The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-10
Attorney General Taylor Discusses
Labor Conditions and Coal Strike
Before Gas City Republicans.
BEvERIDGE SPEAKS IN OPEN AIR
ADDRESSES A LARGE AND ENTHUSI-
ASTIC MEETING AT MITCHELL.
Lieutenant Governor N. w. Gilbert
Speaks at Terre Haute and Daniel
E. Storms at Noblesville.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
GAS CITY, Ind, Oct. 9.-Attorney Gen.
eral William l.. Taylor addressed the Re-
publicans of Gas City and the neighbor-
ing parts of Grant county in a speech
largely devoted to labor conditions and the
anthracite coal strike. Mr. Taylor was
greeted by a great crowd that accorded
to him a hearty welcome. After briefly
summarizing general political conditions he
took up the labor question and then devoted
the major part of his speech to the coal
strike, concerning which he spoke as fol-
lows:
''But some one says labor is not all en-
pioyed. Yes, that is true. The anthracite
coal miner is not employed. One hundred
and fifty thousand have gone out on a la
Dor strike. Great as this number is, it
would scarcely have been missed in the
great strike under free trade in 1894 We
then had a million men out on a strike
not a labor strike, but they were out on a
hunger strike. Why is the anthracite coal
miner not at work? 1t is because he has
not had and is not getting his fair share of
the prosperity which all others in this
country enjoy. The soft coal miner in the
country west of the Allegheny mountains
does and has shared in this great pros
perity.
when the Republican party came in
power in Indiana it found the condition in
the miners districts here similar to the
conditions prevailing in the anthracite
mines of Pennsylvania now, The enormous
shrinkage in values, the closing down of
factories the taking of railway trains off
the schedule, lessened the demands for
coal, and all the miners, not only in the
anthracite fields. but In all other coal fields
m this country, were working short hours
and for very low pay.
Look at the story in Indiana alone. In
1896 we had less than 1000 coal miners at
work I'm this State, and these were working
on short time. To-day we have nearly 1900
coal miners at work in Indiana and all are
working full time. In lSy6 we produced but
produce 100000 tons of coal in Indiana. In
1896 the miners in our bituminous coal fields
received but 81 cents per ton for screened
coal. To-day these same miners, working
i'm the same mines, receive so cents per ton
for mining the same kind OF coal. In 1856
the miners in our block coal fields were
paid 60 cents per ton for screened coal.
This wear the same miners, working i'm the
same mines, for the same operators, are be-
ing paid 30 cents ton.
sIn Indiana 1900 pounds constitutes a ton
of coal by law. In Pennsylvania 200 to
1900 pounds constitutes ton, and from
this deduction Is still made for slate In
Indiana the average wage OF workmen in
side workmen last year was s5ll per man.
In Pennsylvania. in the anthracite fields
the average wage per man Is less than
s3OO per man. The average wage of labor
in the Indiana mines Is 20 cents per hour:
in the anthracite fields like labor averages
Is cents per hour.
when the Republican party came in
mower I'm 1897 1t found men standing idle
at every mine Strikes and lockouts ex-
listed in all the fields of the State. Child
labor was prevalent in the mines The
glistening bayonets OF the Indiana Guard
had recently protected the mines. The late
iamented Governor Mount came into Office
with these pitiful conditions surrounding
him He Immediately urged the Legisla-
ture to create a Board OF Arbitration.
"The Republican Legislature proceeded
TO do the work set before IL. II enacted
the best arbitration law to-day on the
statute books of any State In the Union
II created a Board of Arbitration composed
OF one Democrat and one Republican. 1t