The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-15
AN APPALLING SITUATION.

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sists in the opinion, he is exer-
cising a divine right to refuse
the demands of the strikers,
and is backed up by his CO.
bond clippers, the indications
are that stomach-pinching will
set in after awhile, and by the
pangs of hunger the laboring
element will be forced like dumb
driven cattle, back into the
mines to work. Hunger is a
mighty persuasive argument
what argument and reason
cannot accomplish, hunger can.
The owners of the mines are in
an advantageous position, they
are not dependent upon the re-
suits of the mines to keep the
the wolf from their doors, while
the toilers must have work or
starve. We may theorize and
lament over the conditions as
much as we will, it does not
solve the problem, nor will,
in our opinion, the encourag-
ment of labor organizations, in
stead of these institutions, help
ing the laboring man, they are
every now and then getting him
into trouble. hence they are a
hindrance to his welfare. We
have never known where strike
ever succeeded in securing the
demands made, and always re-
suited in loss of earnings to the
laborer, and newspaper notori-
ETY. for the prominent officers. Of
these organizations-Want and
misery for the workers, and
money and glory for the officers.
Labor cannot control Capital,
whenever it has ever made the
attempt it came out at the small
end of the horn. The present
condition is the most serious we
have ever had, for the reason,
that it is the most far-reaching:
it has appealed to the greatest
minds for a solution-the States
man, Philanthropist, Theolo-
gian, Jurist, Scientist and Arti-
san, none have so far found the
desired solution of the problem.
President Roosevelt. as the
head of the Nation, acknowledg-
ing his lack of legal power, is
striving hard and earnestly to
bring about an adjustment of the
difficulty for the sake Of human
ity. Governor Odel of the great
State of New York has also
thrown the weight of his official
and moral influence in the same
direction, several prominent Re-
publican United States Senators
are working increasingly in the
commendable effort to settle the
trouble, whereby the lowering
cloud with misery and want now
hanging over the heads of mil
lions may be dispelled. All Of
these so far have failed.
In watching the movements of
Of this terrible condition, and
what is being done to alleviate
suffering, we are struck with as
tonishment and horror at the
prominent Senators of the Demo-
cratic party, and would-be Presi
dents, keeping aloof in this a
trying ordeal in the country's
history.
Can it be, for political ad-
vantage to party, such men as
William Jennings Bryan, Arthur
Pue German, David B. Hill, T.
L. Johnson, James K. Jones,
BENJAMIN R. Tillman and a host
of others who are constantly
before the country fourishing
political theories, that amount
to nothing, are not willing to
offer a helping hand in the ad-
justment of this trouble, that
starvation may be driven from
the doors of those whom these
great statesmen have been feed
ing upon, what they delighted to
call democratic principles? Was
it one Of the great principles
of Thomas Jefferson, to gain po-
litical advantage at the expense
of suffering millions? Was it a
principle Of the founder of De-
mocracy to stand off and criti-
cize when patriotism and hu-
manity is needed? We have
seen where prominent Republi
cans from the president on down
are using their personal efforts
to end this terrible strike, but
in not a solitary instance have
we seen where a Democrat has
done one thing in this direction.
The only expression from a
Democrat we have seen is that
of censuring those in authority,
and the anarchistic utterance of
Senator B. R. Tillman who said
the coal Barons ought to be tax
en- out and hanged. These
kind of utterances are not calcu-
lated to mend matters, nor should
they be endorsed. It would be
more commendable and more
humane to go in person to these
coal mine owners and use per-
suasion rather than threats.
The owners Of the mines claim
they have a right to control
their own property, just like we
suppose Senator Tillman would
claim that the stock he owns in