The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1902-12-24
The barbarian Barons.

that Vice President Wilcox OF the
Delaware & Hudson should have
protested against being held re.
sponsible for the treatment OF
miners at the Markle aud Coke col.
lieries. The unquestioned testf.
mony as to conditions there is hor.
ribie. Take the story which Henry
Coll, an American miner. told the
commission. In consequence OF
the rent bill accrued during the
strike he was evicted recently on q
cold, damp wintry day. He is an
aged man, crippled in the service
of the company. One of his legs
is practically useless, one eye il
gone, his skull has been fractured,
his chest has beer caved in. Fell
low-employes once contributed $5o
to help him, but the company got
hands on the money and held cut
the rent he owed. not having been
able to work for time owing to
injuries. His latest eviction co.
ourred but a few days ago. His
wife, seriously ill; her mother. a
gray haired woman of 100 years,
and he, cripple, were forcibly out
of doors. The homeless trio drag
ged itself over the mountains to
HazIeton, where Mr.. Coll was given
free medical treatment. But his
wife died and he had buried her
the day before he appeared as a
witness. The report states that
there were tears in the eyes of
nearly every one in the courtroom
when he had finished his sad story.
Take the story of Mrs. Kate
Burns, wife of an engineer who was
killed in Markle's mine. AT the
time of her husbands death she
was left with four children, the
oldest eight years of age. The
company did not pay the husbands
funeral expenses, but kept oharg-
ing up rent and fuel to her. With
her children she moved into two
room shack. AS the years passed
and the children grew mp. she
washed and scrubbed for the neigh
bors and cleaned Msrkle's office,
for which she received no pay. In
six years the oldest boy was four
teen and was able to go to work in
breaker. His first month of la
Dor completed, the company, in
stead of giving him pay check,
handed him a statement showing
that his mother. he and his little
brothers owed the company 1886.
For thirteen years the family work
ed for the company for nothing.
the little children as they grew old
er going into the company's SER
vice and helping reduce the bill.
Last August the family was free
from debt. Mrs. Burns kept her.
self and children alive by the mon
ey she received-not from the COM
pany, for there was none-but from
the neighbors by washing and
scrubbing. You cannot find any
more disgraceful inhumanity in
any country in the world, civilized
or uncivilized.
Yet it is to be remem bered that
this is only a few steps beyond the
injustice and wrong perpetrated on
these unfortunates in the other
mines. Although Mr.. Wilcox dis
claimed any responsibility for
these occurrences the testimony
immediately afterwaro showed
wrong by his company. Two
check weighmen produced figures
showing that at two Delaware &
Hudson collieries the miners pro-
duced 116.S tons of coal more
than they were paid fer. The
miners must bring up 3,136 pounds
of coal and dirt to make ton of
2.240 pounds of pure coal, and the
union claims that the company gets
more than 2.240 pounds of coal out
of each miners" ton of 3,136 and
produced official figures to prove it.
Here is paternhlism for you with
vengeance. Here is a sample of
the effects of the concentration of
power which we are told is neces-
sary to the commercial supremacy
of this country. We must allow
such people as these coal barons to
defy the laws and do as they please,
in order that their employees and
all the rest of us may enjoy "pros-
perity" We claim to have ad-
vanced greatly in civilization, but