The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-11-22

ers soon learned their mission and
gathered in large companies near the
armory. Each member as he came
was hooted and vili6ed. A young
lad left his home, and Immediately
his parents heard the crowd yelling.
They feared violence, and both of
them, barefooted and scantily clad,
ran to protect the son and accompany
him to the armory. As one company
left the armory their companions and
neighbors called them "scabs." 1t
was too much for one of the soldiers
he stepped from the ranks and struck
one of the vilifers blow which floor
ed him. The soldiers who are union
men may be excommunicated from
the union. Many of them will leave
the companies as soon as peace is re-
stored. One of this class said, ''To
think of shooting down my fellow
workmen is terrible. No more for
me as soon as this is over" Troops
from a distance are not so rent
by conflicting sentiments. They can
calmly speak of shooting mine en-
ployee, and joyously exhibit the bull
lets which would lay low the Slavs.
The troops will not tolerate the cut
ting epithet "scab." The troops
stand no "fooling." Men grew of
late more careful in loading them
with reproach. In one of our towns
several were prosecuted for calling
men "scabs.'' The word was drop
ped, but the strikers sentiment suf-
fered no change, and now the offend
er is differentiated by saying, "There
he goes there he goes !" A soldier
OH horseback was on a street of one
ofour towns when he heard the word,
"Scab scab p He instantly turned
his horsA dismounted, and looked for
the culprit. He returned crestfa1len
amid the laughter of spectators, for
the criminal was parrot which be-
longed to one of the miners.
Not for a generation will the en-
mites and hatred engendered by this
strike die away. Industrial peace is
in sight, but it will not bring peace
to the men who stood by the operators
in this emergency. The families
which have suffered reproach in the
last few months will not be restored
to favor. Social ostracism will re-
main when the troops are gone and
coal produced. A troop of young
men standing on the street corner in
Shenandoah discussed the treatment
of "scabs" when the collieries re-
sumed. eyes" said one of them,
"we'll tend to them good" and any
one familiar with the mines knows
what that means. A young lad on
the Hazleton mountains calmly out
lined scheme whereby the ''scab''
could be blown to pieces by powder.
The lot of these men who exercise
their natural right to work will be
sad one for many days to come. No
foreman will be able to protect them
from the hatred of union men.
This division Of sentiment, so re-
plete with hatred and rancor, wrought
havoc in many of Our churches. The
clergy, as above stated, were, for the
greater part, silent. The Slav con-
gregations are wholly made up of
mine workers, and their clergy inva-
riably sympathized with the men.
The Irish Catholic and Protestant
congregations were divided, for the
management of the colleries is in the
hands of the Englishspeaking, most
of whom are connected with one or
the other of the above churches. This
accounts for the silence of the Prot
estant and Irish Catholic clergy. Of
these two classes, more of the latter
than of the former have expressed
their sentiments on the question of
the hour. They could not do it with
out giving offense, and many instances
occurred where members in the con-
gregation rose and went out of the
church as the priest denounced the
one or the other OF the contestants
from the altar. Some Irish-Americans
today worship either with the German
or Slav Catholics because of the senti-
ments expressed by their priests re-
garding the issues involved in the
strike.
The division of sentiment in Prot
estant churches, however, caused
greater mischief than in Roman Cath
olic organizations. This is due part
ly to the greater independence of the
individual member, n d partly to
the fact that the management of
these churches rests in the hands of
the laity. A prominent Sunday
school teacher and chorister was, as
the inception of the strike, sworn in
as deputy. Immediately his choir
vanished, and his class said to the
superintendent, "Give us another
teacher; we won't have a scab to
teach u.s." Another teacher in a
Sunday-school joined the Citizens
Alliance, and on the following Sab
bath not one of the young men he
taught was present. A deacon, trus-
tee, and Sunday-school worker-the
best man the church contained-re-
fused to respond to the unions callto
quit work, and at once his fellow
members asked for his resignation
from all offices. The man has not
been near the church since. In July
one of the churches of Luzerne coun-
ty held children's exercises. The
chorister was working every day, and
many of the children who took part
belonged to foremen who worked.
The union faction in the organization
planned to hiss every one who sang
or recited whose relatives were work
ing. The chorister absented himself,
and so did many of the children,
rather than disgrace the sanctuary on
the Sabbath evening. The male
members of another church at the
close of a prayer-meeting were dis