Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-29
more successful in allaying violence
than the coal and iron police in incit-

more successful in allaying violence
than the coal and iron police in incit-
ing it.
Despite all our precautions we re-
Eret that occasional violence has re-
suited, but it would be as logical to
charge any one of the religious. social
or political organizations or even the
United! States government of being an
unlawful organization because some oil
its adhcrents transgress the laws as 1t
is to charge the United Mine Workers
of America with being and unlawful or
elnization because some of it's menu
bers violate the law.
Il challenge the operators or their
friends to point to one single utterance
on their part in disapproval of the law
less actions of their hired guards. Some
time ago the Bellevue washery at
Scranton was destroyed by lightning; a
reward was offered by the coal compa-
mics for the arrest and conviction OF
the person who set fire 10 the washery.
This is an example of the manner IN
which the strikers are maligned.
Mr. Baer assumes that the pumper,
engineer and fireman We're called out
so that the mines would be destroyed,
and with their destruction 100000 men
with their wives and children depend
ent uron their labors would be deprived
of work for a long time The truth is
the strike of the pumpmen. engineers
and firemen was called in their own
interest absolutely and by their own
union; 1t was for the.purpose of remoN-
ing grievances against which they alone
complained.
As to Property.
eff the mine workers had sought the
destruction of the lining properties they
would have ordered the strike of the
steam men at the same time as their
own and without giving the companies
any notice at all, as was done.
similar accusations against the mine
workers are made in a public utterance
by Mr. Hewitt in which that gentleman
reveals his real feeling toward organ
lied labor.s do not refer to his ex-
pressed fear that shall become q die
tator' in control of votes enough to de-
eide the next presidential election or to
his assertion that in this contest the
battles, of independent labor against the
ers in order that the individual work
man may be employed upon terms sat-
isfactory to himself.
LAS an influential director CT one of
the coal roads, Mr.. Hewitt says the coal
companies are fighting to compel the
workmen to accept employment under
conditions satisfactory to the coal trust
and that the preservation of mems indi-
vidual rights is a cloak under which
they seek to destroy organization
among their employees.
IN this strike it is claimed by enc.
mics that men We're compelled thru fear
of bodily harm from going to work,and
it was predicted that the moment the
militia came the strike would resolve
it-alf into a stampede. The militia
has been in Shenandoah for more than
eight weeks, and still. for lack of mine
workers, not pound of coal has been
produced in that vicinity.
"On the contrary, many men brought
to take the places of the strikers have
Joined the ranks of the strikers since
the arrival of the militia, and there is
not the remotest possibility Of the
mines being successfully operated UNI.
til an honorable and equitable settle-
ment Of the strike has been made.
"Reverting to the demands of the
miners for increased wages. and i'm
proved environment, Mr.. Baer claims
that he can not pay an increase In
wages that would amount to 10 or 10
cents per ton to the miners, but he and
the allied presidents admit that they
can afford to sacrifice, temporarily, a
large market and lose millions of doll
ars rather than pay this increase; new
ertheless, without advancing the min
ers' wages one cent, the operators did
raise the market price last year from
80 to SO cents per ton and to the pres
ent time Mr.. Baer and his fellow presi-
dents are forcing the public to pay
from Sc to $40 excess upon ton in or
der to save this same public 10 or 10
cents.
Mr.. Baer states that 40 per cent of
the coal produced is sold in the market
below the cost of mining; but he fails
to say that the larger portion of this
40 per cent is made UP Of grades of coal
for which the miners received no COM
pensation whatever. Indeed, up to q
few years ago, or before the installation
of washeries the miners We're locked
for loading this very coal which brings
small prices now in the market, and ac-
cording to Mr.. Baer's process of reason
ing, the miners would receive less
wages for the larger grades because
they mine the small sizes gratutiOusly.
Il shall not enter deliberately into the
question of cost, but shall merely say
that Mr.. Baers statements are utterly
The rise in wages in 1900 was more
than counterbalanced by an increase in
the cost of living, which left the miners
worse off than before.
Involved in this fight are questions
than any question Of dollars
and cents. The present miner has had
his day; he has been oppressed and
ground down, but there Is another gem
Grafton coming up. a generation of little
children prematurely doomed to the
whirl Of the mill and the noise and
blackness of the breaker. 1t is for these
little children we are fighting. We have
not underestimated the strength of our
we have not overestimated
our own power or resistance. Accus-
toned always to live upon little, little