The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-27
LETTERS TO EDITOR
The Coal Strike

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
Americanism and patriotism are I'M
questionably the two items of basis tina,
have succeeded so admirably in the build.
ing up of the United States of America
rendering it the leading Intellectual
manufacturing and commercial nation Of
the world and is all this to be over
thrown and wrecked through the domf.
nation of bolsheviks and their affinities
of the working classes?
Can the coal miners of Alabama (or
any other state) truly claim to be pa
triotic when entering into a strike Just
at the beginning of winter and cold
weather. with an insufficient supply OF
coal to keep their fellow beings warm and
free from flue, pneumonia, diphtheria,
tuberculosis, that must necessarily follow
as the results of the strike now pro-
posed?
l am not blaming the miners entirely
for the trouble such a strike would
produce, as the coal operators are to
some extent responsible, for the miners
asked for such unreasonable increase
in wage, and still more unreasonable re-
duction to 30 hours per week of work
ing time.
Such things il granted would mean
prices for coal and coke that would aid
in increasing the cost of manufacturing
iron, steel and most other of our manu-
features, to prices which would shut
same out of the markets of the world.
and prove almost prohibitory here in the
United States. causing the shutting down
of plants. loss of employment by the
labor classes. together with much hun
ger and suffering as a result.
The writer is not stating the results
of striking from hearsay, but from per
sonal experience in the Hooking Valley
coal field of Ohio back in the '70s, where
l. l.
for large manufacturing and CONNER
cial concern. also in later years in the
anthracite coal district of Pennsylvania,
when the notorious Molly Maguires -
through thei infamous organization, COM
mitted murder and vi .ence to an extent
that nearly shut down the anthr" cite coal
mines of Pennsylvania, and their out
lawry I will state was the inception of
the state constabulary Cor mounted po-
Iice) as a prime necessity, and which
has rendered such efficient aid during
the present strike of the steel workers.
Many of the merchants of Jacksonville
and other mining towns in the Hooking
Valley made the great mistake, when
they went to creditng strikers. thinking
the strike would end in a few days,
weeks or months, and became bankrupt,
as the strike ran SO much longer than
reckoned upon, giving us statesmen no
end of trouble in endeavoring to collect
bills due from them.
The spectacle of from toddling children
up to male and female youths up to to Is
years of age. with insufficient clothing
to either keep them warm or hide their
nakedness, peeking out from the rear
of houses because Of their want of
clothing to cover their partial nakedness
was a common one. bringing sorrow to
the hearts of all who witnessed 1t, and
which might be reproduced here in Ala
bama in case of long -continued strike.
and should be carefully considered by
the miners of Alabama before starting
into this strike as outlined to begin No
vember /.
The masses of the United States are de-
manding a general lowering of prices in
every line, and they know that increased
production is the most important basis
for realization of sa ne, yet we have the
miners of coal demand to be allowed to
decrease production through 90 hours
per week of labor while at the same
time demanding an increased price of
60 per cent in wage, sure to block the
wheels of most industries If granted
to them.
In behalf of the prosperity of your
families and the people in general of
Alabama, will you miners of Alabama aid
in continuation of same, and operation
Of its industries by continuing at work
industriously as have you for the last
two or three weeks, and await peaceful
settlement of your and the coal operators
differences, I ask in conclusion?
JAMES +. SLATER
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