The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-03-26
Miners ARE VICTIMS
OF Environment
Operators Are Anxious To Run
But Have No
Orders.

quaint wolf, poverty, with bloodshot
eyes and frothing mouth has broken
its letters and is at large in Ohio
county. Unbiased by dire necessity
IL is on the trail and is stalking its
victims with unrelentless fury. Ac-
cording to testimony the authenticity
of which cannot be doubted, Ohio
county coal miners, the brave men
of the mines who daily took their
lives in their own hands and descend
ed into the bowels of old mother
earth to wrest a living and obtain
food for their loved ones mother
earth's hidden storage places are
in dire distress and at the point of
starvation. Victims of environment,
these men are unable to obtain en-
ployment and with no prospect of
work in sight they are facing the al
terative of either accepting charity
or facing starvation. Ohio county
miners are good men good citizens
and good workers. A better class of
coal miners would be hard to find.
They are peaceful, unoffending and
lawabiding and are all. as a rule,
good fellows. II isn't their fault
that they are out of work. They
are anxious to renew their labors
and go back to work. The mines,
however. are shut down and their
yawning mouths placarded with the
omnous words, CLOSED" This hide
Gus nightmare stares the miners in
the face when they approach their
former place of employment. And
the coal operators, the barOns of the
mining industry. are not to be cen
sured in this case. They are just as
anxious as the miners to open their
mines. However. the scarcity of or
ders preclude the possibility of the
mines to be operated. they say.
For months the mines have been
idle. The little store of savings laid
by for a rainy day has long since
been exhausted. Company stores
have discontinued credit. Other
stores, operated by private parties,
are unable to carry the men on their
books, unstable business conditions
preclude this. So with no money to
buy with and no credit obtainable
what is the miner to do?
Take for instance. John Doe, who
is coal miner at Render, Ky. John
and his wife and five children are
fighting a grim battle against the
wolf at the dOor-starvation. John
is out of a job. He has been idle
several months. These months have
been ones of privation actual hunger
often, insufficient food always, lack
of proper clothing. About him John
sees many other families in the same
condition, and John wonders what
causes it ALL For himself John
doesn't care so much. But when he
thinks of the patient wife and five
pretty children--is it any wonder he
bows his head in agony? And the
worst part of it John sees no relief
i'm sight. John looks at the village
church with it's dome pointing heav-
onward like a silent sentinel. Some
where John remembers having read :
For l was an hungred and We gave
me no meat; was thirsty and we
gave me no drink" And then John
thinks of the church members, God s
servants. He imagines they are ask
ing: Lord when saw we thee an
hungred. or athirst and did not min
lister unto thee?"
And John smiles, as he pictures
in his Imagination the surprised look
ON the faces of the church members,
answers, "verily | say unto you in
asmuch as we did it not to the least
of these, We did it not to me-" And
John wonders why the preachers are
always preaching about going out
into the highways and hedges. 4"
John agrees that church members
are good people. but then he knows
of many saloon keepers who are also
good fellows.
Down hearted. brboken spirited
and with logging steps John mean
ders homeward to the patient wife
and FIVE pretty children. And no
doubt Jesus as he looks down from
the throne thinks of his saying OF
old. 1.-THE harvest truly is plentious,
but the laborers few"
The honorable Fiscal Court, good
fellows that they are, broke prece-
dent and voted three hundred dol
lars for the relief of these worthy
miners. This was supplemented by
private subscription. No doubt this
relieved the situation to some extent
but II will not be adequate to relieve
all the suffering.
The situation in Rockport is not
H.. II Ina