The Irish standard., 1914-08-15
INDUSTRIAL SLAVERY
IN THE BLACK HILLS
No Free Press or Free Speech in
Lead says Commission. Men
afraid to Testify.
Federal Authorities Investigate Con"
ditions inlareest Gold Mine
in the World.
Bishop Busch left Lead as a Protest
against Conditions. His fight
for Sunday Observance.


for Sunday Observance.
The United States Commission on
Industrial Relations on August and
4 held public hearings in the munich
pal hall OF the city OF Lead, S. D., in
the heart OF the Black Hills, as to in
dustrial conditions existing there.
The Commissions inquiry had been
brought about by the difficulty be-
tween Bishop Busch and the Home
stake Mining Co., owners of the
greatest gold mine in the world, over
the question of Sunday observance.
The Bishop, it will be recalled. after
several futile attempts to persuade the
company to encourage Sunday rest
among it's men, carried his grievance
to the Milwaukee convention of the
American Federation of Catholic So
cieties, where at the Social Service
Conference he stated the conditions
existing in Lead, showing that it was
impossible for many Catholic work.
ingmen to attend mass on Sunday be-
cause of the work at the mine. The
statements of the Bishop were mis-
represented by several Socialist pa
pers throughout the country and by
the local newspapers in Lead and feel
ing ran high against the Bishop in
that city. Six months prior to the
Milwaukee convention in March, 1918,
he had, as matter of protest, retired
to Rapid City, some fifty miles from
Lead, where he established his episco-
pal see.
The Central Bureau of the Central
Verein, when informed that this mat
ter was to be looked into by the
Commission, sent special represen-
tative to Lead to be present at the
hearings and to report the facts in the
case to the Catholic press.
The Situation in Lead.
The testimony before the Commis-
sion, supplemented by the invest'ga-
tions of this representative in Lead
disclosed most peculiar situation in
that place. The workers tor the
Homestake Mining Co. are we'll cared
for in as far as material matters are
concerned. The working conditions
in the mine are very good, the wages
are reasonable enough, ranging from
$3 to $5 and 81 day, the eight hour
day, obtained through the efforts Of
the Western Federation of Miners
several years ago, is still in force
The. company maintains free hospi'
tai for its employees and those 'mme'
diately dependent on them and ha:
recently opened a large "welfare" OF
amusement. building, for the whole
city of Lead, in which can be foune
game-tables, free library, the gift o
Mrs. Hearst, large stockholder, ant
other features Of an entertaining ma
ture.
The workingmen of the Homestak'
Co., however, and the inhabitants o
Lead evidence the most servile tea1
of the company on all occasions. On'
of the members Of the commission a
the session on the last day, com
nlained that it was impossible to per
suade the business men to say on tn
stand things they willingly discussed
in private. :,
"No Free Press or Free Speech il
Lead"
To get the workers to talk is ever
more difficult, if that were possible
No satisfactory information at all cal
be obtained from them as to thei
relations with the company. Ih'
local newspaper, apparently subs'
died by the company in that it ha
heen running for three years larg
"ad" against the Western Federation
of Miners which has no meaning a
the present time, likewise reflects onl!
the company's views. AS Commis
s;oner O'Connell remarked: "Iher
is no free press or free speech II
Lead"
The company further couples its ap
nl;cants for work to sign card prom
ising not to join labor organization
and maintains a force of detectives t
discover any "agitators," unionists' o
Socialists who may be in the workers
ranks. George Northam, the chief o
this force, "the company's gunman'
testified that many men were reporte'
on this charge by his staff to the EN-
plovment department and dismisse
each year.
The company's attorney, Chalmer
Keller, is the dominant factor IN po''