The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-11-04
Continued from First Page1


more money so 1 buy shoes for my
wife and children" he said. Down
Pittsburgh cost $40 to buy shoes for
my family. / not got $40"
He refused to discuss any other
phase of the strike with me.
A Pole, VINO has been in this coun-
try Ave years. declared he did not
care how long the strike period ex-
tended. He said that: 81 make money
Il save her. Don't have to work"
i learned that this miner had a
family of six; that during the first
nine months of this year he earned
an average of S226 q month.
The Poles and some of the I'M
married Italians paid an income tax
last year on sums ranging from 1000
to $4,000" an operator told me. He
exhibited a statement from the In
ternal Revenue office to prove 1t.
This class are always prepared
for a strike" he told me.
At Burgettstown. the center OF the
soft coal fields of the west Pennsyl-
vania panhandle, I talked with a
| returned soldier, who left the mines
AID went into the service.
Thinks Public Favsrs
Living Wage.
II have been out Of the service
about four months" he told me. "Of
| course, L hate to go into a strike. but
L believe the public wants to give
! us a living wage. I'm not saying
this because / was a soldier, but be-
cause / think the public got to know
the miner better during the war when
the miner made good his part of win
| ming 1T by work in the mines.
AS far as l am concerned. would
De Wiling to continue working eight
hours day IL the Government would
reduce the cost of living go per cent.
Ihat would be as good as a 60 per
| cent wage increase"
At 3:45 o'clock in the afternoon 7
engaged in conversation a group of
painters and miners, who were wait
ing Tor the train to Pittsburgh.
How does il happen that you are
| quitting work in the middle of the
| afternoon?' / asked one of the paint
| ers
| Eight hours he said. land.
/ stranger, IL this coal strike is won.
1t won't be long before we will get
off still earlier"
Now is the time for the store
clerks to wake up. They go to work
| before US eight-hour men do, and they
don't get off until long after we do.
The miners have the right idea. Six
hours is enough if we can get work
| all the year. and there will be work
| for everybody"
A younger man, who with others
| had become interested in the discus
| sion. put in that he left a good. steady
job in the mine and went to war. but
when he came back he could only
work half time.
The operators won't run steady i'm
the spring and summer when there is
N q nd 10
| they want big tonnage in the winter
when the demand is great.
Did Painting
To Get More Money.
Il could not live on what made at
the mine this summer. so I had TO
take to painting. / started TO go back
to work the other day, but got to
| thinking that so long as I have a
| steady job, ! would wait until the
strike is won before getting back on
my job at the mine"
| A young man, who said he was a
''hagman on a local" suggested that
| some OF you miners ought to 90 to
| railroading il the strike lasts a long
| time
Il guess we will wait and see what
| happens with the strike" one of the
| miners, a man about forty, answered
Got any money! the railroad man
asked
A half months pay. the miner in
formed him.
What are you going to do when
| that is ct up?" was the query.
II don't know-just get along some
| way. | have done il before" the
miner said resignedly. 81 went
| through a local strike once. had moth
ing when / went into il, and nothing
when l come out l don't know now
| | got along. Me and my family just
| lived. That's all ! know"
| Later in the day, while on the
| train en- route to Pittsburgh. ! talked
with a miner who was going from
| the mine in one town to transact
some business in another town twelve
miles away.
He had been reading a letter which
he showed me. 1t was from his
brother, who is a miner in Illinois
Among other things l read the Tot
| lowing and made note of II:
| 81 expect to do nothing this winter
but shovel coal into my furnace. I
am prepared for a long hard fight
that may last all winter. I'll not
turn a hand at coal mining as long
as the strike is on"
That's the way my brother feels
that's the way ] feel. and let me
|