The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-19

| the fact that the wishes Of John Mitchell did
not govern.
The present strike will not he successful. and
the sooner that the men realize this fact, the
sooner will they he started Alright. The Free
Press does not deny that the condition OF the
miners will bear amcloration. This paper con.
tends that the advantages that the miners hope
| 10 receive would have been accomplished TO a
certainty were the advice offered last sunday
| to have been acted upon.
The Free Press does not believe that the miners
as class are underpaid. Fully aware Of the
fact that such a statement will be considered
rank heresy. the fact still remains. The miners
have grievances. and the greatest injustice Under
wmch thcy labor Is the ovcrcllarge whereby
ton constitutes any thing from three thousand
10 four thousand five hundred pounds. But this
could be rcmedicd by legislative enactment. The
demand that they made for eight hours Is in force
nowhere save where politics govern, and while
1t is condition that Is very desirable and IN.
evitabc, it Is still very far from being a con-
summation The twenty per cent. increase in
wages to contract miners would be bonanza,
were they to receive the same, and there Is no
doubt that those who voted strike were impressed
win the conviction that oil they had to do TO
obtan such nm increase was to make demand, nc-
companied by show Of force. They may he
successful. The Free Press believes to the con.
ttaty. This thought was uppcrinost when the
ad'ite not TO strike was given last Sunday.
III selling ones labor, as in selling real estate,
the question that should be considered is-What
is tho buyer willing TO pay9 house may be
worth to Its owner. vast amount more than
the intended purchaser is willing to pay, but the
offer of the latter is the standard OF value. So
1t is with labor. And the value Of the miners
services is not so much what lie is earning for
his employer. but rather what lie would be able
TO earn were he placed in another capacity. This
~ blsncss-like view OF the situation and may
not have occurred to those who are interested
in this struggle either as leaders followers
The Free Press hopes that none OF those who
are interested may have occasion to apply this
test to their services. If they do they will dis.
cover, that Willie the conditions under Which
they were formerly employed were not all that
tiey might desire. they were far superior to
those that would prevail were they to offer their
labor in tile market where they could not specify
the kind of labor they would perform or have
voice in fixing the rate of wages thar they would
receive 1t is TO be hoped that this condition
Will not confront many.
There are those who will not like the tenor OF
this article and who will cets,ire the writer.
TO those we say: There no apologies. The
writer has been engaged in manual labor for the
best part Of the forty years lie has spent en-
earth and in many states of the Union In no
place where he has worked would lie he
denied employment again. lie was educated
along lines that makes it impossible for him to
believe one thing and give expression to an
other. The present strike is bound 10 fail for
the reason that the who most import
am 'o 'he company interests VIII not leave
the'r pos's. inese asked that they pc NOT eailed
""'. Inc! hau an Understanding mat II they
were W., eai'eu out th'H would not oprS the eau.
VINO are they' Ihe pump runners ian runners
engineers ana hF'hen Il
We have no sympathy with the man set Of |
men who say that the strike should rs well come
no" US some time later. These are the men
WHO Wan' 10 see unions among Workingnen de- |