Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1904-12-22
CONDITIONS IN wHITwELL.

town OF Whitwoll. Nothing rs being |
done 10 disturb the T. C, l., & R'y Co., |
with their great army Of guards There
is no effort 10 intimidate one on the part |
Of the union miners, who are quite /
peaceable, taking matters calmly and
neaceably. There has been some very
| illegal performances carried on here by
some Of the deputies who were appoint.
ed on the part of the company, They
have driven ministers of the gospel from
the n, c. & ST. L. depot, who it is re-
ported. went there to meet their wives
and children, and were prohibited from
entering said depot or grounds, and said
deputies have prevented divers Chris.
tian members from merely entering
said depot claiming at the same time
that the T., C. l. g. R'y Co. owns said
right Of way. II this occurs again and
the N, G. & ST. L. permits its patrons
to be driven from said depot that was
built for the general public and its &C
commodation, or they do not show their
authority over the land on which the
depot is placed and the railroad tracks
are laid, but allow their patrons to be
driven a second time from the premises,
then damage suit should be iustitu.
ted and the validity Of authority or
ownership looked into. Thus will be
determined whether good moral citizens
can be done out public rights, be cursed
and abused, and threatened with arrest
when in fact they haven't committed
any known ofense. There has been
some bad blood over this affair.
Now as tc present conditions. Twelve
months ago this town was prosperous
Every body was happy and making pre-
parations for Christmas at home with
their families. Today, Dec. 90 1904,
we find them scattered to the four winds
and business of every kind paralized.
Every business has almost shut down.
And the fact that some of our people
have advocated the open-shop non.
union policy, has not increased the gen.
eral happiness much.
Under the present system of business
at the company store nearly every dollar
their employees earn will be consumed,
and what good will the open shop prn-
ciple do this town. The company is
now working green hands---farmers
from the fields, with their gamers full
and running over, and we know they
5 can't dig coal, and we know further that
the company can't realize any profit on
: such labor. The majority is from the
bit and Opossom bunting, and when
: there comes big snow they will more
than likely return to their former occu-
Q patton. If the farmer could have had
: the forethought to have realized this
point when he left good home and be-
came a renter and employe of the COM
n pany, and that he was doing wrong from
the fact that he was driving out OF
house and home the poor miner who
J expected to spend the balance of his
/ days beneath the surface, he would not
h0NO OOhO bOs no RS
!, minds us of the wild goose, which at the
i proper season OF the year returns to the
: place it belongs. On the other hand Il
l. the miner came out and usurp the place
+ of farmer in a farm organization fill
Q ing farm laborers places, then they
n would be called blacklegs. They would
9 be out of their place of business.
,. The wives and daughters of the min
ers are the strongest union supporters
we have. They get hot over things oc
casionally, but are union from begin
ming to end. And you always know
where to place me, and am no Jonah
year ago everybody was for the uniol
! when prosperity reigned over the en-
a; tire country, and everybody was pros
O. perons and happy, but today things ar
different and it brings about test 0
how we stand on this great question o
whether the capitalist shall crush la
Dor or not. verify believe the passag
OF Scripture which reads thus: 9Th
= love of money is the root of all evil.
How true this is. We find on this YER
subject fathers against sons, and son
against fathers, mothers against daugh
ters and daughters against mothers, th
entire family divided. believe Their
. are young ladies who would be willin
| to go to the battlefield to defend tn
L principles Of labor.
have nephew, son OF my poo
/ dead brother, Rev. A. w. White, VIII
1 as member of the union in spite G
his tender years will be forced to leay
l his widowed mother to seek work else
where, being denied the privilege Q
L working here unless he turn himself il
| to an unthinking slave. But he vii
never be marked as deserter or be dii
y eiplined from the organization he ha
} sworn to maintain.
| wish there could be some sottlemen
of the union miners of this place, Tri
cy and the Birmingham district an
the company, or that some legal tern
could be arrived at to give general sa
isfactiOn throuphout the districts