The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-08-15
MINERS CONDITION
NOW DANGEROUS
CHILDREN SCRAMBLE FOR 4
BITE OF RAW BkCON-CALL FOR
HELP ISSUED.

wan and worn by the want that the
strike of their fathers has brought
about. scrambling for bacon brought
| by Miss Kate Barnard to the stricken
| McAlester district, was what the s,ate
commissioner of charities and cOrrec-
rions encountered on her recent visit
| of relief to the eastern side of the
state.
Abiect want, symbolzed by the
craving of the children, is the situa-
| tion in the McAlester region, says the
commissioner-wan so pressing to be
unbelievable in this southwestern
| land of plenty-and general call for
man, woman and child in it, as well
as to organized labor and the charit
able and all other public and private
| associations is the result.
The entire mining district of the
McAlester region is in worse than des-
titute circumstances; their poverty is
pressing, menacing and dangerous,
and aid must come, said Miss Bar
nard Friday.
Miss Barnard, with Jack Britton, a
miner, and member of the relief
committee went Friday night to the
mining district. And on Friday car
of flour was purchased in Oklahoma
City, and ordered shipped Immediately
to the hungry miners.
The appeal now is to all classes and
all organizations. public or private.
The miners have been out of work
/ for over four months now, but have
been on a strike only during the last
week The mine operators have what
| they call a "two-year working con-
tract" covering the hours of labor,
wages paid, condition of mines ana
the like The miners are asking for
better pay, shorter hours and better
ventilated working places.
Already Miss Barnard has distrib-
uted $l05 among the needy ones. AT
| the democratic convention held last
! Thursday a general collection was
taken up and $234.77 raised, which
will he turned over to the relief com.
mittee. Several men over the state
have contributed $25 each, among
them being O. d. Halsell Of Oklahoma
| City and Tate Brady of Tulsa. Mr.
Halsell gave, in addition to the money,
large supply of groceries.
There are no prospects now of the
miners going back to work, For the
| past four months they have kept en-
gineers at the mines pumping out
water. in order that should the opera
| tors agree to their terms they could
return to work Immediately, which
} they are anxious to do said Miss
| Barnard
The commissioner announces that
money can he sent registered to her
in Oklahoma City or Guthrie. or to
]. Holt, secretary of the miners relief
association in McAlester
| Luther Langston of the federation
of labor and Charles Daugherty, state
/ labor commissioner, have also assist
ed in raising money.
During the past week over $1,000
has been subscribed for the striking
miners of eastern Oklahoma and their
families. according to j. Luther LangS
ton secretary of the State Federation
of Labor through whose hands much
of the money donated has passed.
Secretary Langston declares that
the miners are in the right. He says
that they are wohrking on the wage
scale put in force in 1903, when the
cost of living was much lower than a,
present, and that the raise asked for
is not equal TO the greatly increased
cost of living during the past seven
years.
When, seen Saturday shortly after
he had finished several days labor
with Organized Britton of McAlester. /.
in behalf of the suffering miners and |
their families. Mr.. Langston had the
following to say:
Il have bur recently returned from !
the territory affected by the strike
and can testify to the truth of the re-
ports that many of the miners are in
Strengthened circumstances. Many OF
them have large families and it is i'm
possible TO save any considerable \
amount on the extremely low wage
received
Already the careful hoardings OF
years of toll are gone and starvation
would be immnen; in many cases but
for the generosity OF laborers and
business organizations of this and
other cities of the state. Everywhere
labor and business concerns