The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1903-12-26

The above is taken from the Ishpem-
| ing Iron Ore OF last week and the
sentiments therein expressed must be
echoed and re-echoed by EVERYONE in
the Lake Superior mining district who
stops TO give the subject one moment 8
consideration We desire to sustain
the sentiments expressed in the Ore $
article and to lift our voice in favor of
the miner Of this district, for we be-
lieve that he is not being given fair
deal in this regard.
We live in region that has been
particularly free from all labor
troubles. There have been a few iso-
lated spurts in different parts Of the
peninsula where men were mislead 10y
some blatant agitator, but the excite
ment lacked the united support Of the
, upper peninsula miners and always
, failed The mining and steel com
, panies operating mines have always
been treated right by great majority
q the laboring men Of this district,
J tricts, they have been in constant
warfare with labor unions and much
money has been lost to them through
! strikes and the consequent destruction
and deterioration Of property during
enforced idleness. Lake Superior
] miners have always been loyal and the
! loss to capital from labor troubles in
| these districts has been very small
This consideration alone ought to
have some weight with the companies
J towards favoring the miners in their
wage reductions hut il seems that the
! miner and the mill man, the furnace
laborer and the transportation laborer
I alike have been given q horizontal
dose. Ia The mills the wages are un-
|, formally higher due, TO the aggres-
sivness of the unions who take advant-
age Of every opportunity to drive a
bagain. A skilled mill man gets a
wage that would make skilled miner
blush, yet in figuring up the assets Of
the u. 5. Steel corporation particular
stress was placed upon the fact that
the company held such a large proper
tion Of the iron ore producing mines Of
the country. If the iron mines form
a basis for three-fourth of the stupend-
GUS capitalization OF the corporation,
why is not the skilled miner man Of
as much Importance to the corporation
az the mill man. IL the miner has
been conservative in his demands for
wage has taken with good grace the
portion allotted 10 him and has never
caused loss Of capital by unlawful at
tenipts to block the working of the
properties. why is he not entitled to
better treatment than the mill man
whose surlIness and obstroperousness is
chronicY We believe he is entitled to
IL and that the sighting Of the miner
only tends TO bring the union with its
strikes and hardsnips within our
bounds, condition that all deyoutedly
hope will never attain.
But there is another and greater
consideration why the miner is entitl-
ed to better wages than the mill man.
He il living in climate which COM
pells bim to dress warmer and eat more
than the mill man. he il living in a
portion Of the country into which all
of the necessaries of life have to be
shipped from without and in which
they retail at from 30 to IS per cent
above what the same articles retail in
the mill town. The mill man can
live cheaper from AZ eating standpoint
because his provisions cost him less
and from wearing standpoint be-
cause he don't have to dress as warm
as the man here.
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