Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-10
Mine Operators to Have Revenge on
Those Who Sympatnized with
the Striking Miners.

ing to punish the people for having
the audacity for sympathizing with
the striking la5orers. Some Ct the
people even went so far as to send
money to aid the strikers. Now their
hour of punishment has come. Read
what these lieutena under
"divine right'' Baer have to say.
President Johnson of the Bell Creek
Coal Co. says:
"Permit me to say that the suffer-
ing in this case is falling upon the
middle class in this country, people
of the mechanical class, for whom I
have every respect and who form in
great part the backbone of our coun-
try, but the suffering which has been
inflicted upon them has been inflicted
by practically similar class, for
practically no reason save that they
wish to assert and maintain an au-
thority over the property of others
and were prepared to steep their
hands in blood and suffering to any
extent to accomplish this result.
NOBLE PURPOSE SERVED.
IF this shall be salutary lesson
for the misguided people of this class,
who, with their money and sympathy,
supported and maintained q part of
the body of their fellow workers in
such assaults upon the rights of
others, the suffering will have served
a noble purpose.
1.-The ignorance and false sympathy
of the general public upon such mat
ters is lamentable. I can scarcely
consider the price too high, if the suf-
fering and priyatlon of the present
winter shall give this class of people
a truer perspective as to the rights
and duties of al alike IN such mat
ters.'
Justus Collins, president of the Col
lins Colliery Co. takes the following
high moral ground:
"I beg to assure you that we, deeply
sympathize with the persons who may
be caused to suffer, but we have no
suggestions to make unless it be that
present conditions should be an ad-
monition to all right-minded citizens
that it is about time that law and
order be maintained in this country at
all hazards, and that no body of
men, by whatever name they may call
themselves, should be again permitted
to usurp the functions of government
and intimidate, beat and murder
people who simply desire to exercise
the God-gi0en right to work for the
support of themselves and those de-
pendent upon them."
These men seem to imply that the
high price, the scarcity of coal and
the consequent suffering are dispen-
sations of providence sent especially
to punish the people for their awful
wickedness in sympathizing with the
laborers who so far forgot their al
legiance to the men to whom providence
had intrusted the management of these
affairs as to demand living wages ard
fair treatment. But it would appear
from other sources that the mine oper
ators are doing the Furnishing direct
ly. A Washington correspondent OF
one of the daily papers thus ex-
presses the feeling there:
''The suspicion that coal is being
fed to the city just fast enough TO
avoid a death-dealing famine and yet
o1OW euOuBA w Ae0p .Ho r. A>oS -
becoming q fixed belief that such is
the fact. The announcement of
breaking-up of agreements between
this company and that OF the great
combine is not believ ed.
Instead, there is a growth OF con-
viction that there is gigantic and
well-managed conspiracy to extort the
highest possible prices as q punish
%o fhoeo hovo ono0nroro6
the strike"
That ie, the people shall not only
be made to pay in cash for their SYM
pathy with labor, but they shall be
made to suffer as much bodily pain
as possible. It is not the policy of
the mine operators to let people freeze
to death. Dead people don't buy
coal. But they must freeze enough to
become humble and thankful for get
ting coal at any price.
: The same correspondent quotes the
following interview with prominent
coal operator, showing what q rich
harvest the operators are reaping and
how the people will for all future time
continue to pay the penalty for their
sympathies-unless they get stirred
up enough to take control OF the busi-
ness themselves:
"Our mines recovered all the losses
incidental to the great strike by Dec.
=, declared director of q corpora
tion owning several coal mines, to the
writer to-day. - =
TN about six weeks we were more
than even. Our profits for the month
of December were enormous when
to the profits for the same
month last year. Our net earnings
Tor January, February and March
will be equally satisfacto from ON the
viewpoint OF the mine owners. B.