Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-13

LII bEh. h1DA Is II
therefroml ( o. b., New York. with the
right Of the accountant to have access TO
the books to verify the statement.
Towards the end he suggested that the
federal government should give an island
to the socialists where they could go and
invent socialistic schemes. The world
would not bother them. he said. and the
country would be relieved Of some Of its
congested population
In closing, he said the operators, for the
time being, surrendered not to the miners,
but to the commission.
barrow Attacks BRer
Mr.. barrow in opening made a compli-
mentary reference to the patience OF the
commission, reviewed the strike and all
the sufferings It entailed as a result, the
operators refusal to give the men more
money, and said:
Then this afternoon the man more re-
sponsible than any other comes betore tnis
commission and says he Will do exactly
before and which they in their blindness,
their Ignorance and their stupidity refused.
Why did not Mr.. Baer go to Mr.. John
Mitchell nine months ago as he came 10
this commission today?
They can do just as they please about
recognizing the union. II they DO not rec
bAAE ~ ~ 10 hANs
they want to bump up against IL some
more. 1t is here to stay and the burden Is
on them and not upon us.
There is neither the power nor the dis
position In TINS court / take 1t to destroy
the union. And II these agents Of the Al
mighty cannot see the union they had bet
ter blunder along still a few more years
and possibly after a while they will know
1t is here and recognize. 1t themselves.
Passing to the wage statements, Mr.. OAR
row said the operators had been deceived
by their own accountants. and that Mr..
Baer had put the mems pay at least 80 or
40 or 80 per cent too high.
Then he added an offer:
If at the emo of all this time and labor
he is willing to give us 5 or 10 per cent
above the figures he says correctly repre-
It. From the beginning of this strike until
the end the operators nave never given
out a correct figure or maze a statemeht
public.
the wages paid by every company that
has filed schedules and in Mr.. Baers com.
pany only about q third of the men got
Of the Readings skilled workmen get $500,
5 per cent get between $500 and $500 and %
per cent Of all the men who ,. sPp : as con-
God knows that the conditions in this
country, and in the mining region are not
so. good that men Will be content to SIT
down and earn $500 o year.
Must Free the Children.
Passing on, Mr.. barrow analysed the
statements Of the other companies and said
the figures we're 10 to Is per cent too high,
but the wages paid by the Reading were
the lowest of all.
Turning to the mine laborers, he said,
more than forty out Of every thousand were
killed every year, to say nothing of the
w,aE-,1 rnhA ,wa-1 A,rnAd n.A 0NrdnR Nhn
benefcent laws of Pennsylvania to the
almshouses and highways and byways.
These laborers last year got 1888 each.
Princely wages, and yet they we're told that
all was peace and Joy and happiness in the
anthracite region until Mr.. Mitchell came"
In discussing the child labor question
Mr.. Darrow said:
II the work OF this commission does not
result in getting rid of this disgraceful
child labor in Pennsylvania, then l think
failure. This custom has grown up be-
cause there is money in it,. and the indus
tries of Pennsylvania are dependent on II.
The evidence shows hat every one of these
Industries is run by the labor of children.
Is there any, man so blind that he does
Dotted Dot dnq with w sfIk t Mills isn'H Tbey we enf'V there re-
because the miners were there. Every mill
In that region is,a testimony to the fact
to be slaves Of the breaker and your girls
to be slaves in the mills. .
When these railroad presidents were
finally called to, book before the president
of the United States one of them shed
tears because the mine workers allowed
these boys to Join the organizations, be-
to law, The railroad presidents shed tears
because the mine workers were spelling
the souls of these poor children, and yet
he was willing 10 take the earnings of
these same infants that he and his family
might be richer because of their toll.
These babes know their friends. There Is
not one of these children; so ignorant, not
one of them so lost to natural instincts
that he does not know who loves him.
There is not one that would not run from =
railroad president to the open arms of JohI
Mitchell, and they are right. 1 have nc
doubt he loves children. Neither have
any doubt that the wolf loves. mutton,
These men make a living out of these CHI
dren, and If they can do nothing else In
this region, this infamy should end. These
little children get Sl65 a year.
Another Mine to Resume.
wILKESBARRE, Pa, Feb. 1.-THE Stan.
ton colliery, operated by the Lehigh and
Wilkesbarre Coal company, which has beer
IDLE for the past year, will resume work OF
Monday. The mine was drowned during
the flood in March, 1902,