Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1904-10-06
UNION MINER REPLIES TO UNCLE Joe.
Editor News:

Epresume after so long a time Uncle
Joe has come 1t must have taken a
long time to find defect in my letter,
and after all he had a lot to say about
nothing in it. He claims that ! have
put before the people hastily lot ot
very untrue statements.
Well, in regards to the job he had IN
1902 only said was informed OF that
and am now willing to give him the ad'
vantage of that and drop the matter as
7 don't know 1t to be a fact. And not
only that but mentioned in my other
letter getting at what be received tor
his work during the strike in 1872 "hen
he claimed to be idle four months ac-
cording to his first letter. You see he
claimed to have lost four months In
1902. and now comes along and says he
received from $1.5O to $1.75 per day
Now if the readers will be right careful
1 will get the facts from Uncle Joe as
they can easily see.
Now then in regard to the rule. IN
Gle Joe is sadly mistaken, for this local
is in receipt of the original RUE
in the General Managers own hand
writing. and besides that Uncle Joe has
not forgotten himself so far but what
he we'll knows that there never were
anv rules formulated by this local ex-
cent the first ones. All side rules were
gotten up by the committee and thrash
ed out by them and the company offici'
ais, and then brought to the local tor
their approval or disapproval. The
! rule business, however, is not so much
importance as other matters that Will
further mention.
Uncle Joe claims he can prove these
J things by good union men at Whitwell
hut at the same time waited about six
or seven weeks to answer my letter un
til he got moved clear out of existence
and failed to date or show where his
letter came from. He was afraid to say
ANYTHING about proving anything be
fore he left, for he knows he can't prove
anything by these miners at Whitwell
And in regard to Walter Num- being
stonped and some others, that is mat
ter pertaining to something he know
absolutely nothing about However
in order that the public be not misle'
1 might say that the rule provided TO
men to be put on according to turn, ant
in the cases he speaks Of those mel
were put on ahead of men that had beel
waiting in some cases twelve months
and as to Walter Num-, after he foun
! he had been put on ahead OF turn h
was just as ready to quit as the me
were to have him quit, for he ls strict
ly union man.
In regard to the Presidents salary b
says it far exceeds that of the Pres
dent of the United States, for the latte
has government over 70,OO0.000 Will
John Mitchell has less than 1,000,0Ol
| presume he has taken all the miner
and their friends from the governmen
including those that sympathize wit
them. He has struck line betwee
them enough to say they are no more
part of the government still wants
claim some of them to be his friend
, and can prove things by them. An
: still the miners myself with the bunC
stood strike of four months TO gain a
advance for the company men witbol
getting ourselves anything in addition
while Uncle Joe ran after the commi
tee and Joe Vasey and I. ]. Smith
=, have special case make of his j
claiming that he was doing extra woI
y and got his wages raised according
. the scale from $3.50 to S2.17 per da
One of the men that he refers to in IL
latter part OF his letter was on the COZ
" mittee and will substantiate what sa
And then about the Dunlap boys b
ing so good to US all of which is tru
But the rule that there has been
much said about reads in part as fC
lows:
- Rule 81. That the company will n
employ any more men as long as ii
present number now employed can
the demands for coal, and when thu
rs fail to fill the demands the Mine For
a man and Superintendent will call I'll
- Committee and decide how many sha
u be put on, and the Local is to furnil
le the men desired.
81 So you can clearly see that the mi
n at Whitwell could not put them on I
le the company had a say so about it,
r we were not getting what cars we cou
10 load or in other words the turn was n
p going above four to the man at tn
IL time.
Z And in regard to the expense he /
p fers to favoring the men if got rid
would tend to advance the price am
loss as to what it is. However l mig
say he was afraid the price would go
or be would have said something abo
$, it sooner. And he refers to the tin
4. when there was no union (Uncle j
" was then getting s1.85 day., and VIII
le men who wished to could go 20 work
- ! o'clock in the morning and work IN
st s o'clock at night for 20 days and nigh
le in the month at 35c per ton and there
load $50 tons, making $50 so with abo
So expense to come out of that besid
laborer at about soc a day, leavi
5t him net proat Of about Sl9.7O to 81
po-s his i.ml-E N.--- MI Ii