Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-06-26

Beneath the din, noise. and confu-
sion which usually takes the place OF
reason and calm thought in industrial
struggles, there is a neglect upon the
part of the general public to inyestl-
gate the real causes of strike and
it's possible baneful influence upon the
industrial conditions of the country.
Yet, when it is considered that by
striking against the tyrannical power
of England our forefathers of revolu-s
tionary times gained victory for in
dependence, the result today making
the United States the most powerful
nation on the face of the earth. That
strike was against abuses which could
be no longer tolerated And SO 1T is
with the anthracite miners. No pic
ture could portray the horror of the
lives that these men have been com
PEELED to live-a life without sunshine
or hope; living in abject poverty, sur
rounded with all it's miseries with no
possible chance to educate their chill
dren or better their own conditions,
| they have struck against a combina-
ton of corporations that have made
millions of dollars out of their toll.
Compelled to spend their meagre
earnings in the stores of the compan-
les employing them, many OF them
would never handle a dollar of their
own earnings from one years end to
another. With no one to sympathize
except their fellow workmen and
trades unionists they took it into their
own hands to better their conditions
relying upon the general public for
sympathy and help. After spending
| months in trying to arrange for sat
isfactory scale of wages, which in ~
self was far below a living wage scale
and being refused in their every ap-
peal by the operators and railroads
controlling the anthracite mines they
were compelled by sheer force OF theiH;
manhood to strike against such iphu-
name treatment. Think, now, 4. THAT
these men are, not begging and, are
| not asking, for anything above recip-
rocal rights, then question yourself as
to whether or not you believe that
american workmen should be starved
! into submission, to accept wage
scale that carries with it no protec-
ton of the American standard OF
wages, but places them almost upon a
footing equal with the Chinese cooley
laborer. If now it is the policy Of the
powerful employers of this country t.
:, reduce to the starving point the toll
l,ers of, the country, then indeed the fu
ture prospects of a higher civilization
! in this country must be blotted from
i the memory of all those who toll with
hand or brain. For years the anthra-
4 cite coal barons have driven from
their fields men who would not toll
for starvation wages. In their places
they have secured each time lower
standard of citizenship until the sup,
ply of the cheap labor in the world
has about been exhausted. As the
linen who were imported to take the
fplaces OF the former employees in The
anthracite coal fields, became accus
4 toned to American ways and Ameri
Team institutions, they in turn have DE
manded the American Standard Of
4 wages. But on each occasion the.
have been driven from the field by
lanother Importation Of cheap Europ
can labor, until at last the goal o
cheap labor for the. field Of the an
Ithracite coal fields has been reached
Today in every civilized country in th'
world the condition of the miners il
the anthracite fields of Pennsylvania
lis well known and deception can NJ
longer be used in inducing the mer
/. from foreign countries to take The
places Of American anthracite Goa
miners. There is but two things tina
can defeat the justice of the strike il
the eastern field. One is by permit
, ting the coal barons to starve the mel
J Into submission or the other more dan
; gerous, the importation of the cheal
( Chinese cooley labor to take tn
places of these. Americans, whicl
J would mean segration of the wors
) element of human cattle who are tot
: ally unfit to become citizens Of
: country that boasts of the highe
t ideals in life for all those who seel
the protection of this flag. That tn
strike can he settled, and satisfactol
lily, too, to both the operator and mir
ers goes without saying, but there ar