trust for calling off the anthracite
strike? ]. Pierpont Morgan, as the
head of the coal trust, it will be re-
membered, decided some time ago upon
a wage scale for the miners in his en-
ploy He also decided upon various
other matters, such as the price Of
blasting powder, the price Of flour. and
other food products sold in the COM
pany stores"
J. Pierpont Morgan undoubtedly made
his decision after considering the mat
ter thoroughly. He made up his mipd
as to just what he wanted to do, and
then he did it. He took the step, en-
tertaining the while a beautiful disre-
gard of the consequences thereof. The
men might starve-but ]. Pierpont
Morgan would stand by his demand.
The women might starve-but Morgan
would remain unmoved. The little
| children might starve-but 1t was a
matter of no concern to the Wall street
magnate. The people and the press OF
the country might unite in a demand
for arbitration, and still ]. Pierpont
Morgan would stand pat"
1t seemed for a while there was no
power or influence on earth that would
induce the coal trust to abandon its
determination of
Starving the Miners
OF Pennsylvania into submission. But
there was one man who. when it ap-
peared evident that the strike would be
fought to the bitter end wa able to
go to j. Pierpont Morgan and compel
the money magnate to come to a full
stop. That man was Mark Hanna.
Mr.. Hanna's chief interests at the
present time are political. From now
until election day the chairman Of the
Republican national committee will be
mainly concerned in furthering the
political fortunes of William Mckinley.
1t is out of the question to suppose
that Mr.. Hanna would offer on that Mr..
Morgan would consider a money on
sideration as an inducement for ending
the strike. There is only one argu-
ment that Mr.. Hanna could use, name
ly: That strike is jeopardizing the sue
cess of the Republican party. Will 1t
not be to your interests to bring mat
tiers to ONE sort of a settlement"
The matter would then be "up" to J..
P%ierpont Morgan, and he would have to
decide upon the following proposition:
Are my business interests so closely
bound up in the success of the Republic
can party that | can afford to bring
this strike to an end? Are my inter-
ests as a trust and the interests Of the
Republican party identical, or to put
the matter even more bluntly, If | ex-
tend a favor to the managers Of the
Republican campaign. will the Repub-
lican party when it gets into power
Grant Compromising Favors
to me?"
j. Pierpont Morgan would not allow
any youthful political enthusiasm to
sway his judgment In the matter. He
would decide the matter upon the prac-
tical basis of the dollars and cents in
volved. He did decide it upon that
basis. The negotiations between Mark
Hanna and Mr.. Morgan resulted In Al
offer, with several strings tied to it, to
the miners of a ten per cent. raise.
The significant part of the whole
matter is this, that Mr.. Hanna as chair
man of the Republican National Com
mittee brought about a result hat could
not have been obtained by the chair
man of any other political party. Just
imagine Senator Jones trying to induce
Mr.. Morgan to settle the strike be-
cause the continuance of the difficulty
would injure the prospects of the Dem
ocratic party, and then imagine Mr..
Morgan's reply to such a demand.
The fact is the conference between
Mr.. Hanna and Mr.. Morgan furnishes
the proof of the real identity of in
t~erests" of the Republican party and
the trusts. On the face of the showing
made, Mr.. Hanna could, undoubtedly,
be held responsible in a our of law
for the management Of coal trust af-
fairs. A man who Is able to march
into an Office and dictate the policy of
a business concern must be either an
Active or Silent Partner.
In the present instance Mr.. Hanna is
the Republican party, and the Republi-
can party, il appears, is the silent
partner that has forced the hand of
Wall street trust and compelled for
purely political purposes some little
show of fairness.
The offer of a ten per cent raise 10
the striking miners is upon the face of
it a fair proposition, but upon close
investigation the fairness appears to
be more show" than anything else.
Some strings are tied to the offer.
Wages will be advanced ten per cent.
The price Of blasting powder will be
| reduced from S2.75 to $3.50 per keg.
This is in itself, a confession that the
miners have been wrongfully charged
s1.25 per key for powder more than 1t
was worth. Instead of, however, re-
batting to the men the amount Of cash
| o~vercharged for powder for years, the
offer made to the miners provides that
the reduction per key be taken in com-
putting the ten per cent increase in
wages. Thus the miner gets NJ more
| for his toll. the coal companies merely
agree that
For n Brief Period
they will o rob him every time he
BUYS a key of powder.
Such conditions were to be expected
| from the very fact that Mr.. Hanna was
| instrumental in securing for the miners