The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-05-09
What the Causes Were and
How the Struggles
Turned Out.
.HE first organized strike in the
anthracite coal fields of Penn
sylvania occurred just sixty

"HE first organized strike in the
anthracite coal fields of Penn
sylvania occurred just sixty
three years ago. Before that
time there had been unnumbered diff
ferences between miners and opera
tors, resulting in local suspensions of
work, but Of these no record has been
kept, and the Schuylkill county strike
OF 1S49 stands out as the opening bat
tie of long drawn out warfare which
has kept the hard coal regions in a
state of unrest ever since then. bar
ring the last ten years.
There were occasional years be-
tween 1849 and 1902 when quiet pre-
vailed for the most part throughout
the region, but as a general thing dis
putes, threats and strikes occurred in
one locality or another.
How many hundreds or thousands
OF such strikes took place will never
be known. for until comparatively re-
cent times no adequate data have been
preserved. The bureau of mines now
supplies information of strikes since
SAAS
coal companies have data, scattered
through their voluminous records, and
the weekly and daily newspapers pub
Ished in the anthracite fields have
preserved in their flies such brief ref
erences to labor troubles as they have
been in the habit Of printing. But. it
was left for a clergyman, the Rev.
Peter Roberts Of Mahanoy City, in the
lower anthracite field, to make ex-
haustive research and to collate as
fully as possible a record of strikes,
which was published years ago in an
elaborate treatise entitled 1.-The An
thracite Coal Industry"
The First Strike.
1t is interesting to note in the strike
of 1849 the first recorded conflict be-
tween capital and organized labor in
the anthracite industry; that the issues
involved were about the same as in
every great strike since then
In 1S48 labor organization of an
thracite miners was formed in Schuyl-
kill county by John Bates, after whom
it was named. When the early spring
of 1849 arrived Bates found it strong
enough to put up certain demands to
the operators of mines-higher wages,
shorter hours and recognition of the
union. The operators declined to
grant the demands, and in May a gen
eral strike was declared throughout
the Schuylkill, or lower field.
The Bates union held a meeting on
May 2, 1S49, in the village of Miners
Vile and another meeting on May in
the adjoining township. at which reso-
1uticns were adopted stating that 1--WE
- have learned from Divine Providence
that the laborer is worthy of his hire"
adding significantly that if any man
was prevented from working because
of his membership in the union they
would all strike.
The same tactics were employed in
that strike of 1849 that have been en-
ployed ever since. The men in the
Bates union armed themselves with
cudgels, formed themselves into bands
and marched through the Black valley
and by methods of threat. intimidation
and assault when deemed necessary
compelled men to quit work and Join
the ranks.
After several weeks Of struggle the
operators and the workmen got togeth-
er and effected a compromise, the
strike was declared off. and the men
went back to work.
First Strong Miners Union.
1t was in the latter part Of 1867 that
labor leaders in all the three anthracite
fields. the upper, middle and lower,
realized the necessity Of having the
Workmen knitted together in one
strong union, and after much careful
discussion in July, 1868, the first COM
prehenslve anthracite coal union was
tormed-the Workingmen's Benevolent
association, whose first president and
controlling spirit was John Siney.
Before many months the wv. B. A."
as old miners still call it, was strongly
1ntrenched in the lower and middle
helds So large proportion of mine
workers became members that it yir-
tually controlled the situation there.
While the middle and lower fields
were tied up hard and fast, however.
the mines in the upper field. the Wilkes
barre region. continued at work day
and night and supplied the public de-
mand for anthracite. So Siney's men
started on a march across country to
Wllkesbarre to persuade the miners
there to go on strike In this they
were so far successful that the opera
tors in the upper field agreed to an
eight hour working day, although the
men failed to get an advance in wages.
The strike lasted nearly all summer
IN the lower or Schuylkill region, when
an agreement was reached there where
by the men gained a 10 per cent ad-
vance, but lost their demand for an
eight hour day.
Slney and his associate leaders Of the
w. B. A. by constant missionary work