Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1902-09-24
THE STRIKE ON THE POLAND
 TUNNEL.
Seventeen Men on the Work Sud denly Become Dissatisfied and Discontinue Work.
The Gigantic Project Still Progress es However and Volunteers
 Fill the Gap.
POLITICAL TRICKERY
 PARTISAN HATRED

IIOLl lSAL NlAAEN
 PARTISAN HATRED
 Placards are posted in many places of business in Prescott today advising miners to keep away from the Lynx Creek side of the Poland-Hamilton tunnel. That water is encountered in disagreeable quantities and that S4 per day has been demanded and refused. The letter Is signed by sev- enteen men, all of whom have struck. A peculiar feature of the issue is that of the signatures, one man being so illiterate that he cannot write his own name and substitutes q cross instead.
 Desiring to be better informed on the questions at issue than Is given by one sided proclamation, this pa- per today was placed in direct con- munication with the affected center and is permitted to give the follow ing version of the strike: The seven teen men who quit $re divided into eight machine :nen and nine general laborers, all of whom work eight hours a day and receive $50 per day in pay. The assertion that water in disagreeable quantities interferes with the men is not borne out, no wa ter whatever overhead being in evi- dence. while the assertion that on foot it interferes with the comfort of the men Is not substantiated either.
 The men on the Big Bug side of the tunnel, some fifty-five iu number, and performing the same hours of la- bar, receiving the same rate of pay, and working under similar condi- tions, remain at their posts Guiiful to their present conditions and emphat- ically refuse to either eai)rsa or go out in sympathy, although they too are union iaborers. On the other hand it is said the tunnel men on the Big Bug side agreed to fill the gap on the Lynx Creok side.
 Several of the men who struck yes terday are today desirous to go back to work again at the same place and under similar conditions.
 The entire controversy has pOliti- cal tinge to it, and there is no con cealing the fact that there is an evi- dent purpose to connect this contro versy with that of the Congress trou ble, and wedge them both into the coming campaign on purely political personality, Mr. Murphy Is the pro- jector of the Poland-H Hamilton enter prise, and it is evident, republican as he is in politics, his cause in parti- san respect is to be wedged into la Dor channels without any respect or consideration to him whatever, or to his party.
 A Journal Miner representative called upon MT. F. NJ. Murphy, pres ident of the Poland Mining company, today, to ascertain from him the req son for the men quitting work on the Lynx Creek end of the PolandLynx Creek tunnel. At the time the re- porter called, Mir. Murphy had not been advised that any differences existed between employees and the company, and remarked that he hardly believed the men had quit as he knew of no reason why they should. He said he was afraid, how ever, that between now and election time there was likely to be more or less trouble, as there appeared to be a disposition on the part of those per sonally interested in the success Of the democratic ticket in this county, and throughout the territory, gener- ally, to work upon the prejudices of the members of and sympathizers with labor organizations in such way as to encourage trouble between employer and employee; and that it was very unfortunate, indeed, that such conditions should exist, as it could not help but work a hardship not only to the employee, but to the business interests of the territory as we'll.
 Continuing, Mir. Murphy said that it must be apparent to the merchant, as well as to the farmer, that if the mines in this territory are forced to remain idle through the unreason- ableness of the agitator, be he poli tician or not, the effect will be far reaching, and every interest suffer. The mine owner who has a property for sale, or the prospector who has a prospect to be opened up, will be the first to feel the damaging influences that are today at work calculated to unsettle the prosperous conditions now existing throughout the ter ritory.
 MT. Murphy further remarked that it was great surprise to him to ind that for the sake of getting control of certain remunerative offices in the various counties, and in the hope of electing a delegate to congress, the democratic politicians to large ex- tent, were not only pleased with the fact that there were certain differ ences existing between capital and labor Qargely imaginary) but were doing all they possibly could to widen the breach, in the hope that they might profit thereby at the com ing election.
 MT. Murphy was asked by the re- porter how he personally regarded the right of labor to organize, and re- piled that he believed all classes of labor have the right to organize; not, however, to the extent of interfering with the rights of American citizens who may not choose to organize, or join a union or association, but who desire and have the right in this free country, to seek, and if possible, ob- tain legitimate employment in ac- cordance with their individual ideas of propriety and the needs of their families. He believed that there should be no discrimination between union and nOn-union men.
 In conclusion he said he was afraid it was going to be difficult to conduct mining satisfactorily in the territory until after election was ever, by which time the political demagogue, who was ever ready to stir up trouble, would have dropped cut of sight, one way or another. If fortunate enough to be elected to an office he would bottle up his incendiaTy mou;hings for two years, or until such time as he would again come before the people for their sufrages. If he failed and was not a political tramp | or confirmed agitatOr, he would, of