The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-22
THE "SCAB" MINERS LOT
IN THE PENNSYLVANIA COAL
FIELDS.
This Lasting EnmitIes aud Hatred En-
gsndered by the Strike.

This Lasting Enmittes aud Hatred En-
gendered by the Strike.
But not only does industrial conflict
drive men and young women from
home, it also disturbs social peace at
home and sets brother against brother
and family against family. Two men
who left their mother country together,
shared the same bed and divided equal
ly their earnings, are to-day enemies
they will not exchange the time of day.
One of them went to work and the 9TH
er called him 'scab." This opprobrious
epithet sticks and stings virulently.
When uttered it means social ostra-
cism. and for it there is no remedy.
There is no sin as grievous as 'scab-
bing" in the ethical code of these
workers. Half a dozen women, mem
hers of the ladies' aid society of one of
the churches, were talking Of non-un-
ion workers, when one of them said, Il
could look at scabs hanged and the
others echoed her sentiment. To what
extent this feeling carries men was il
lustrated in Lansford. Sharpe, a I'M
ion man, who was shot by a deputy,
had funeral such as was never wit
messed in that town. All the union
men from the mining villages came to
pay the last tribute of respect to one
whom they considered martyr for the
cause The union leaders were in
charge, and the procession was solemn
and impressive. A few weeks after
non-union Hungarian who worked was
accidentally killed. On the day of the
funeral the undertaken could not get
man to remove his remains from the
house to the funeral car. His fellow
countrymen caid, Him die a scab, him
bury scab," and to a man they kept
away from the funeral.
The families of the men who worked
are subject to social ban. Some men
left Lackawanna county where they
would not work, and came to Schuyl-
kill to seek employment. They worked
where they were not known, and kept
closely within the stockade of the COL
liery. If their neighbors at home
learned that they were working else
where in these coal fields, the lives Of
their wives and children were soon
made miserable. 1t meant social ostra-
cism. Three wives came from Luzerne
county to Schuylkill lately in quest Of
their husbands. They said they could
not stand it longer, and resolved either
to stay at the colliery with their hus-
bands or to go home together. The
children of those who worked were
subjected to insults and many fisticuffs
were the result. One young man
whose father worked in another Sec
ton was badly beaten in fight. The
mother said, "Why didn't you let them
alone to say what they would?" NO
man." he said; 1T wasn't going to let
them speak dirt about pam" Little
children would not play with ''scab'
children, and most pathetic was it to
hear child say, "I'll be Johnny Mitch
ell man, only let me play Women
anxious to live in peace were insulted
by their neighbors if their husbands
worked. Innuendoes, sneers, obloquies,
are weapons which hurt, and no civil or
military power can save the victim. A
family moved from one part of town
to another a week ago, and the mother
said, 1T couldn't stand it no longer;
those women are terrible" The land
lord said, "I'm glad they're gone.
don't want dynamite here because Of
seabs.'
When the Sth regiment was called
out on the night of July 30, antagonism
between men residing in the same town
was still further intensified. Many
mine employees who were loyal union
men belonged to that regiment. Each
on's soul was racked by conflicting du-
ties-the state versus the union-but, to
the credit of the young men be 1t said
not one of them failed to respond to the
midnight summons. No one will ever
know what was the sacrifice these boys
made when they obeyed the governors
call to arms One hesitated and said,
"I'll run away. mother Fred, no;
Will, your brother, was no coward"