The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1903-01-09
Coal Strike the Event of the
Year of the Most Far-Reach.
ing impcrtance-Public Sen
timent Thoroughly Aroused
Over the Controversy.

The year of 1902 onened with tho &c
ureo certainty of the early coming o
nSe IN the Philippines and South A f
80. anu with the date for the establish
r eht OF an independent government in
una already determined. the Conpras..
~ tne United States was rapidly ap.
iachins the favorable determination Of
Its great problem of the construction of
an 1sthmian ship canal. and q broad Ger
20 ana England Were almost ready
in TO- ined action against Venezuela
,rbiat matter of those same debt claims
~, III the concluding day of the year
80 oeen the cause for a new strain in
~ depreciation of the Monroe doctrine
+ba as the outcome proved, not even
.SiehteSt OF these matters possessed
LOT the people of the United States such
ntal Importance another event which
80 Iar from being foreseen at the time
ana winch, when it came gave at the
httle reason to suspect what it's
urSe and conclusion would be- This
me great strike in the anthracite
tbTo,, LIES OF pennsylvania, which lasted
'iiouSh the summer and fall
~ was not merely that this WAS one Of
10 steatest strikes in the history of the
, Stdtes FOR the number of men en-
.HtS.,' the length of it's duration and the
opSInacy with which it was foupbt. mo-.
was IL because of the mere fact of the
'nGoHVehlence and loss occasioned by it
10 the pubic: nor yet because in securino,
- settlement the President of the United
states was forced to take control of the
s - I'd Ion by acting in a manner for which
-. was nothing in the constitution or
CUSTOMS OF the land to give Justification
beyond all these things the strike was |
lle most pregnant event of the year be-
caHee ol the way it crystallized sentiment |
"h tne part of that great body ofs tbe |
American public-the consmners ctho
were concerned in it neither as ennlov-
rs rs nor IS laoorers, but who were forced
ny tne 9eopardizing of their own inter. |
own protection " l
,.i l ne re. strike began May -. and the min
efs ala not yield an inch in their resoII,
Iion until they voted to retI,r, 70 ,ncr,.
Oct Il, after arbitration had boz IN
ranged for. The number of men invo1,,ad
was I4i,C Coo The price of hard coal IN NJ,
. oIh N. where the factories were accus
tofneo TO no other fuel, rose from 50 70
as hlgn as $40 a ton, with often no sun
pIles TO pc mad The demand of the min
rs was IN part for higher wages hut
LIN more Tor regulated and air ,,,a+b
ID OF weighing and recording +ba -.
u the men, by which the union. acting
Is an organization. could protect itS
mem bers' interests 10
The mine owners oreapizad =, -, ..
horough monopoly in the colIntr,, go
epresented by the presidents of the coal
be- smS ialiroaos' seemed to welcome
ne -stlke and cOntemptuousIv CIacIinaI
III proposals of arbitra tion fro,,o uttileu
yer source Whether their attitude was
ictated by desire to obtain Iareer bo,I1
so " STOCK IN demoralzed market or
; make possible permanent higher nricas
'r coal, or from deep ANITA gorisr
sdhiNsu laoor, was a matter only for
,TSuIatlon on the part of outsiders,
through the strike there has rise,, NJ
lie of the greatest among tho $50. iS
'es OF Americans of the day. mat e.
nm Rttcnell, the young leader of the
ar AZ NoIhers Union, who June II, at
oiahapolls, prevented the bituninoTs
al miners from striking in svnona+L
10 carried on the strike with less az
L aIpl y, violence than was ever
own IN SO great Industrial dfsore,,,i'
II DSIOTG, and who. |
ial aSSraVation from his opnonen+s, AZ
,thods. maintained a serenity tbot "
Dec, peo NOT little in the clear-sighted n
'gress which he made to ultima re IL :
y with the finding of Presidan+
oseNet commission of arbitration
81 spring VIII come the end. as far
It's immediate Incidents are concerned
an industrial struggle that would nev'
nave begun had the representative of
ital showed themselves as trna ~
n II; agreements and as intelligent in
IT views as did the REPRESENTATIVE -
Or. ives OF
independence of Cuba.
the two great events of the ,,oou :,
nee ION with the treatment by the
Ecu sc states of the islands that fell
nlsh war. the first was the ina1isura
OF independent government in Cuba
Cuban independence day, when pres
alhia TOOK control of the execu-
ONCE. was May 90 just three DAYS
T young Alfonso attained his ma
y and became king of Spain In fat
10 populaF election had been held Dec
sNi' and the electoral college had
en- the islands president Feb "a
american military governor Cen
ara wood. lowered the American
and LEFT the island to its own ra-
les. 40 ""H re-
Peace in the Philippines.
PhlIppine Islands were declared
reclamation of the President INV
oe IN state of peace and quiet and
~ or the establishment of the cit,iI
ace or military government for
congress had provided. With this
- PIoSlaLiatlon or amnesty to DO
Offenders and civil admfnistra tion
The Years Legislation.
rational Legislation during the wear
was none of more Importance to
'he commerce or the naval mower
country than that authorizing
instruction of am isthmian canal ..
much discussion of the relative
OF the Panama and the Nirars-
routes. Congress made nroviSia,,
Szo0'0 10000 bond issue and passed
Whlch gave President Roosevelt
Wer to decide upon the route.
ner legislation the passage of the
u irrigation act, turning over the
es from the national domain for
OF comprehensive scheme of
Oh' ana the creation of a perma-
'nsus bureau are to be noted To
the congestion of an ever-accu-
Y surplus, Congress removed the -
the war revenue taxes and passed ~
sest river and harbor bill i'm the ~
$ h1story-appropriat $65 OOO.- m
lO-cent pound tax on colored ~
g gar 50 heavy as practically o.
that industry in half. was inn ~