The Catholic bulletin., 1914-08-15
CONDITIONS
IN The BLACK HILLS

FACTS BROUGHT OUT BEFORE
UNITED STATES COMMISSION
ON INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
THE CASE OF BISHOP BUSCH.
The United States Commission on
Industrial Relations on August 3 and
4 held public hearings in the municipal
hall Of the city of Lead, S. d., in the
heart of the Black Hills, as to indus
trial conditions existing there. The
Commissions inquiry had been
brought about by the difficulty between
Bishop Busch and the Homestake Min
ing 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 its
men, carried the grievance to the Mil
waukee convention of the American
Federation of Catholic Societies,
where at the Social Service Confer
ence he stated the conditions existing
in Lead, showing that it was impos-
sible for many Catholic workingmen
to attend Mass on Sunday because of
the work at the mine
The Situation in Lead.
The testimony before the Commits
sion, supplemented by the investiga.
tiOns Of the representative Of the
Central-Verein, who makes this report,
disclosed q most peculiar situation in
Lead. The workers for the Home,
stake Mining Co. are we'll cared for
in as far as material matters are con
cerned. The working conditions in
the mine are very good, the wages
are reasonable enough, ranging from
So to S. and 81 a 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 a free hos
pital for its employees and those i'm
mediately dependent on them and has
recently opened a large welfare" or
amusement building, for the whole
city of Lead, in which can be found
game-tables, free library, the gift of
Mrs. Hearst, a large stockholder, and
nature.
The workingmen Of the Homestake
Co., however, and the inhabitants Of
Lead evidence the most serviIe fear
of the company on all occasions One
Of the members of the commission at
the session on the last day, com
planned that it was impossible to per-
suade the business men to say on the
stand things they willingly discussed
in private.
No Free Press or Free Speech.
To get the workers to talk is even
more difficult, if that were possible
No satisfactory information at all
can be obtained from them as to their
relations with the company. The local
newspaper, apparently subsidized by
the company in that it has been
running for three years large FAD"
against the Western Federation of
Miners which has no meaning at the
| present time, likewise reflects only
the company's views AS Commits
sioner O'Connell remarked: There
is no free press or free speech in
| Lead"
The company further compels its
| applicants for work to sign card
| promising not to join a labor organi-
zation and maintains force of de-
tectives to discover any 'agitators, :"
unionists, or Socialists who may be
in the workers ranks. George
Northam, the chief of this force, the
company's gunman," testified that
many men were reported on this
charge by his staff to the employment
! department and dismissed each year.
The company's attorney, Chalmers
/ Keller, is the dominant factor in
politics in Lead. His political lieuten-
ants, according to his testimony, con-
troll the board of commissioners,
which conduct the affairs of the city.
i SiX-seventhS of the land in Lead is
owned by the company, either in fee
| or through mineral rights. Many busi-
ness houses and residences are built
on land which at any time the com
pany may decide to use for mining
i purposes and these occupants must
move on ninety days notice in such
cases without compensation of any
sort for Improvements or for dam
ages received. The people of Lead
workers and business men-are well
fed subordinates completely at the
mercy of the Superintendent of the
mine, who has been vested with abb
solute power by the company's direct
ors.
Bishop Busch and Sunday Observance.
/ The question OF Sunday observance
naturally came up for quite lengthy
consideration. Bishop Busch, who
was the second witness to be exam
lined, related the story Of bis agita