Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1907-10-31
Meeks.


Specialize The Ne7oS.
Work is fairly good in this part of
the country Everybody seems TO be
enjoying themselves very well. j
might say that have had the pleas
IRE of shaking the hands of many old
friends, many of whom | could not
recognize for some time.
As the weather has been bad have
mt been about TO collect any news, so
| hope the readers will excuse me this
time. | would, however. like to dwell
briefly upon some information gather
ed from an editorial in the News. |
learned some time ago that Mr.. Joe
White, of Whitwell, now in charge as
bank foreman, wanted as many as for
ty of the old Whitwell men, and after
scanning over the News | have found
the secret of the announcement They
have from time to time shifted the
non union men from place to place in
workable coal to make big show on
the outside, until they have now got
the whole mine up against squeeze.
Now, when the union men worked
there, the rule was that when a man
was given place that it was under
drove it to its destination, distance
of sixty yards and drew the pillar. 1t
made no difference what happened or
how thin the coal got or how many
squeezes he struck, he had to go
through. Thus the fact developed it.
self, that while some were iQ squeezeS,
greater portion were in good coal,
| and thus it was that the output was
good, always from 1000 to l,200 tons
of coal per day., But when they
started on the open shop plan, things
were changed. Such rules wouldn t
work. Now, it would be very crafty
ing indeed if they could be successful
in getting the old miners back and in
| duce them to sign an iron clad con
| tract and then drive their places
through to good coal
| am at loss to know what a union
man could promise himself to go to a
mine and work where non union men
had made conditions such that they
| could no longer live | am sure
| would work anywhere else for fifty
cents day before | would do such
| knew all the time that something
would have to drop. am like the
writer from Eastland, Tenn. if all the
! union men would stay away from there
l fully believe that the company would
settle with the union, and all quit that
are at work at present, unless
they joined the union. The gentleman
was spoken of as believed to be plac-
ed in charge to reconcile the union
men, There is only one way to do
that and that is to remove his or their
non union element and recognize the
union and pay the scale of District 10,
and thus properly turn the union men
! loose at their den of squeezes with the
hope of making living for their fam
lilies, and in such event, it would only
be short time when they would be
pulling out large amount of coal, but
if | were the union men, unless they
did this | would, if | were at work,
quit at once, and if not at work,
would tramp my feet off before
would suffer few men to trample on
me in any such way There is nc
use to talk to me. There is too much
work in the country for man to put
up with any such conditions.
Now, | want to say in conclusion
Union men, for the sake of the union,
and for the sake of those that have sac
rificed their homes to win that strike
if you work there, quit, and if not al
work, don't go to work there If the
agents of the company are out after
you now to go to work, and you won't
go, it will in my estimation, not bt
long until they will be after your lead
ers for settlement
Remember, it hasn't been very lonl
since their agents were hunting every.
thing else but union man. Yes
things are taking change.
PARKWAY David