The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-13
THE COAL STRIKE.
An Old Miners view Of the situa-
tim


10 The Salt Lake Herald.
IL the Utah Fuel COMPANY viii prom
lse not 70 have me arrested and with tho
permission Of The Herald. / would ike to
, cls5css Jew things pertaining TO the
coal miners strike ia Carbon county. We
are tod these men have no grievances.
mat Lncy are making good wages. have
Slorl hours and work only about eight
cen days per month on an average Now
ii THESE are the facts, the first thing the
general public asks. What in the name
81 common sense is the trouble then The
LtdA huei company has spared neither
tlOuoie or expense to publish their side
oL the controversy. The papers publish
column after column. giving their version
~ tne trouble and. Of course ii is an iu
1aFor Of the coal company When anv
R1tson III inc interest Ot the miner goes
- - lne coal camps 20 GET information
le6aIQlng inc real situation, Is it not "a
Iaet that ne is hampcred by paid guards
20 prevent him from getting ~ the Iactsg
30 the question presents it-elf tnat 81
real grievance. Why are they prevented
rom holding meetings I'm "a pcaceab e
lame even u II is ga The coal COM
pSh. : property Is the coal company
afraid that the public viii eet TO know
the real condition OF the roiners2 We
are told IL is TO prevent them from break
ING the peace that armed guards f0r1id
tnen their constitutional rights Now
tAe Iacts are 81 these Italians and Finns
cannot be trusted 70 assemble together to
et@eQss matters pertaining TO what they
thlnA are their rights who Is to blame III
the matter2 Who brought these men tnto
the JLah coal fields, and Tor what pur-
pose were they imported here2 Let the
Utah Fuel company answer a c-rpas
many people believe they were Imported
1T tne sole purpose of displacing Amer
ian faoGr and to hOld in check the Eng
hsh-speaking race, so that when q cor
poraIlon wants to tighten the screws a
little on the WOTkingman thew must nor
S4ueal or more Italians. Greeks or Firms
VIII De imported, and now that these i'm
oIealio1s are getting 2 little American
l1sq anu begin TO realize that they are
lLolhIls more than slaves. they have
turned on their masters. Again the oues-
ton may be asked who Is to blame9
now rs TO the question Of wages the
rear truth VIII never be known until a
proper investigation is had Let the men
pc hearQ on the subject There is no use
OF senQinS one man down there to inter
NteW tAose miners Tor when he makes q
report one Of the s. a day guards who
IS down there helping the coal comnanv
20 usurp authority and trample on The
LlS1te 81 the CiuzenS, must make a de-
MAJ right quick and call the report Il set
or Ies, lest his job might be in danger.
We are Jold General john Q. Cannon is
sulns 20 iurnlsh a report on conditions
IN general. but Governor Wells MIGHT az
Wen understand that the general public
mas mas no confidence In John @. Cannon as
4aF IS this strike is concerned and things
pertaining thereto. Let the governor
SEND some men down there who are not
preJuolced Tor either side and men who
ore nor enemies OF the miners. Their the
truth VIII be known and the public can
Judge intelligently and the strike settled
more satisfactorily to all parties and
moro quickly by a committee OF citizens
than Dy All the military and armed
guards that this state and the Utah Fuel
company can furnish for IL the truth
must De told, there are men down in the
coal camps as guards getting S. per day
and their board who are not worthy to
DIacken q coal miners boots; and men
would rather StarVe than work under the
protection of such men. This doesn't APP
ply 70 all the guards, as there are some
good men there. but they are in the
wrong occupation, and the public Judges
US IelloW mortals By the company we
AS an old coal miner. let me say. in
conclusion, that coal miners In general
are not paid enough. even IF the wages
are all that the Utah Fuel company
claims them TO be. Their work is the
most diSagreeable that q person could
imagine. III the rooms are dry they have
the dust to contend with; III they are wet
a man comes out OF the mine Ike he had
ne deduCts from his gross earnings for
the wear and tear on his tools. then so
much for oil and powder so much for
rent and coal. and then to can I'D all
nave 70 trade IN company store with
lne coupon system, 10 makes the life OF
the average miner anything but dream
The Herald has been the only Salt Lake
paper which has given both sides of the
cor LroVerSN. and In giving the miners
version OF the trouble IL mas only told the
true state OF affairs. and needs no other
NiudicauOn of its position than the en-
nifty of the paid hirelings in the employ
or the Utah Fuel company
Sugar House. Dec. u.