The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-01-08
OPERATORS REPLY.
MarkIe and Company File an Answes
Before Strike Commission
THE OWNERS TELL THEIR STORY
Their System Of Dealing With Their
Employes-Not Required to Trade
At Company Store.

Philadelphia. Spccial.-The answc or
Of G. B. Markle g. Company. indcpcn,
dent coal operators. to the demands Of
the miners. was made public here Sun
day. The answer will r. submitted to
! the Anthracite Coal Strike CommiS-
sion. which rc-aSSrmblcS in this city
tomorrow. 1t was written by John
Marklc. managing partner Of the firm.
The statement says the firm employs
! about 400 men, and many oi its en-
ploy"S reside in the villages Of Free.
land. about two miles distant. and
llazlcton. about seven miles distant.
from .Irddo. The lcSSccs erected and
| own the improvements upon the pro-
pcrty. including breakers, stores,
shops and tenement houses. 1t says
the company always has maintained
two physicians for the men. deduct
q cents q month from the married
and 80 cents a month from the single
men therefor, and paying it over to
the physicians without charge or
deduction. This arrangement was not
compulsory upon the men " families.
Stores for the sale of general mcr-
rhandisc and Of miners supplies have
always been maintained upon the
property, and have been and are an
accommodation to the men and their
families. The men have never been
required to deal there.
1t says in September. 1897. a COM
mittce of miners presented certain
demands 10 the firm. An agreement
was then in existence between the
company and men to settle differences
by arbitration. The company replied
to the demands and received no furth
er communication from the miners.
Work at the mines continued unin-
terrupted until the latter part Of 1900
when John Mitchell made his head
quarters at Hazleton and cndeavorcd
to organize the Markle employees.
In September, 1900. another list OF
grievances was furnished the firm
which offered to arbitrate. but the mon
struck. Between 1900 and 1902, many
requests were made for the correction
Of alleged grievances which were al
taken up and considered and acted
upon. 'hnt neither individually nol
collectively. orally or i'll writing.
says the statement. did the men
make any complaint in reference to
the collecting of dues for the doctors
or the priests: nor was our attention
called to any defect in respect to ven.
tilatiOn. or unfair treatment at the
store; nor as to the size OF the cars:
nor as to the slope cleaning; or the
docking. uMtil April 1902: and we had
every reason to believe that. taken as
a whole, the men were entirely salts
fed with the conditions Of their cm.
ploymcnt. Objection is also made that
tho full 10 per cent. advance was not
given. The manner in which the aG-
vance was computed was repeatedly
explained to the men ana it will be-
shown by tho expert accountant that
1t was correctly calculated"
The statement goes into the matter
OF eviction OF men from the firm $
, houses after appointment Of the ar.
bltration commission. and says the u
men cNlcted were SO treated because
lAcE mad been active in preventing
men from itS'iIninS work. NO att ON I
was made to collect from them arrcnt;
OF rent which had accrued during the
strike. The cvictcd men in 1901. i, IS
stated, each made net carnngs rang.
ing from $3.50 to $1,000. Specific dc.
! mails are made OF the statement before
! the commission alleging harsh trca,-
| mcnt OF various individuals whose
names had been given.