The Irish standard., 1903-04-11
The Frightful Wastes of the Competitive
System and the Dangers
That Threaten.
Through the Great Desire for Wealth the
Deeper Views of Life are
Lost Sight Of.

The Chicago Tribune of last Sun
day contained the following article in
reference to Bishop Spalding and the
findings of the coal commission, which
will be found most interesting reading
at this time:
John Lancaster Spalding, bishop Of
Peoria, after five months attendance
upon the anthracite coal strike COM
mission, is at home under the shadows
of the twin spires of st. Mary's cathe-
dral. 1t has been significant home
coming. Chosen to that commission
under the specification, "a man Of
prominence, eminent as a sociologist,"
he has returned from the sittings Of
that unique commission more than ever
impressed with the intricaces Of the
problems confronting capital and labor.
Looking back upon the work Of the
anthracite coal strike commission, it
is the opinion of Bishop Spalding that
this commission, even with the ex-
penditure of five months time and
perhaps $1,OOO,O00, accomplished that
which the United States government,
with 100000 troops, could no. have
done in years.
"It could have maintained peace, per-
haps," said Bishop spalding. ut could
have protected non-union workmen in
their work, provided these non-union
men might have been found to work
the mines. But where would they
have come from? There was no yield
ing in the positions Of the Italians and
Slavs in that mining district; physical
ly they were of class not to suffer
greatly if forced to live on 81 to S5 a
month, and in this strike sentiment
there was the fervor almost Of religion.
"Viewed from the point of cost, the
finding of the commission was reached
at comparatively small outlay. Look
at the millions already lost in the
strike and at the suffering caused
through that whole region, and when
it is considered that the conditions that
existed there were impossible of class
itication, that even with the individ-
uals in an individual mine, broad dis
tinctions had to be made in weighing
grievances, it may well be granted that
not in another industry i'll America
could there be situation so full Of
complications.
"Suppose, in comparison, there
should be strike of all the steel
workers in the United States, and that
the strike SHOULD be continued as was
the coal strike. There would be panic
throughout the whole country, but any
commission which might have to deal
with the points in dispute would be
able speedily to classify men and con-
sditions and to make general applica-
ton of them.
elm the anthracite coal fields almost
every man was a condition unto him
self, perhaps not to be compared with
the situation of man working in the
same mine not a hundred feet away.
''In general, there We're exaggera-
tions of conditions in the anthracite re-
gons. Here and there were wretch
edness and squalor, but they were not
worse than may be found in Chicago;
not worse than individual instances
here in Peoria. Overproduction had
been the bane of operator and Of miner
in the whole region. 1t was not that
a man might not earn enough to sup
port him, working every day; it was
that there were not enough working
days.
"There was no anarchy anywhere in
the regions. There was no mob vio-
lence that could not expend itself in
the burning of effigies. Hatreds and
bitterness We're not in evidence. At
bottom, the trouble was based in the
union of the United N1ineworkers of
America, through which the anthracite
workers were asking remedy. This
union largely was composed Of bitum-
1nous miners. working under condi-
tions not applicable to the miners in
the anthracite fields, and recognition
was asked Of the anthracite operators
through union of men virtually in