The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-15


from Embellishments Of Wages He |
ATTRIBUTES to the Mime Workers. Union |
40 per cent. in Bituminous Mining,
10 I'm ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Men
Professional Strike Brenkers-HOurs |
of Labor, Etc.
Rev. Alexander F. Irvine, pastor of
the Pilgrim church, preached last even
ing on What Means This Striker a
special labor sermon, relating to the
recent coal strike. The sermon was IL
Illustrated by stereopticon views. Mr..
Irvine said in part:
First, of all is the condition of the
Pennsylvania mines. 1t is a condition
of white slavery. The only hope of
emancipation is by concerted action.
The miners must stand together. They
have never got anything that they did
not get by means of the union and
the unions have come to stay. The
operators will have to recognize the
union, for labor has now got to a place
where it can demand recognition, and
get it."
The question of scab labor was dwelt
on. Nobody seems to have drawn the
analogy between a scab state and
scab laborer. Individual states in the
union, which demanded the right to
govern themselves without relation to
other states, are analogous to the scab
men in Pennsylvania. In one case the
confederation of states said: You
must stand with us and for us, or we
will force you And for that question
of unity in government men consld-
cred it an hour to die.
And no language was too severe
with which to characterize the So called
rebels of the south. The question in
| Pennsylvania Is, union for bread and
emancipation from a slavery which is
infinitely worse than the slavery of the
south; for the slavedy of the south was
the most humane in the history of the
world.
The average strike breaker, or scab,
is a nomad. 1t is his profession to
come in and for a higher wage and
break the power of the union"
Mr.. Irvine read letter from John
Mitchell, president of the Mine Work
ers union, in response to letter from
him. 1t IS as follows:
at Charles Hotel, Scranton, Penn,
Nov. 29.
REV Alexander T. Irvine:
My dear Mr.. Irvine:
Replying to your inquiry of Novem-
Der "a, will say that since the organi-
cation of the United Mine Workers OF
America, the wages received in every
locality in which our organization is
established have been increased. In
the past four years an average increase
of 40 per cent. has been secured all
over the bituminous coal fields of the
United States and an increase of 10
per cent. in the anthracite regions.
Non-union men as we'll as union men
benefited by these advances; the nom
unianists, in almost all eases, made no
effort to secure the increase but when
!, it was granted they shared alike with
the union men.
LAS to scabs; very large numbers or
these men are professional strike
breakers VINO are hired to do this work
and are sent around from one place to
another, over the country, when organ
lied men strike The strike breakers
receive higher wages, in many cases,
than the union men are demanding.
They are usually dismissed in short
time after the strike is settled.
Operating under the names of EN-
ployment bureaus there are, in many
of the large cities, notably New York
, Philadelphia and Pittsburg, agencies
whose business it is to secure men tc
break strikes. Very few, comparative
! ly speaking, of the men who work dur
ing strikes-this was particularly true
in the anthracite strike-are residents
of the region affected. During the an
thracite strike large numbers of mer
, were brought in and many of them left
Immediately after work was resumed.
1.-THE hours of labor have been re-
: duced from ten to eight in the majority
t Of the bituminous coal producing
l.. states and this, we have no reason tt
n doubt has resulted In less intemper
ance, a higher standard Of citizenship
e and has opened opportunities for in
r tel)ectual and moral and physical i'm
;, provement Trusting that this intor
e nation will be of some service to yol
S and regretting that I cannot send you
a any statistics or printed matter l am
e with best wishes,
n JOHN MITCHELL,
president u. NJ w. of A."
e During the sermon, Mr.. Irvine show
ed by the stereopticon, the huts of tn
S miners. comparing them with the hut
= of the natives in South Central Afric
and also showed the palatial residence
, of the mine operators on Fifth avenue
l. New York. In answer to the question
l, what means this strike" he said:
u 1.-THE strike is barbarous instru
ment. but it is the only instrument
There is more excuse for it, bad as
is, than there is for war. The violenc
. which all right-minded men deplore.
!" Incidental to the strike, and not char
:, acterstic, the vast majority of preach
- ers and politicians have told us, tina
the water cure was merely incidents
- and not characteristic TO the operation
of our army in the Philippines. 1 be
lieve this and l ask of them to believ
, also. that violence is incidental in tn
~ midst of tens of thousands of me
Va struggling for better method Of lif
Nv 1.-THE company's store is a tyrannor
Ia institution. Miners give clergymen OIL
O. ders on the company's store as pay
Il