Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1904-09-29

ON their backs what they most
cared to take away? One of the
newspaper correspondent told of
it IN his letter to a paper, but it
did not appear in fiaring head
lines as would have been the case
if the facts had been reversed.
But we are willing to concede
that there Are good operators and
bad operators, just as there are
good and bad miners, and the
great body of both should not be
condemned for the acts of few.
But lawlesness should be condemn
ed on the part of the operators
more than on the part of the
miners, for the operators are big
and strong and should be able to
defend themselves under the law
and not over it. On the whole
there has been little lawlesness
and what there has been has been
quite equally divided. May the
future show less on both sides,
and may it be condemned inn
partially when it occurs. So far
legal investigation has usually
resulted in freeing the miners.
May they keep the peace now
and always as becomes good citi-
zens and not be led to break the
law by reason of the operators
doing SO.
THE RIGHT TO WORK.
"Much has been said about the
right of non-union men to work
without let or hindrance. But
have the miners ever said any
thing harsh about the non-union
men, who take their places,
when the members of their or
ganization, who have for one re-
ason and another, put their old
men to work instead of putting
new men in their mines. | hope
not, for while the language used
by the operators may have been
somewhat more refined, it has
been the more scathing for that
reason. Lo we see that neither
the operator nor the miner likes
u man who will not stand up to
his fellows, no matter what the
sacrifice. In fact, there are but
few men, whole men, who do like
the fellow who does not take the
bad and the good with his neigh
bors and allies. We are not
making war on non-union men,
who from principle do not believe
in unionism. We believe they
are mistaken, but they have the
right to think as they choose, SC
long as they do no wrong to those
who do not think with them.
But the operator seems to like
the operator who does not belong
to the operators union less than
the miners do one who does not
belong to the miners union. In
what then does the operators and
miners differ in the matter of
unionism?
"Whether we are willing to
confess it or not, we all know
that there never was any chance
for the miners of this district to
make settlement this year. No
sacrifice on their part would have
been sufficient to have caused the
the furnace operators to have
signed scale. To make sure of
it, the operators offered q scale
which they well knew the in
creased cost of living would pre-
vent the miner accepting, even
if so inclined, but they did not
rest there for fearing that the
miner might by some process of
reasoning believe what they said
about their inability to pay more
than 40 cents, now seem to be a
fallacy, they tied another string
to their proposition, which would
have enabled them to have forced
u strike in any event. That was
their reserving right to make new
rules. No sensible man could
fail to understand that. There
was then only one chance for the
miners to avoid a fight and the
question was whether they should
meekly submit to the will of the
operators, and accept a less wage
than the operators have shown
they are able and willing to pay,
or 90 on strike. What would any
free man have done under the