United labor bulletin., 1914-02-14

merely the issue between yesterday and
today Blood has been shed, life taken,
trade hindered, laws broken, reason tied,
passions looscd, and one of the finest
communities in the country turned into
a rumbling volcano-all by the prelim-
mary quiver of the hand upon the clock.
North of Wisconsin lies slab of the
state of Michigan. Near the eastern end
OF this slab is a tongue-roughly, thirty
or forty miles wide at the base and
eighty or so in lengths thrust north
east into Lake Superior. The base OF
tic tongue is Houghton county; the tip
is Keweenaw. In this territory score
or more of companies are mining copper,
but with widely differing financial ne
suits. The Calumet & Hecla Mining
company, for instance. in 4 little over
forty years has paid the enormous sum
of sl250000OO in dividends and rein
vested G5,000,000 in its properties, all
upon an original investment OF sl25,-
100000.
Life Upon Copper Basis.
The total urban population OF the
district approximates 100000, mostly
within a diameter of forty miles, the
three larger towns being Houghton. Han
cock and Calumet. The entire business
aid social life of these people rests upon
a copper basis-copper banks, copper
stores, copper workingmen, copper man.
sgers. copper clerks, copper schools, cop
per ehurches-eyerything is copper. The
Commercial club is copper. The county
government is copper. Calumet, with
population of 60.oo0, has no municipal
organization. The general manager OF
the C. & II. Mining company is also the
general manager OF tle township OF
Calumet, by virtue OF the fact that his
position a- county supervisor from
that district makes him chairman Of the
township board This makes a new kind
of interlocling directorate. But not only
do the copper companies dominate the
community business and the community
government. but they have an enormous
hold in another direction. They own
much land. especially about their mines.
and they part with this land cry re-
luctantly when they part with Il at ali.
Calumet township. for instance. abounds
in churches. 10 the building OF which the
mining companies often contributed. yet
! am informed most Of these churches
stand upon ground not bought hu;
leased from the corporations. the leases
being subject 10 cancellation and some
Of them upon very short notice
Hold Grip Upon Everything.
The mining eompaiic- ai-o control
many ai.d pcrhEp. most cf the homes IN
which their employees live. They also
lease lots TO workingmcn upon which to
build homes Of their own The typical
G 4 II lease 10 = home builder nuns for
five year-. The lessee may not -cll his
hou-c without the consent of tho com
panyi if he quits. OF b. discharged. after
ninety days the company may ntaka
the land. and H. after another ninety
days. the home builder has failed TO sell
or remove his strncturc. they revert, like
the land. 10 the company
All Of these things show the power
which this great and immensely -ueocss-
ful corporation holds over the life Of
the individual workman. II can name
his pay. IL eau condition his work. IL can
turn him out in the snow. il eau force
him 10 sacrifice his property or sec it
-eizcd. IL can curtail his credit. It can
influence the teaching in his schools and
the preaching in his churches.
A. TO the situation with respect to
tho public buildings mentioned. have
no doub, this represents - combination
of public spirit aud busines. sagaci,y.
The mining companies want to retain
their grip upon their holdings to the last
extent. AZ tho same time. they feel the
responsibility for making adequate pro-
vision for the moral aud educational
life OF the community and have chosen
this A. the best way OF doing the
thing.
Operators Demand More, More.
At the time OF the strike dozen ma
tionalitics were represented in the work.
ing forces. The earlier generation had
been mainly British. with the Cornish.
man supreme as the natural miner. but
in the present day the Finn. who is an
even better miner. has crowded the Cor
nishman into second place. while good
many Of the best hands or drill arc
Italians and Swcdcs. The bulk of the
unskilicd work falls now to the Croa-
tians and Hungnrians. At the same time
many OF the surviving Irish. English
and Scotch have been showed up the lad.
der into all sorts Of positions Of author
ity from petty bosses 10 mine captains.
The labor Of these mines falls. rough
ly. into four classcs-surfaec men. tim
Der men, drill men. who do the mining.
and the trammers, who load the rock
upon cars and push IL 20 the shafts for
raising. OF all the work in the mine.
that of the trammcr is hardest lie ia
''thc OK OF the mine" His load seems to
have grown heavier with the years. and
his relief hardest TO obtain. so that he
Is a big item in the present strike.