Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1908-08-27
Pryor Ridge.

our most uenBnIlul anu uVNSy p"PSH
So today l will write short letter.,
Ye writer has moved about 2l2 miles
southeast of Pryor Ridge mines ana
south of Pryor place about half mile,
in a little possession house that u.
Sherman had built some five or six
years ago. The same now belongs to
the Consolidated 7. G. /. Co.
The work is going on here at some
rate. do not know what they pay.
There are some good houses up at the
Bennett place and people living in
them and more going up. The tipple
is about done. Any way they tip over
it and have shipped some coal from
here and lots of bark. There is a tele-
phone line being put up along the dirt
road from Tracy City TO Pryor Ridge.
All things are ready for good time for
everybody except the poor hard work
ing man that tolls for his own dear
family. Did You ever sit down and
figure on what the wage Garner who
has wife and six or seven children,
must make if they liver ! have. He
cannot feed and clOthe them and
81. % or 81 80 a day, and not less than
two dollars will give a living. This
is a we'll known fact, but there is a
strife for lower wages and highest
price on what the toiler buys. The
company is not to blame as they are
out for the dollar. Some will say how
is this7 ID is the toiler's fault. If all
would unite and stand out for their
right and be willing for the companies
to have what is theirs, the thing would
be settled to the satisfaction of all,
and there would be prosperity for all
honest people. As to a union to unite
men for the purpose of fixing prices
to hold their own and give the rights
to companies, it would hurt no one.
But here are the facts in the case. If
there is an organized place in the
country and good men working and
getting far prices for their toll, there
is dead beat that will do something
! that is not in the interest of the com
pany or the honest toiler either, to
bring about strike. This is wrong.
Continued work at fair price is bet
ter than strike. There are two clas-
SEES of men that are out of their place
and one is the striker that strikes for
the purpose of stopping work to draw
his grub and take his ease and throw
everything out of shape for all. This
is wrong If you strike, strike for
more pay if the prices will not give
you living. | don't blame man for
drawing his grub, but l do blame a
man for quitting work to draw his
grub.
There is another class of men that
are wrong. These are the strike break
er They are throwing stumbling
blocks in their own road. They are
promised salaries for what they do and
it may be that they get little raise,
but Just as soon as the fight is over,
down goes the price. They have got
the thing going their way. SO you see
that the trouble is all caused by the
poor classes of people. If you will
get right on the plan of justice and
stay together for justice to yourself
and the company that you work for,
then you could have things going your
way, but as long as a part strikes for
soup and part tries to oppose them
you will never do any good So get
right. Stand for the right and be will
ing to do right, and prosperity will
come to you, and not until then. | do
not belong to any order or union, but
if expected to do work for the money
ed classes or companies, | would join
myself to union AS all operators are
organized. This is right. If labor is
not organized, then the company has
both ends of the rope and they sure
4 pull Here is how some men do
You will hear them say, 'Oh WE'LL
my family is small and | can make a
living for them at the prices they pay,
or you will hear some men that have
no families, say, swell, as | have no
family can live at the prices. Don t
you know that you are cutting the
Threats of lots of children by this2
Now for the contract system. This
puts in a middleman, third party,
and is just the same as the WHOLESALERS
man. He gets profit that the labor
ing man ought to have and takes the
bread out of children's mouths to lay
up for himself. Are you doing right
Let there be but two parties in this
thing. Does not this come in contact
with your religion2 If you will read
, close, l think it will There are lots
of good union men that are working
, such schemery today, and all for the
dollar. They went into the union fol-
the dollar and they left for lick and
bigger dollar. This is what de-
stroys a union, so give up your con
tract and get your dollar by the sweat
, of your own face.
A few words to the operators o.
mines. factories and company work
If you would pay the men the DOODLE
money you pay your ticks you would
3 have no trouble with them, and give
them chance to make living Coco
treatment is what makes efficient men
but bad treatment makes iGcompeten
men, Treat them right ami they vii
treat you right, not'all but enough o
} them to do your work, and let the baC
ones go without work.
1t has been said by my neighbor
that | wrote hot and cold. This is un
true, for no man ON earth is more will
ing to advocate the cause of labor pro
lection than myself, for it is the bacl
hone Of any country. | do not meal
that it ought to be protected by riot
and fighting but by the laws of al
places.
The school is being taught at Gal
Grove again and knocking from twelv
( to fifteen children out of the school i,
the same way that it did last year. bu
! ] guess there is an earthly elect, but
do not know whether God knows then
or not. If such can get TO heaven.
j do not know vino will be lost as on
S of the Commandments says, "Thol
4 shalt not covet what is thy neighbor's 3. ,
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