The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-31
MINERS OBJECT TO
 NEW MINING LAW
BELIEVE TT IS so DRASTIC THAT
 TT WILL KEEP THE BETTER
 CLASS OF MINERS OUT OF THE ~ STATE

To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 Some time since we noticed in the To- cal papers that the mine operators were preparing a mining bill for the protec- tion of the miners. We tried to believe that the. operators really wanted to en- courage good miners to come into the etate and to protect young men of the state who are going into the mines by securing the enactment of just and fair law for the protection of the miner, con- a s,dersing that at best he is exposed to constant peril of life and limb and to conditions tending to shorten life.
 It seems that the operators preferred to work In secret, and we are told that some members of the legislature could not get any information as to the eontem- plated bill. However, the bill has now been published in pamphlet form, and we are informed is in Montgomery being urged for passage by committee or op- orators. We have at last secured copy
 If it becomes law we do not see how any self respecting miner can come to Alabama There are many pen altes imposed by the act, but practically all of them are aimed at the miners, and only one, so far as we have noticed, at the operator, and that not for the ben eft of the miner, but is imposed by sec- tion 66 for failure to supply map of the mine. That this provision is not for the benefit of the miner but for those finan- cially interested in the mines and ad- joining owners see section 65. The miner is given no right to. see it.
 We will point out some of the iniqul- ties of the proposed law. Section 1o4 prevents persons not employees from going upon the property connected with the mines unless with the written con- sent of the operator or his representa- tive, and then only when accompanied by guide (guard) furnished by such op- orator or his representative. What is the purpose of this section? One purpose manifestly is to prevent farmers in the neighborhood from selling vegetables fruits, poultry and fresh meats to the miners, forcing them to sell it to the commissary and then let the commissary sell it to the miners, the commissary fix ing the price for the farmer and for the miner. The meat trust would not be circumstance compared with the upper and neither millstone between which the miner and the farmer would be ground. Another thing, doctor could not visit a sick member of a miners family without this written consent and this accompany ing guide. The effect of this would be to force the miners to patronize the com pany physician who of course, would have the consent, and no other physician could get it. A minister of the gospel would be denied the right of visiting these miners or preaching to them in a church located on the land connected with the mine. An aspiring candidate would not be permitted to see these min CTS and solicit their support if they lived on property connected with the mines. It may, however, have been thought best by the operators that these uninformed and unfortunate people should support the companys candidate.
 Section 105 puts the miners in straight Jacket He must not leave the beaten rath-the established way, in going to and from his work. He must keep in the middle of the road and that road provid- ed by the operators. After toiling in the mines all day, these miners will not be allowed to chat for a few minutes at the opening of the mine after emerging into the light from which they have been denied access during the. day, for the