Friday 17 August 2012

1902-05-23


There was a wise priest out in the Lehigh Valley coal regions who asked his parishioners, last Sunday, to take an oath that they would abstain from the use of intoxicating liquors during the strike that is now on; and to the credit of the men in the congregation, coal miners and those engaged in other branches of business, every hand was raised and every head bowed while the oath was solemnly administered by the priest and reverently taken by the men. That all might be reached, the priest again administered the oath at vesper service to those who were not present in the morning. One of the great misfortunes of labor troubles generally is the tendency to drink too much of the social glass when the strikers meet to talk over their grievances, and many a man has been led into the habit which but for labor difficulty might never have overtaken him. One of the main causes of loss of life during strike troubles in the coal mining region has been too free use of liquor by the men. With bitterness in their hearts because of the injustice done to them by the mine owners, it was natural that their indignation was aroused against the men who would take their places and thus defeat them in having their wrongs righted. A few glasses of liquor to fire up the passions and the result has been many a murder and the destruction of property of the mine owners. The priest in the mining region of the Lehigh Valley has done much toward winning the strike for the miners for with cool heads, the men can the better enforce their demands. The life of a coal miner is one of hardship and danger, and his labor is poorly paid for, considering the immense profits made on the coal by the owners and the transportation companies. Even though every reasonable demand was complied with and the coal cost more to fetch it out of the mines, the consumer has to foot the bill in the end. A matter of five or ten cents a ton added to the wages of the miner would be but a small addition to the price, if the mine owners and the railway companies, in their greed, would not add five cents to the consumer for every cent extra they pay the miner. John Mitchell, the president of the United Mine Workers, also cautioned men against the use of intoxicating liquors. The story was told that during the battle of Manila Bay, when Dewey won his celebrated victory over the Spanish navy, that the sailors were sustained in the heart of the battle by copious supplies of liquor. Someone wrote to the admiral and asked him if it was true, and here was his terse reply : “As a matter of fact, every participant, from myself down, fought the battle in Manila Bay on coffee alone” And Admiral Dewey also made known the fact that not a drop of liquor is allowed on board an American warship save that required in the hospital stores.

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          There is an uneasy feeling among workmen in Canada as well as in the United States, and the clash of labor against capital is heard everywhere. There is prosperity on the whole American continent and the men who help to make it, reasonably ask that they be considered in the profits. The cost of living is much higher now than it has been for years. The men who own the large business enterprises are entitled to fair profits on the capital they have spent the best part of their lives accumulating as well as pay for the expert service they give their business; and the men whose only capital is labor are equally entitled to a comfortable living for themselves and their families. Without the combination of labor and capital, all enterprise would stop for one cannot prosper without the other. The one great trouble in this world of business is that everyone who has anything to sell tries to underbid his neighbor in order to get advantage of the market. Such ruinous competition ends in cutting down the price of labor, for no business man of any sense will sell goods for less than they cost him to produce, except in extremely rare cases. Cheap clothing means low wages to the hands who make it, yet everybody is trying hard to find the place where the cheapest suit is to be had. The man who wants to build a house will figure the price down so low that the men employed in doing the work barely make wages enough to keep body and soul together, and very likely you will next hearing him denouncing employers for paying starvation wages. The trouble is we are not willing to live and let live. Low prices for merchandise, or for anything that requires labor to produce, means low wages for the men and women who do the work.

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          The Rev. Dr. E. G. Hirsch, one of the ablest Hebrew preachers in the United States, has long been drifting toward the observance of Sunday as recognized by people generally. In a recent sermon on that line, he said : “God never ordained the Sabbath day. It is an institution of man. Only millionaires and peddlers can observe Jewish Sabbath in these days of activity. Sunday, to all intents and purposes, already has become our day of rest.” In many sections of the United States, especially in the larger cities in the east, and generally all over the west, the Hebrews have had a demoralizing influence on the Sunday observance. They do not observe Saturday because it is the best business day of the week, and on Sunday, they claim the right to attend to secular things as a matter of conscience; so they have the whole seven days to operate in. This is not true of all Hebrews, for many of them conscientiously suspend business on Saturday, and also on Sunday, out of respect for the feelings of those who recognize the Christians’ Sunday. Dr. Hirsch believes in obeying the laws of the country in which he lives, hence for years, he has been teaching cultivated Hebrew thought to recognize Sunday as the day of rest. In Canada, there is one Sunday for all, and the law intends that it shall be observed by the closing up of all places of business. A majority of the Hebrew citizens of Hamilton observe both days.

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          Such men as Dr. Hirsch, stand out in stark contrast with Rev. Mr. Rabbo, the pastor of the German Evangelic Lutheran church of Jersey City, who permitted the Young People’s society of his church to arrange for a boxing match as a feature of a church entertainment to be given last Monday night. The two young sluggers are members of the church, the exhibition was to be given in aid of the church treasury. The majority of the brethren of the church were enthusiastically in favor of the fight, and even the good sisters thought it would be “too lovely for anything.” The police, however, interfered, and the fight was not allowed to take place, even though the preacher earnestly implored the authorities to permit it.

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          Forty-six years ago tomorrow was the Queen’s birthday, and Hamilton celebrated it right royally. In those days, the fire department took the lead in all public celebrations, as Hamilton had only three small rifle companies and a battery of artillery. Great preparations had been made for the observance of the day. About 300 firemen were in the parade, every company having bright new uniforms, and No. 2 coming out with new fire helmets. That had been made by Ernest Kraft, then a young saddle and harness maker recently moved to this town. This was the first order for fire helmets Mr. Kraft had received, and it gave him an introduction in that line that brought him business from all the fire companies in this part of Canada. The parade that day has never been excelled before or since. Tom Gray was chief engineer, and he was resplendent in scarlet uniform, a brass helmet, and a shoulder cape of brass mail. Tom was in the heyday of his popularity, but that was the last parade he commanded of the old volunteer fire department. Peter Grossman’s band headed the procession, and the line of march was along the principal streets. The houses were gaily decorated with flags and streamers, and king street was bedecked in all the colors of the rainbow. It was an ideal day, and the people from all the neighboring villages and farms came to the celebration. The day closed with a brilliant display of fireworks on the commons in the rear of the Central school, and by eleven o’clock at night, Hamilton was peacefully sleeping, and resting for the Sunday services next day. Of all the three hundred young men who belonged to the old volunteer fire department of the fifties, probably not more than a score are living in Hamilton today. Of No. 3 company, which had the largest number on the drag-ropes that day, only five are in the city now, the majority having answered the last roll call.

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