Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1916-03-16
STRIKE SITUATION
AT DUNLAP
Letter From Prominent Union Man Tell
ING Of the Peculiar Conditions
ExistaLt There.

DUNLAP, Tenn, March S.-The
order Of the day here is Company
! guarding slate dumps. We are having
q good time here now, sitting around
| watching the mines trying to run but
there is not much doing in the work
ing line. The people of our country
know what kind of men il takes to
run coal mines. There are men work
ing here now that the company would
not look at before the strike. Come
mp. The farmers are taking our plac-
es in the mines. Before the strike
came one Of these men could ask Mr..
Superintendent for job, and he
would say, "Where are you from q"
swell, I have been farming down
here. !" did you ever dig any coal -
mo" ''Well. l can't use you" But
what does he say now Come on,
and we will move you at once" Put
him in place to dig coal and pay
man to show him how to work. Isn't
that getting coal, so l think, but
when Mr.. Farmer goes back to farm,
what will be do. He will come around
and say, 'Do you want to buy any
potssoes or beans today" and we can
say, ''No, you worked when we were
on strike - Ask Mr. Rogers at Vic
toria what be got into over a strike at
Etna. He would come to Whitwell
with load Of melons and have to
take them back, looking sad. l think
there will be some sad people around
Dunlap before long
Everything is looking good here for
the union men. Dear men, who look
for living for wife and children,
what can you promise them when you
are helping to cut wagesr l will ask
you v hat did you get for your labor
before the union came to this country.
l can tell you. you got 75c day for
driving mule, 35c ton for digging
coal, and now the same coal is paying
SIC to &c ton and mule drivers get
81. rs day But the union is no good
some will say. Why do You say that
Please let me tell you. You do not
know anything about the union. and
some Of this little company say it is
no good, and you think because they
have little money it is so. If the
company does not want it we had bet
ter get it. for what is bad fol- them is
good for the laboring man you ought
to know. What does company care
for man. II YOU get killed or die
does the company bury your Why. no
The men who are working has it to
do Why not stick to the man who
helps you when you are in need. do
not mean to say all companies are that
way, but 80 out of 100 are.
Please tell me, someone, why all
laboring men are not union men for
It is for their good, and not the rich
mans Some men think all they
need Ia for some boss to give them q
smile. Can you feed your family on
smiles, and doesn't it take tne al
mighty dollar to buy sack of four
You can smile all day long at the SUI
perintendent and then ask bim for a
sack Of flour, and see what he says,
"Wby, our company doesn't allow as
to let anything ont, -. But still you
keep your smiles up. All bosses look
like Ned to me when it comes for
smile and long talk, and let the talk
be about some poor. hardworking man
who has got family to feed. Just
think, what does he think Of man
like that. am sorry to say we have
plenty of them here. You can say
"Howdy" to one Of these men, and
he will run to the Superintendent and
say that man was after me-" My
God, he needed for someone to get af-
ter him. and tell him what be was do
ing, for they don't know. heard
that q man here said he was the God |
of Dunlap, some of these men believe |
it. They think they have to do Just |
what they are told. Thank God, I |
don't, and praise him for 1t. This
company is getting men in here very |
but l guess we are beat now, |
for they have got one family Of four |
and just three eyes in the bunch |
What AbOut a company having such |
men as that. They would not let |
them work until the strike was called, |
and il all men we're like me they
would have to get them another set
think we have some good Tracy |
men here who were once good union |
men. They got their grub from the
union until they got some ahead, and
jumped into the mines to work.
Think of a man like that The good
Lord doesn't know man like that.
Mr.. /. B., Of Tracy, did you ever
know of a company who put up a
fight against the union, but what went
broker No, indeed. you did not. They
have bankrupted the biggest company
in the South. and look out, Chattanoo-
ga Iron and Coal Co., you are going
the same way So help as God, tue
time has come when the q. M. W of
A. Is going to show what they are.
and must say it is for all lsboriug
men who are men white inside aud
outside We have found out most of
them in Sequachee Valley.
Just word to you strike breakers
Do you know what you are doing?
You surely do not. Do you know
What union isl No, You do not. Do
yon know what you are getting for
7oar laborr No. you do not. You
,Ie cutting the throats of youi child
Tho l1nia., L. |