The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-29

U que DA AEaAAAL2AEAAzss --@-~- --ANA- prevented from going 10 work through fear of bodily harm, and II was conf dently predicted that the moment the militia came the strike would resolve itself into a stampede. The militia has been in Shenandoah for more than eight weeks. and still. for lack of mine workers, net a pound of coal has been produced in that vicinity. The militia is n0w stationed in the Panther Creek valley. in Wilkesbarre and in Scranton, land yet its presence has not been fol- lowed by the desertiOn of a single miner who laid down his tools on the 12th day of May On the contrary. many men brought here 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 re- motest possibility of the mines being successfully operated until an honOra- ble and equitable settlement of the strike has been made.
 "Reverting to the demands of the miners for increased wages and im- proved environment, NIT. Baer claims that he cannot possibly pay an increase in wages that would amount to ten or fifteen cents per ton to the miners. but he and the allied presidents admit that they can afford to sacrifice, temporari- ly, large market and lose millions of dollars rather than pay this increase; nevertheless, without advancing the miners wages one cent, the operators did raise the market price last year from thirty to fifty cents per ton, and at the present time MT. Baer and his fellow presidents are forcing the public to pay from six to ten dollars excess upon ton in order to save this same public ten or fifteen cents.
 MT. 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 ID Of grades of coal | for which the miners receive no com- pensatiOn whatever. Indeed. up to a | few years ago, or before the installation of washeries the miners were dOcked for | loading this very coal which brings small prices now in the market; and according to MT. Baer's process of req soning the miners would receive less
 wages for the larger grades because
 they mine the small sizes gratuitously. q shall not enter elabOrately into the
 question Of cost but shall merely say | that MT. Baer's statements are utterly | misleading The rise in wages in 1900 was more than counterbalanced by an l increase in the cost of living which left 1 the miners worse off than before. MT. Baer claims that this advance of 10
 per cent. which was paid the miners in | 1900 cost the companies more than ten
 cents per ton; but this is, at least, prob | lematical. In March. 1902, the Engin- eering and Mining Journal (see issue
 of March 29,) made a careful calculation in order to show what effect the in-
 crease in wages last year had upon the
 cost of coal As a result of this com putation, based upon the figures of the | Delaware and Hudson, the Delaware,
 Lackawanna and Western and the Le- high Coal and Navigation company the
 Engineering and Mining Journal, which cannot be accused with being either
 friendly or fair to us, states that the
 conclusion to be drawn is that the re-
 sulting increase in cost was not large;
 in all probability not over five cents a
 ton at the outside
 MT. Baer claims that the average
 pay per working day in his mines is $1S9. Admitting, for the sake of argu-
 ment, the correctness of his figures
 this would make. upon the average
 number of working days fin 1901 grand
 annual total of $36S per enploye, or ar average of $7.05 per week; thus as re-
 suit of the strenuously opposed and bit
 terly regretted advance wrung from the
 operators by the strike of 1900, the aver.
 age adult employe of the Reading Goa
 and Iron company is permitted to spend
 upon himself, his wife and his childrer
 the muni1cent sum of $1.01 per day.
 "In closing this statement 1 desire tC
 say that we have entered and are con
 duCting this struggle without malice
 and without bitterness; we believe tha
 our antagonists are acting upon mis
 representations rather than in bat
 faith; We regard them not as enemie:
 but as opponents. and we strike in pa
 tienCe until they shall accede to ou
 demands or submit to impartial arbitra
 ton the differences between us. We arr striking not to show our strength bu , the justice of our cause, and we desir only the privilege of presenting ou !, case to a fair tribunal. We ask not fo
 favors, but for justice, and we appea , our case to the solemn judgment of tn l American people.
 . Involved in this fight are questions : weghtier than any question of dollar and cents. The present miner has hat his day; he has been oppressed anC ground down, but there is another gen [ eration coming up, a generation of lit . tie children prematurely doomed to tn whirl of the mill and the noise ant 3 blackness of the breaker. It is fo - these little children we are fighting
 We have not underestimated tn g strength of our opponents; we have no @ overestimated our own power of resist T ance accustomed always to live upol little. a little less is no unendurabl = hardship. It was with a quaking O = hearts that we asked for our last pa = envelopes; but inthe grimy and bruise r hand of the miner was the little whit @ hand of a child, child like the Childre e of the rich, and in the heart of tn e miner was the soul~rooted determina ton to starve to the last crust of brea | and fight out the long dreary battle t n win q life for the child and secure for I a place in the world in keeping with ad l vancing civilization.
 g JOHN MITCHELL. "President United Mine Workers c