The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1902-07-19


who finds his power and influence
weakened through it,
The latter, especially, while inviting
war. such as this surely is, refuses to
abide by the rules of war. He assumes
the right to import the city degenerates,
to arm them and allow them to intimi-
date the strikers, to provoke outbreaks
Of violence, to shoot and kill, as was
done to the little Mccain boy at Ash
ley, to bride workmen to betray their
class, and use the press of the country
to falsify and prejudice the miners
! cause, but when the miner carries the
war into Africa and retaliates in kind,
his conduct is denounced as "fiendish'
and ''un-American:''
With all this, however, it is astonish-
ing how quite these 100000 idle men are
True there have been demonstrations
against scabs at several places. but no
more than might occur on a hobby.
There will be fare worse on the Fourth
of July in every city in the country.
These demonstrations have been den
ounced and discouraged by the union
| in many localities. There appears TO
be no desire to injure anyone. The
miners are content to fight the battle
out along the present lines. They
have not allowed themselves to be
provoked into outbreaks, such as the
mine owners really desire and try to
bring about. The discipline is good,
! and If maintained, should do more
than anything else to bring victory
But there is the question of food to be
reckoned with. So far this has not
troubled the union much, for notwith-
standing the low wages received, the
miners have gotten along very WE'LL
This Is due to the preparations made
for some time past, and there have
been few complains heard and no ap-
peals made for support. Those Of the
strikers who have nothing. have been
| able to get credit at the stores. The
| uncompromising position of the men
has prevented merchants, who might
| feel inclined to refuse credit to old
| customers, from doing so. They know
| that the strike cannot last forever, and,
| win or lose. they will be remembered.
OF course, if the strike continues much
longer, help will be needed and it should
be forthcoming. No workingman, or
sympathfzer with the working class,
would hesitate to give help where it
possible for them to see and hear with
their own eyes and ears the conditions
under which the miners work and live.
| In writing Of these conditions I know
it will be hard to be conservative en-
ough to save myself from the accusa-
ton of exaggeration. But it would be
harder still to succeed In telling the
whole truth and feel the subject has
received full Justice
The encfrcling hills make the Wyom-
ing Valley a natural amphitheater,
where, at this season Of the year, every
thing is lovely except where man has
| left his handiWork to mar the scene.
For let the eye turn where it. will huge
coal breakers. Rugged close by grim
culm piles, rise up to blot the landscape
and remind you that here King Profit
reigns. It is the abundance of natural
beauty blooming everywhere in the
valley that makes the conditions under
which the human beings live here more
revolving to contemplate.
| There is a marked difference be-
tween the clean, we'll preserved towns
of New England and the mining towns
of Pennsylvania. Here the streets are
poorly tended and the houses dirty
looking and seldom painted, though this
is by no means a. criterion Of the inter-
Tor. Glimpses through open doors in
variably show cleanliness and attention.
The inmates are apparently making
the best Of what's within their reach.
Here and there are gardens, with rose
bushes, climbing round the porches,
but the fences are decrepit and needing
repair. The best looking houses are
those owned by the workers and ten
ded by themselves. There is no induce
ment for them to repair property for
which the owner extracts exorbitnat
rent and yet cannot see his way clear
to keep in good condition.
The rented houses are constructed of
plain boards, many are without plaster
and the inmates have to paper the in
teriors themselves, in many cases. Four
to six rooms make up the average
house. The rooms have low ceilings
and the windows are small, often with
broken panes. These shanties look more
like overgrown rabbit hutches than the
residences of human beings. In the
several camps I have visited some of
the houses show up better than others.
In Nanticoke, where I was told many
of the miners own their own homes,
the houses made quite a brave apper-
I
small houses called Paynes Patch de-
fled adequate descriptin for decrepitude
and uglfness. For these the miners paid
$3.50 a month, with coal thrown in
about ton a month.
Wherever one goes the same story of
low wages, excessive docking, unfair
treatment is heard until it becomes
sickening and monotonous One comes
to hope that the next place visited viii
bring a change, some improvement that
will vary the meddening sameness Of
the tales Of injustice. But the change
never comes: the last story always
supplements the one before and makes
the dismal series more dismal. It caus-
es man to wonder how these people
can retain their. cfieerfulness. for they
do. 1t is as well for their masters per
haps that they can still smile through
1T all. And T am told have not seen
the worst yet!
1t is difficult 70 strike an average of
the wages received. This varies in the
different localities, according to the
number Of shifts worked and the price
! W.T.