The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-08-14
STROBE TELLS Of BuGHT|NG EFFECT Of
COMPANY STORES AND BOARDING HOUSES
TIE NIoulTou6 SYSTEM ALL, ILLUSTRATED BY
STRIKING COMPARISON TWO WELL KNOWN SECTIONS
BAR TO PROSPERITY

residences have been repainted.
Local taxes are doubled, real estate
has deprecated 40 per cent in value.
at conservative estimate. Scores
of houses and lots are for sale, with
no buyers
Not reading room, club or recrea-
ton room exists, no place where
man off duty may loaf, except a saloon
or on a street corner.
More than half the men employed
are single or absent from their fam
lilies
The national secretary of the Y. M
G. A. when here officially to supply
what exists in other towns, received
no encoura cement in fact. was turned
down by the mining companies
What is the cause of this lack of
progress, this depreciation of values,
etc, in the face of doubled payroll?
Tho Answer.
The blighting Influence that has
caused this little town to wither and
droop, when it should be growing and
flourishing, is none other than the
famous smelter trust. the power of the
Guggenheims, which by means of
system spread throughout the wide
ramifications of its subsidiary compan-
les, Is able to extract undue profits
from the earnings of even its hum
blest employees thousands of miles dis
n in Vnrl, yl,o
branch of the trust which operates in
Mullan Is the Federal Mining and
Smelling company, employing in the
great Morning mine and mill several
hundred men, about one half Of. whom
are housed in the Morning boarding
house, an institution situated outside
the village limits, furnishing no rev.
enue thereto, and managed by the
United Stores company.
The Control Of Trade.
The men who live at said boarding
house do not feel at liberty TO change
their place of residence at will, nor do
they deem it wise to purchase cloth
ing or merchandise at any store save
one that one conducted under the
same auspices as the boarding house
If perchance one desires to board in
town with relative or friend it be-
hooves him to call at the employing
office and ask permission, which is
not granted in all cases. or he runs the
risk of loss of employment. TO keep
the boarding house filed is one of the
first principles of the system. Many
Of the other half of the Morning en-
ployes live with families in town. most
Of them in rented houses Of inferior
type. but the unwritten law prevails
among them that in all purchasing of
supplies one store shall have the pref
erence, viz. that of the United Stores
company, and that store with its ever
watchful eye will quickly discern any
tendency to wander into other mer-
camille houses 1t is in order to re-
mark here that but five residences in
Mullan are pastered
A Cinch on the Pay.
Having assumed the guardianship
of It's employees. by controlling as to
where they shall board and purchase
their goods, the Federal Mining and
Smelling company Oh It's monthly pay
day, reaches the climax of its protect
crate by deducting from each mans
wages, without authorization, the
amounts due the boarding house and
store. The majority of working men
are sufficiently self respecting, as to
wish to have the disposal of their own
earnings to be willing to pay their own
bills, and to expect the right to walk
the earth as free American citizens,
but these privileges are not secured
to many of the workmen employed by
the Federal Mining and Smelling conf
pany. and they silently submit to the
system or lose their jobs.
MulIan, a One Store Town.
BY the method of deduction and col
lection a vast sum of money is turned
over by the Federal company for the
benefit Of the United Stores company,
which corporation controls both the
store and the boarding house
Court records obtained recently in
the Loughlin suit show this amount
to be on an average of $160,000 an
nually, all of which enters into for
eign pockets and is Of no benefit what
ever to Mullan or the state of Idaho
Little Compctition--Meat Price.
Many attempts have been made by
grocers and other merchants to start
competing business in Mullan, but
they quickly succumb to the power Of
the company store. One grocery firm
has continued for years successful
business, by keeping prices exactly IN
line with those of the big store, which
has taken on additional departments
such as furniture. etc, until 1t is now
able to furnish customers almost any,
thing they may ever desire to pur-
housekeeping millinery and whis-
ky.
The meat department recently rails
ed the price of meats I 12 cents per
pound in one day, without any known
cause, and the Mullan consumers now
have the choice Of steak at IS cents
Continued on page eighty