The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-21
0YERSHADOWS
OTHER ISSUES
The Coal Strike Becoming a
Great Sore on the Body
Politic.
Analysis Of the Wages of the
Miners Strikes Polit-
ical Bearing.

From The Journal Bureau. Boom A6. Posi-
Building, Vasht't0ton.
Washington, Aug. 21.-The anthracite
coal strike Is rapidly becoming the over
shadowing issue of the day. In many |
sideness, and in it's diverse relations to
organized labor and organized capital 1t
has rarely been equaled by any former
conflict. 1t is difficult to name a COM
modify the cessation Of whose produc-
tion would mean so much to the people
of the eastern half Of the United States.
There has been considerable loose talk
on both sides as to the wages OF the min
ers and the merit Of their claims for pet
ter conditions, as represented IN the de-
mands Of the union. To anybody VINO
has made the slightest examination OF the
situation in the anthracite field it is
evident that there is crying need of gen.
eral reorganization and better business
methods. The laboring population there
Is so greatly in excess of the needs OF
the operators that 100 days Of employ
ment year has been a good average
for the individual worker in the last
ten years. On account Of prosperity and
q general upward movement of business
last year, the men in the anthracite field
worked nearly 200 days, but this was ex-
as low as 145 days. 1t is now becoming
evident to the operators that it would
be better to have smaller force and to
give them more regular employment. This
condition of latent over-production at
all times should be taken into account
In any estimate of earnings on the basis
Of day wages.
In few Industries Is the ascertainment
Of actual earnings so difficult as in the
coal mining; most Of it Is in piece work,
with different units of measurement and
under varying conditions. The net wages
range from that Of breaker boy at so
cents day, when he Is employed, to the
miner in the shaft who averages to make
$3.50 day, minus one-third Of that sum
which he pays to the laborer who accom-
panies him, and the cost Of the powder,
which averages about 2 cents per ton of
coal mined. But after these deductions
he Is still left with SIS a day wages. The
miners In the tunnels, with the same de-
auctions, earn when at work. about SO
a day net. 1t may be said, in summarize
ing conditions. that the average pay Of
all miners, including their laborers, is
about $3.50 day, or slightly over $2.35
net. But the employees are not all miners.
1t has been computed that labor inside
the mine will average in the anthracite
field $2.25 a day, during employment, OF
which the miners average is slightly
above that figure; and the day laborers'
somewhat below: Outside labor will av-
erage $3.50 day. The engineer gets as
rule about $3.50. and the mule driver
who is a youth, s1.10; the average Of the
screen tenders and shovelers, who are
also in line Of promotion, is perhaps 81 40
These figures may be best translated by
saying that the labor OF the anthracite belt
compares very favorably in compensation
with that of the rather high class manual
labor throughout the country. 1t Is not
as good as the compensation OF carpen-
tors, or masons. or correspondingly
skilled workers, and on the other hand it
is nowhere near as bad as has generally
been pictured. The girls of the miners
families are in many cases employed in
the silk mills. where they average to earn
from 81 to s6 per week. This item is an
important factor in the present strike.
The silk mills continue operation through
the use of the washings from the culm
banks, and as the miners have not closed
down the washers, the silk mills are able
to keep working and SO to furnish employ
ment to miners children. If there were
that cold-blooded solidarity among the
ranks of capital which the socialistic
writer's have alleged, the owners of the
silk mills would long ago have come to q
standstill and so sent the mining popula-
tion toward starvation at twice the pres
ent rate. In battle of endurance these
earnings Of the girls form an important
contribution.
Much has been written about an appar.
ent Willingness of the operators to have
the strike continue, or at least an indif.
ference to the present situation, in or
der that they might thereby Increase the
price Of coal without too much squealinf
on the part of the public, and also tha
they might clean out the stocks of small
retail dealers and in many cases freez,
them out Of business. 1t is asserted to bt
the intention Of the trust" to do busines!
with only one dealer in each place, to con
troll the amount Of coal shipped there ant
so to simplify accounts as we'll as to re
duce the expenses of distribution. Their
would be much less loss than now from
bad bills If there was but anthracit
coal dealer in every town with whom tn
public might trade.
While this theory has certain plausi
bility persons most familiar with the sit
uation do not hesitate to discredit it. I
Is true, to be sure, that the experiences O
two years ago when the operators paid
few million dollars more per year to tn
wage-earners and at the same time as
sessed the public several times as muc
in an increased price of COAL lends som
support to the idea that they might b
doing the same thing now. But any sue
purpose, by the further prolongation G
the present strike, would obviously be &C
companied by very great dangers. Ever
day that the strike continues the opera
tors are killing their permanent marke
for anthracite coal; they are giving rive
products a chance to grow, and the de
mand for anthracite will not wholly re
turn. Tn this respect anthracite coal
y q peculiar product; its supply is SO lin
tied by comparison with the enormou
deposits of bituminous coal that it ha
been evident for some years that it woul
as time went on, more and more impre
itself as luxury upon the consumin
public. - ,. -
Politics and the Strike.
One occasion for the prolongation {
the present strike has doubtless been tt
disappointment of the miners regardin
relief through politics. Two years ae
they struck at time when the energie
Of the capitalistic classes of the count1
we're bent on securing the reelection Of
republican president. 1t was compare
lively easy matter to have Mr.. Hanna 6
to Mr.. Morgan and tell him that the lal
ger interests of Wall street demande
some concessions at Scranton This yes
the mining leaders hoped that the pende1
cy Of the congressional campaign migl
be utilized in the same way. In til
they have been disappointed. Wall sire
interests would not be disturbed If Pres
dent Roosevelt, with his avowed antitru
. plans, should receive the jolt that wou
come from the loss Of the house OF re-
resentatiyes; there would be no trust