Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1909-07-22
The Mystery OF
The Yellow Room
By CASTOR LERoUx - COPYRIGHT yS ssHnrAnoy
extension and increase of power of the

extension and increase of power Of the
| labor unions.
These organizations are the only
| things about the mine that are not
controlled by the desire for profits.
They are the only things that put prof
| its below lives. So it is that they are
the greatest life saving institutions
connected with mining.
1t is admitted that, no matter how
numerous inspectors may be, they can,
not detect all violations Of mining
laws. But it is the miner who must
be forced to violate these laws or who
must see their violations. II he has
no union behind him, he dare not COM
| plain lest his life pay the penalty, fol-
to lose his Job is to lose the means
whereby ne lives, and that is life. But
backed by a union he insists that his
/ life be protected.
/ One Of the greatest causes Of mine
accidents is unskflled labor. The union
| insists that no one be allowed to work
| In a mine who has not first been prop
erly trained.
If one miner refuses to go down into
a mine which is filed with gas, he
loses his job. If 500 miners refuse to
go into a gaseous mine, profits stop
and the mine owner ventilates the
mine.
| Against every Improvement that
threatens profits the mine owner fights.
A Po
the union fights.
A few years ago Walter Wellman
wrote a series of articles on the Fair
mont mining region. He told of the
wonderful philanthropy of the mine
owners. He declared that they were
performing wonders in their efforts to
care for the miners. But they would
not allow any unions among their en-
ployees.
Monongah is in the Fairmont re-
gion, and those same benevolent mine
owners are now begging for funds to
care for the widows and orphans they
have made
Yet there are points where the union
reaches a limit The United Mine
Workers of Illinois a few years ago
asked the legislature of the state to
pass law providing for especial care
IN the firing Of shots. The legislature
passed the law, but the mine owners
refused to obey it. The governor did
not call out the troops to force them
to obey it, although it was a law de-
signed to save human life On the con-
fvssSTa srrSSr
bftrate the question of whether the law
should be enforced.
The third member on that commits |
sion was Judge Gray of the United |
States circuit court. This Judge, sworn
to Interpret and enforce the law. de-
cided as a member Of this commission
that the mine owners need not obey
the law
The Judge was representing the class
to which he belonged-the possessing
classic whom profits are more sacred
than lives, and therefore he decided in
favor of the profits and against lives.
Had the workers controlled the gov
eminent of Illinois, had they had
judges representing their class upon
the bench, lives would have been given
first place, and the shot firers' law
would have been enforced.
SO long as one class lives upon prof
Its and the other upon the expendi-
ture OF its lives in production there
viii always be war between profits
and human lives. So long as the prof
1t taking class rules lives will be made
secondary to profits
The Socialist sees that the time ia
coming when the working class viii
take advantage Of its overwhelming
to secure possession of gov
eminent and also Of the mines and
ofher things through which wealth is
produced. It viii then conduct all in
dustry for the benefit of the producers
There will be no conflict between
profits and lives. All energy viii be
exerted to the frightening and the
strengthening and betterment of hu-
man lives. 1t will be to the interest
q no one to kill persons in order that
profits may follow Therefore there
vii De no such Industrial murders.
mat Is Socialism. - Chicago Daily {
Socialist.