The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-13
DEFEAT FOR UNION MINERS.
,Oy6 FIGHT TO ORGANIZE NON
Union MEN IN KENTUCkY.


NNn y y WV @@N.
ucu Treated By Their EmpasScrs.
M~,pisoSyrLLI. Ky, Oct. it.-After
.,u,ggling for a year 20 organize thenon-
,ninn miners of this, Hopkins county.
,be union miners nave agreed TO lay down
tleir arms u.d use only peaceful methods
hereafter. SO far they have gained no
advantage.
The reason that the union made % pro-
hinged an effort to Organize the miners In
HOPKINS Is that tho county produces n Q
fourth Of the total output OF coal In Ken
,ucky and gives employment TO 2 900 Of
tho s.oco miners In the State. and now not
one Of tho ? GO miners IL a union man.
A few years ago when general strike or
ders were issued and mines al over the
country were closed down. the men In the
HOPKINS county fields did double duty
90 supply the demand ON the mines. This
naturally caused dissatisfaction among
union miners In other parts Of the State
and tho union Judged that a special effort
should be made To organize the Hopkins
county miners.
The read and front Of tho suco<sful
RESISTANCE To the union In JOIN y Atkinson.
President Of the NJ. Bernard Coal Company
The company owns seven Of the twelve
mines In Hopkins county and employs
400 Of the 1900 ininers. II can 10 seen
from these fgures that tho 81. Bernard
practically represents the Hopkins county
fields and the company In naturally held
responsible for tho non-unbnn successes
Yet lie mines have been attacked by tho
union organizers less frequently a the
others here. the reason being hat IL was
thought best TO try Ia weaken the COM
Jany's position 10y 1rst closing down tho
weaker mines In the county. And the same
motive that prompted the attack on tho
weaker mines caused President Atkinson
10 u-o all his skill and the influence Of his
conpany 10 protect the other operators.
Their fight has been his fight because sue
oprs against them meant an entering wedge
against his OWE company.
The general Offices q the company are
a, Darlington, which town was built up by
the IL has a population 81
several thousand. Its inhabitants are
mainly miners and Others employed by the
- Bernard. and one Of the secrets OF Mr..
A.kin-on's success Ia keeping his men
free from outside influences Is that the com
pany has spent large sums Of money in
providing for the pleasure n well-being
q the employees and their families.
Il las done much toward establishing
In Darlington the best educational facilities
81 any town Of its size In the State. The
churches and other similar institutions are
n~ourishing. The company established two
public libr aries In Darlington. Az n cost
Of s.. 900 Il built a lake known ss Loeb Mary
covering ioO acres at the edge of the town
The lake was stocked with game fish and
provided with skins and sailbosts, Nearby
i a park, beautifully wooded. which has
come TO he 80 popular that church and
other excursions from other towns are run
therc for picnics.
The COMPANY occasionally gives eNcur-
sions 20 its employees. chartering enough
trains TO take several thousand Of them
and their families To distant parts Of tho
State. Some wears ago the compan laid
ont 200 lots y0xisO feet and offered to sell
them 10 its employees at 80 each and to
erect on each lot a house which the pur-
chaser could pay for In i~nstallments out Of
his wages and without any charge OF in
terest on the money thus lent. All this lots
were sold and fully 40 Of tho miners now
" their homes.
A year or two g the ST Bernard Com
pany had a group photograph taken OF
sixty empl oyecs who had been with Il n
quarter Of n century or more. They ara
still there and most Of them own their
homes. One miner John Rule, who has
been with the company twenty years. Is
worth $40 600. all Of which his made as u
coal worker. His money Is invested In
Darlington real estate.
In the st. Bernard mines working side
by side are sons. fathers and grandfathers
II has been the policy Of the company To
advance the sons Of employees as places
were available Among them Dan NJ
Evans who worked In the mines a. q boy.
is now principal bookkceper and actively in
charge Of the coke making. Barton Crutch-
field IL superintendent at h st Charles
mine and Ia one Of the oldest employees
= b Harris is superintendent q; ihe Dia-
mond mine. Most Of the clerks at thu
stores ara sons and daughters OF the em-
ployees.
There seems to be n difference % opinion
a. TO whether miners are compelled to
patronire the company stopr The opera
tors insist that employees can get all their
wages In cash ~ they choose 10 wait until
the regular monthly pay day. Groceries
can lie bought from day 20 day at the com
pany stores on credit to h amount OF
tho wages due miners at night and for
this reason miners patronizs b stores
literally. When there arises a thirst for
Nhlskey or beer and there i- no ready cash
In pocket. the miner has tho habit Of Coins
20 tho company's once, securing a ticket
for the amount Of the days wages and
trading II at a heavy discount to the nearest
~ssloonkeerer. This ticket must be taken
ny in goods at tho company store, 80 tho
saloon man exchanges. Il for coffee, sugar.
-four, or some other staple which he sells
back 10 tho miner or to citizens at a re-
duction. In Madisonville, this has be-
come a regular business and SOM people
buy all their coffee and sugar from tho
saloons.
On Nov IS last. District President James
u Wood Of the United Mine Workers Of
America came b. Msdisonviic. secured
headquhrter and announced through tho
prNss and by circular letter that no had
arnvcd - remain until h. had organts~d
The non-union minors Of Hopkins. Web
sfer. Christian and Henderson counties.
He a., - l.ss.r. q. a.. gp.r.r. % 81