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Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday May 27, 1902
Eugene Debs Opines on Pennsylvania’s Great Anthracite Coal Strike
From the Social Democratic Herald of May 24, 1902:
EUGENE V. DEBS ON THE MINERS’ STRIKE
The miners’ strike is on in the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania. The operators were defiant and eager for the fray. The miners pulled every wire to prevent the collision and finally voted to go out in the very last extremity. A large minority voted against the strike and President Mitchell, all accounts agree, did his best to prevent it.
Most earnestly do I hope the poor devils will win, but there is no use trying to conceal the fact that they are up against it and that the coal and railroad companies have been preparing for the fight, openly courted it, and are determined to wipe out the union and run their mines to suit themselves.
At this writing everything is quiet as a graveyard in the anthracite region, but nevertheless the Republican governor [William A. Stone], elected largely by the votes of coal miners who don’t believe in going into politics, has already sworn in an army of special coal police, armed with Winchesters, to protect “property” and incidentally to perforate the hides of the striking miners if this becomes necessary to break up their strike, and force them back into their holes through starvation tunnel, to dig for their masters.
That is all they are fit for; at least that is what they themselves seem to think, for that is what they voted for under the direction of some of their district officers, who are simply the political pluggers of the gang of robbers that fleece the poor coal diggers when they work and have them murdered when they strike.
Pennsylvania, where hell is active as Mt. Pelee, and slavery in full blast, has a Republican majority of 300,000, made up quite largely of the poor devils now on strike.
The governor is already making active preparation to return bullet for ballot in accordance with the invariable program of the capitalist class, whom the miners and other workingmen have made the ruling class of the country.
President Mitchell will do the best he can in a trying position. He has issued a request that miners abstain from the use of liquor during the strike, and, acting upon his advice, they thronged the churches on Sunday last and took the oath of total abstinence and the pledge to entirely keep out of saloons till the strike is settled.
As for the Civic Federation, it has already done its worst. It has delayed and dallied six weeks, taken the heart out of many of the strikers and set them by the ears among themselves. Had the miners struck April 1, as they intended, they would have been far stronger than they are today.
My advice to you, striking miners, is to keep away from the capitalistic partnership of priest and politician, to cut loose from the Civic Federation, and to stand together to a man and fight it out yourselves. If you can’t win, no one else can win for you; and if in the end you find that the corporations can beat you at the game of famine, you may, and it is hoped that you will, have your eyes opened to the fact that your vote is your best weapon and that if the 140,000 miners of Pennsylvania will cast a solid vote for socialism, they will soon drive the robbers from the state and take possession of the mines and make themselves the masters of their industry, and the workingmen the rulers of the state.
As for the army of coal police already marshaled and armed by the governor to shoot the strikers upon the assumption that they are criminals, I advise that the miners in convention assembled unanimously resolve that, while they propose to keep within the law, they also propose to exercise all the rights and privileges the law grants them; and, furthermore, that the monstrous crime of Latimer shall not be repeated, and if any striker is shot down without good cause the first shot shall be the signal for war and the miners will shoot back; and if killing must be the program of the coal barons, let it be an operator for a miner instead of miners only, as in the past.
Terre Haute, Ind., May 19.
Eugene V. Debs [Signature]
[Photograph and emphasis added.]
From the Duluth Labor World of May 24, 1902:
DEBS AT ST. LOUIS.
Eugene V. Debs addressed an immense meeting in St. Louis last week, where the trade unions and Socialist party united in a big May Day celebration. Debs is about to make a lecture tour through Colorado and other states under the auspices of Western unions, which are desirous of learning more about the doctrines of socialism.
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[Emphasis added.]
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SOURCES
Social Democratic Herald
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
-May 24, 1902
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/social-democratic-herald-us/020524-socdemherald-v04n47w199.pdf
The Labor World
(Duluth, Minnesota)
-May 24, 1902
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn78000395/1902-05-24/ed-1/seq-4/
IMAGE
EVD, Houston Daily Post p6, May 22, 1899
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86071197/1899-05-22/ed-1/seq-6/
See also:
“The Pennsylvania Coal Strike is On”
-May 19, 1902, by Eugene Debs at Terre Haute
https://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1902/020519-debs-pennsylvaniacoalstrike.pdf
Coal strike of 1902
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_strike_of_1902
Democratic Miners
Work and Labor Relations in the Anthracite Coal Industry, 1875-1925
-by Perry K. Blatz
SUNY Press, 1994
https://books.google.com/books?id=vPfxIM5AOTQC
Tag: Great Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902
https://weneverforget.org/tag/great-anthracite-coal-strike-of-1902/
1902 eruption of Mount Pelée
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1902_eruption_of_Mount_Pel%C3%A9e
National Civic Federation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Civic_Federation
For opinion of Debs re NCF, see:
“We Must Gain Possession of the Tools of Trade”
Speech by EVD at Butte Auditorium, June 16, 1902
https://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1902/0616-debs-mustgainpossession.pdf
Scores Hanna.
“Only recently,” continued the speaker, Mark Hanna announced that he was a strong union man, and Charles Schwab, president of the steel trust, has just discovered that he always has been a union man. They propose to have the lion and the lamb eat strawberry shortcake together. An organization called the National Civic Federation is to arbitrate all differences between employer and employee. Every man in the Civic Federation is either a capitalist or immediately connected with them.
Now Hanna is made a silent partner in a combination which has for its object the betterment of the masses. If I were a dove I would as soon think of subjecting myself to the care of a ravenous hawk. (Applause.)
Tag: Lattimer Massacre of 1897
https://weneverforget.org/tag/lattimer-massacre-of-1897/
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Miner’s Life – Kilshannig