Milford chronicle., 1903-01-23
RIGHTS OF UNION MIN
Mr.. DarrOw Tells Strike Commits
sion His Views.
DISCRIMINATION LIFE OF UNIONS
Miners Attorney Claims They Havo
a Right to Prevent Non-Union Men
From Working BY Moral suasion.
D. L. & WIS. Wage Statement.


From Working BY Moral suasion.
D. L. & WIS. Wage Statement.
Philadelphia, Jan. 21.-When the an
thracite coal strike commission ad.
iourned yesterday the 400tb witness
summoned before the arbitrators was
being examined. OF the 400, 174 were
called by the striking mine workers,
155 by the non-union men, 63 by the
operators, and eight by the commits
sion. The Delaware Lackawanna and
Western Railroad Company concluded
its case. and the Temple Iron Com
pany began the presentation of its
side of the controversy. The compan-
les yet to be heard are the Lehigh Val
ley Coal Company, Lehigh and Wilkes
barre Coal Company. Markle Broth
ers and about go other independent
operators, and the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron Company. At
ter the coal companies end their case
the miners will take up some time in
examining witnesses in rebuttal.
Yesterdays testimony did not bring
out anything that was particularly
new. There was lively interchange
of opinion between Chairman Gray
and Attorney C. S. Darrow, for the
miners, on the question of the rights
of the union men. Mr.. Darrow said:
"The right to discriminate and to
say that its members will not work
with non-union men is the strength of
a labor union, and it in part represents
the strength of the United Mine Work
exercise of this right is not incompati-
BILE with the greatest good to the
greatest number.
why, the union has the right to
object to working with a red-headed
man if it so elects" added Mr.. Oar
row, addressing his remarks alter
nately to the commission and to Major
Warren, of counsel for the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western Company.
But has the union the right to pre-
vent a red-headed man from working
if he so desires?" interjected Commits
sioner Wright.
ut has the right to prevent him by |
moral suasfon. OF course, it hasn't |
the right to kill him, or assault him, or
even to assail him with abusive Ian
guage. The civil courts are open to !
the slandered man, whether he be a |
union or a nOn-uniOn man."
During the examination in chief of |
Superintendent Williams, of the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western Com
pany, he said the steam men do not
work very hard at night, and that they
get a change to sleep. On crOss-ex-
animation he testified that the COM
pany does not permit its men to sleep
while on duty. The day engineers
hoist cars from the bottom of the shaft
to the surface, a distance of 500 feet.
at the rate of 20 cars a minute. Engi-
neers have Is minutes for lunch. They
work 10 hours day, and when they
are on duty at night they work IA
hours.
A. S. Baker, of Scranton, auditor of
the mining department of the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western Rail-
road Company, presented to the COM
mission the wages statement showing
the wages paid to all Of its employees.
A summary of the wage statement Of
the contract miners for 1901 is as
follows:
Two hundred ana forty-three
men earned less than $1OO; SO between
500 and $3.50; 100 between $3.50 and
$500; So between 5000 and $3.50; 80
between $3.50 and $500; 112 between
$500 and $3.50; 14O between $3.50 O>9ld
b4OO; 1853 between $4OO and $3.50; 1873
between $3.50 and $500; 200 between
$500 and $3.50; 329 between $3.50 and
5000; 1886 between $500 and $3.50; 2S4
$3.50 and 500; 226 between
300 and $3.50; 14O between $3.50 and
$500; rs between $500 and $3.50; so
$3.50 and 5000, and 121 over
1900.
A statement giving the wages of all
classified company men. that is men I
Who work by the day or week, was t
llso presented. These men have de- '
handed a 20 per cent. reduction in the 7
lours of labor, with no reduction in r
)ay. The average wages paid these a
men in 1901 ranged from $154.S0 for
late pickers (boys) to $9SLO4 for 4
roller inspectors. {
The Lackawanna Company here v
ested it's case, and the Temple Iron
company began calling its witnesses.
rhe attorneys called five men on be-
lalf of the Temple Company, all of c
hem mine foremen, who. testified to !
onditions in and about the collieries .
ver which they have charge. Much q
I their testimony was in contradiction u
f evidence adduced when the mine p
workers. were presenting their side Of =
he controversy to the commission at h
scranton.