The bee., 1901-05-16
DOWN IN The MINES.

reputation as successful business
managers are certainly better quail
fed to speak ntelligently on ques-
| tions of vital interests to both la
borer and capitalist, and SO now
comes president Schwab of the great
and only large steel company in the
world, giving his views on organized
labor, and what he says should he of
great interest at this time to the non
union miners of this county. because
MIR. Schwab has been for many years
an employer of thousands OF men,
and coming as he does up from
the ranks of labor, he has by
carefully studying labor conditions,
arrived at the conclusion. he so
forceably expresses in a very few
words, here quoted as follows:
Another interesting portion of
( the steel magnate's testimony was
his opposition to organized labor. He
said that he had been a workingman
himself, and if it ever became ne
cesary for him to return to the shops
he would be opposed to labor organ
izations and would refuse to join
them. He said that previous to 1892
the Carnegie works were controlled
entirely by union labor and the or
ganization had an arbitrary classifi-
cation OF the men which went to the
! extent of naming every foreman and
determining who his success sor
should be in case of his resignation
or death. \ serious business propo-
sition became involved, and after u
struggle with the labor organizations
the unions were no longer recognized
and have not been since. He de-
clared that the classification which
labor unions had made put bright,
brainy and ambitious men on the
same level with their duller and less
competent fellows. In his opinion
there had never been'a time m the
history of the commercial develop
ment of the country when there were
such rare opportunities for ambi-
tious and competent men working
on salaries to improve their condi-
ton. Big corporations like the
United States Steel Company were
paying value received to competent
men and were constantly on the
lookout for those employed who
showed ability for responsible and
high-salaried positions.
Mr.. Schwab believed that the in
telligent and ambitious workingman
in manufacturing line, no matter
how humble his position had greater
advantages and better prospects for
advancement than the average busi-
ness man with II limited amount of
capital. He thought that rigid adj
herence to the rules and classifica-
tions insisted upon by the labor or
ganizations would operate TO the
detriment Of this class of men"
But what he says, will in the eyes
of.the agitator of this county, count
for but little when compared with
their great intellectual abilities, !
some of whom are not capable of
even providing for their own house
hold, by either labor or intellect. !
who after years of prosperity have
50 wasted their means in riotons liv- /
ing, that a few days idlsness brings
-, fl,Afr .lcAr
Eight tbensand dollars has been
expended, so the u. M. w. says in |
paying the fare ON imported "seabs"
back to their homes. This wonid |
mean that eight thsnsand men hayc |
been sent away from this county as
Tar as Hopkinsville. Now in the !
first place We believe it can be truth :
fully said that not even rs much as
one hundred have been brought 10 /
this county during the time of trou-
BILE. And of that number not one in |
ten have ever been paid to leave the I
county. Expense money must come I
for those fellows who make saloons 1
llitli liOiiitf W lilit t0lb'liilltiii W Fbb !
new recruits. HeLce the reason |
for circulating those wild stories.
\ view of the proceedings of the /
past week by the l.. NJ, w. fails TO
give them any encouragement. 1t
is true they held several meetings, /
but so far as is known, there was no |
addition to their number, in fact n
weakness was developed by the lit !
tie interest taken in these meetings. |
outside of the select few. When the !
gang can only gather their followers
about them, and II good portion of
them lukewarm, a cause is almost |
ready for the undertaken.
One of the speakers put forward
last week to advocate the lost cause I
was one who at the time was so
much intoxicated that he was un-