Year: 1877

Men who labor in the coal mines have
fiong' been universally pitied because they
delve in the bowels of the earth, beyond
the life-giving influence of sunlight,
amid the fumes of burning oil, powder,
smoke and uoxiOUs gases, and exposed
to constant danger. These same men,
however, Will not accept positions out
side the mines at the same per day, for
the simple reason that sipside" work has
mas fascination which they cannot OF
will not resist. Time passes more rapid
ly and pleasantly in the familiar "gang
ways" and "breasts" than above grouno
ana the temperature is less variable; ii
Is warmer In winter and cooler in sum
mer than In the open air. Miners proper
work but a few hours a day, az they are
IN many instances practically superin
tendenfs OF contractors who hire theil
own men. The laborers work from eight
to ten hours. Bur all make barely enough
to support their families, for their pay is
small and the number of working days
in week limited. Their condition is
indeed deplorable, and yet they all know
from experience that strikes only add to
their misery. During the flush times OF
the war when men were few, coal in aos
tive demand and wages high, the men in
the mining districts were continually
striking-not because they were not wei
pald, but because (having most of them
come TO THIS country under the impress
sion that 1t was a new El Dorado) they
were unable to count their riches by the
|. Thousand. Few of these men could " lite
their own names; few can now They
were without trades or professions, and
could not or would not till the soil. A
the war progr' 7sed wages were raised
until miners received more than bark
cashiers can now command, and laborers
made more than the men who kept the
company books. But bank hiers and
book-keepers have bought hous =, edu
Gated their fa,r'lies and are among the
wortb'eSt citizel of the State. The mi.
ners, some OF item, made good use OF
their opportuniti \, and these have indie.
pendent incomes, but the vast majority
are just where they were before. Their
money has been squandered as it came,
anu now that hard times brings every
man TO the financial rack, the miners are
suffering. Their condition, we said
before, Is deplOrable; but veTy few have
any one to blame for it but themselves
The moral of all this is easily found
Ignorance begets misery, misery despe.
ratlon, and desperation crime. Those
now living cannot be aided mentally
cannot be raised above the low level on
which they were born and reared; but
by well directed efforts their present n
cessities can be relieved, and Jy com BIN.
ing reason with force their self-imposed
Affections can be a]leviated. In some
parts of the coal regions to-day work is
plenty and food Is pi lgty, but terrorism
compelS the men to remain idle WI Ia
their families are stalking. There is no
effect without car se, and the int, ida
ton must spring from some well defined
class of the population. 1t is scarcely
30 r.. a. ~


hand of the Mollie Maguires. The order
is neither dead nor sleeping. Its swift,
fatal, yet cowardly tread is still visible
and its utter annihilation is all that can
bring the semblance of peace and pro
lection to the true workers in the coal
regions. Prosperity they cannot expect
while the production of coal so far ex-
ceeds the demand; but comfort they can
have, if they are enlightened enough and
brave enough to throw off the blood
stained yoke that has so long held them
fast.