New-York tribune., 1902-10-13
nINISTER'.S STRIKE REPORT.
HIS DoLEFUL VIEW OF MINERS CONDI-
TION REFCTED BY \ CLERGYMAN
LIVING IN TIE REGION.

The Rev. owen r. Loveicy. % thr First Congre-
gational Church Of Mount Vernon. WHO was com
mssoned recently by his congregation 70 visit the
coal resions Of P.nns yI.llia 10 investigate the
stIlAe and the condition ~ the rliu.rs. returned
on Saturday n,sh, NJ Lo-eioy was accompanied
10y his vile. and they spent a week among the
miners seeking information ana taking photo
graphs NJ. Lcvejoy told Of their experiences 10
large congregation m his church last e"eting In
ms address the clergyman did not attempt 20 give
his conclusions on next sunday uiahJ he says
nat he Nil announce his con lusigns on the
merits Of the C1ntrov,rsy
Mr Loyejoy IS inclined 70 think that the coal
miners do not receive their share Of the comforts
or even necessities Of life. and thar the general
condition throughout the entire anthracite region
IS deplorahig. The general average Ot wages, he
saws. for the entire region. Is only 81 % day to-
talh man according to the estimate of both Mr..
Mitchell and President Baer. lie said that he
had IN his possession the miners pay checks TO
prove that his computation was correct one In
Nanticoke the minister said he walked the streets
an nisht with an anarchist. one man. a mer-
en1nt in Wtlkesbarre said Mr.. LoveIoy. told me
mat his father worked forty years in the coal re-
sions. never drank a drop Of liquor, and even
worked in his garden At night. with his lamp on
ms hat. and yet he died poor man
AT Plymouth. continued he. an honest looking
miner said 10 me Tell the people in New-Iork
ihat YOU saw man who came from England with
ms wife and children twenty years ago. has been
wher he came 80
MI LoNeJoy heard many expressions which led
MN o. believe that the strike would continue all
winter unless the coal operators receded
In commenting on the presence Of the troops in
me coal regions. the minister said the Mayor
ana Chief OF Police OF Wilkesbarre told him there
was -o necessity for them He said that many OF
The Ioa-uuion and independent miners who had
aetn ~ work became angry and quit work when
The militia were called OUT The miners" he said
aye trying 10 preserve order I DO not know what
they do al their secret meetings but al the meet
irEs attended II most common thing 10
hear the leaders appeal 10 the men. allow
themselves 10 be provoked into violating the law
or Grating any disorder
NJ Love'oy.s version ~ rhe conditions varied
from that given IN letter which he received from
minister iE HaZlet1n The latter declared that tn
his Judgment the strike was uurea eas0nable 30 far
as the miners We're concerned The mine IatOrers
pc said. we've the ones who uuCeTQaid and
mad thr greatest reason 90 complain. The writer
aid mat -e vas personally acquainted with scores
or miners Wnp would go back 10 work u the pro-
lection furnished by the state troops was strong
enough Others We're afraid ~ beiuI called "s-als'
and % social ostrac!sm The minister said that
there "tr= six hundred people IN his congregation
Y Haz-gten and not Per cent ct them symTa-
thiZr1 With the strikers
"N hat Is keeping the strike alive" said the
writer is the reisn ot terror that exists through
the entire region the sensational newspaper
ports and The untrieEcI- public feeling that these
newspapers have succeeded IN working NJ against
the operators