| Show THE WOOD RIVER STRIKE from Wood I t The news that comes I River concerning the conflict between I the owners of the Minnie Moore and i the Queen of the Hill mines and the miners is of that character which ever produces an unpleasant feeling in the minds of the public The dispute has existed for several weeks The owners i of the mines whether from necessity or c through a spirit of greed ordered a reduction f f re-duction of the miners wages from 400 r i a day to 350 The proprietors assert J that this reduction was necessary in order to keep the mines open the extra j half dollar representing really more If j than the profits on the mans labor On the other hand the miners declare j that considering the cost oft of-t 1 I living and the character oft of-t their work 400 a day was not too I much indeed they go farther and say it the companies can well afford to pay 1 I i the wage and that any less is a robbing of the toiler Efforts at compromise I I failed and on the order of the Miners a Union the men stopped work Some of I j t their places were filled by nonunion I men lUbe reduced wages but the mines I I 4 have practically been closed for sometime some-time Recently however men were I put at work and as threats of violence I on the part of the union miners had 1 I been made the new force was protected a by a guard Kow informationcomes I t that the union 300 strong after an ineffectual I in-effectual attempt to bring the mine super p I ntendents to terms assaulted nonunion I workers and it was with difficulty that the officers were able to prevent the mad strikers from wrecking the works of the Queen At our latest advices I there was a suspension of active hostilities hos-tilities but there was liable to be an t i I outbreak at any moment This business I is interesting here from the fact that I t SI the mines in question are largely owned ib f i and managed by Salt Lake parties and many of the miners engaged in the I i quarrel are well known in this Territory I where they formerly wbrked I The affair is to be regretted as are all labor strikes that are misguided and F conducted in lawlessness The strike I I itself may be all right the miners i I may be absolutely correct in 1 their estimate of the value 1 of their labor to the companies and in their statement of the cost of t I i I living and whether correct or in error I t itis their privilege to refuse to work for I less then the price they ask but here Ii the miners right in the premises ends and there should be a termination of i I I the relations between him and the company I com-pany The employee has no more right to r i compel his employer to pay more tha I i the latter will give willingly than the employer has to compel the laborer tot to-t t work for less than is fair and just Violence I Vio-lence on either side cannot be tolerated sI I 1 i where there is a government possessing f power to exercise its authority But i our Wood River miner friends even go beyond a refusal to work and say that others may not earn the money which the former refuse to accept They properly assume the right to act for themselves and nQtonly this they + l dictate to others and employ threats and force to carry their own iuandatesinto s effect This is all cleanly wrong and sl p t can be justified by no grinding action i f I I on the part of the companies If the j miners are abused or if they think they are abused let them as a union or as f individuals stop work and encourage and induce lawful by persuasion as 1 many others as they can to quit this is their privilege and by doing this and nothing more theywill receive the approval r ap-proval sympathy andsupport of the i b + t public but they must not say that one man stall not enjoy the right of earning I wages which another man refuses I ti Of course the strike must end in the submission of the strikers Jto the authority author-ity of the law THE HERALD hopes they I t will see it is to their advantage to bottle I their wrath before it leads them into I t trouble farmore serious than working I I > > i i for J350 per day could ever get them into C 11ef what you can and all you I can through agitation and lawful I t t + f I methods but avoid criminalitv IIi I |
