The Anthracite Coal Strike
The President of the United States, the Governor of New York, and influential politicians of Washington, Pennsylvania, and New York State, all have sought in vain to bring about the settlement of the great anthracite coal strike. The coal barons continue firm in their position that there is nothing to arbitrate, and that they will not recognize the miners’ union in any way. Much feeling has been stirred up over the matter in all parts of the country. The mine operators have demanded that the President send Federal troops into the coal regions; but this the President has not consented to do. Some have demanded that legal action be taken against the miners’ organization on the ground that it is now operating in restraint of trade. On the other hand, suits have been brought against the coal-carrying railroads on the ground that they have entered into combination in defiance of the Sherman anti-trust law; that they are engaged in mining coal for other use than their own fuel needs, which is contrary to law. All the troops of the State of Pennsylvania have been ordered out, and still but little coal is being mined. Nearly all the mines are practically idle. There have been some cases of violence in the coal regions and some arrests. English labor organizations are seeking to stop the exportation of coal to America in order that the coal famine may have its full effect in the settlement of the strike. The American Federation of Labor has issued a call for contributions for the support of the striking miners. The price of hard coal in Eastern cities is now $25 a ton, and soft coal also is increasing in price. There is bound to be great suffering, especially in the tenement districts of the great cities, during the fall and winter, through the inability of the people to get coal. There is now before the British Parliament an educational bill which is causing much heated discussion. It is known to be a government measure, and the British cabinet is staking its own tenure of office on the passage of the bill. The objectionable feature of the bill is its provision for a direct tax upon the people for the support of Church of England schools. The Liberals are opposed to it, and religious bodies other than the Church of England are also opposed to it. At a recent session of the British Baptist Union the measure was denounced emphatically, and Baptists were urged to suffer distraint of property rather than pay the obnoxious tax. The premier himself is championing the measure, and Mr. Chamberlain has declared that the government would resign in case the bill fails of passage. Lady Henry Somerset, the well known Temperance worker of England, arrived in New York on October 6. She has the following to say regarding conditions in England: “We have done much work in England, altho things go very slowly there. One great success that our temperance cause met with was the passage of a bill prohibiting a child under 14 years of age carrying liquor from a saloon, or visiting such a place under any pretext whatever. Drunkenness among women is on the increase in England to an alarming extent. To every woman drunk in London streets there used to be four men in the same condition. Now it is reversed, and you can see four drunken women to every drunken man. England is a nation of drunkards. It is dreadful to have to say so, but it is an undeniable fact.” A decision has been handed down in the United States Circuit Court at New York, by Judge Lacombe, in which he holds that a citizen of Porto Rico is not a citizen of the United States, and so must be subject to the immigration laws pertaining to aliens when landing at a port of the United States. This decision is due to the provisions of the treaty of Paris, which state that the political status of the inhabitants of Porto Rico shall be determined by Congress. Congress has not spoken, and so, in the eye of the law, Porto Ricans continue to be aliens. The Colombian Government has had an engagement with the forces of the revolutionists at La Cienaga, in which the rebels are said to have been badly beaten. There is still some friction between the American commander at Panama and the Colombian officials over the matter of the transportation of troops on the Panama railroad. Colombia protests against Admiral Casey’s ruling in the matter, and the United States Government has cautioned the admiral not to trench upon the sovereignty of Colombia. After the reduction of a number of Moro forts, the American commander in Mindanao sent warnings to the Sultan of Bacolod to cease hostile acts toward the Americans. The sultan replied defiantly, declaring that he wanted war, and did not care for American friendship. He is now fortifying his strongholds and preparing to resist the expected attack, which will not be long delayed. The government has ordered the taking of a census of the inhabitants of the Philippines, and the work will soon begin. By a decision of the Nebraska Supreme Court rendered on October 9, the reading of the Bible and the singing of hymns in the public schools of the State are prohibited. The case has been appealed from the lower courts and reverses the decision of the District Court. The decision states that such exercises are forbidden by the constitution of the State. The judges state that the decision is not in accordance with their personal wishes, but that being the law of the State, it must be enforced. The directors of the British cable company, whose line will soon be finished between British Columbia and Australia, and the directors of the American cable company, whose line is about to be laid from San Francisco to the Philippines, are reported to have agreed to connect the two cables at Fanning Island, where the British cable lands. Thus in case of a break in either of the lines, communication can still be carried on by means of the other. The street-car strike in New Orleans has been brought to a close after two weeks’ duration. There was much violence during the strike, and the street-cars were completely tied up. The militia had to be ordered out to preserve the peace, as the police were unable to stop rioting or disperse the rioters. A compromise was effected on October 12, the strikers fearing that the sending of soldiers would enable the company to run its cars without them. The Standard Oil Company is said to be financing the beef trust through the City National Bank of New York. In this act of financing, or underwriting, the beef trust there is a profit to the underwriters of $10,000,000. Thus is one trust backed by another, and in the process millions of dollars are added to the accumulations of the wealthy, all of which ultimately comes out of the scanty earnings of the people. The attempt of the New York pressmen’s union to prevent the issue of the November magazines until the employing printers agree to raise the wages of the striking press-feeders and discharge the non-union men who took their places, is declared a failure, and the great magazines will be out on time. In Venezuela the rebels seem to be gaining ground. They are expecting soon to capture the Venezuelan president, who is in the field with his troops practically surrounded. The Japanese house tax, which has long been a source of annoyance to foreigners residing in Japan, is to be a subject for arbitration at the Hague in the near future. England, France, and Germany will be Japan’s opponents in the case. The United States will not participate in the arbitration, but will reserve her rights in the matter under the “most favored nation” clause of international treaties. On October 9 the French Miners’ Federation declared a general strike in the coal mines of France for better pay, an eight-hour day, and old age pensions. It is estimated that 60,000 miners are now on strike. A general strike has been declared in Switzerland, but not all of the labor unions will obey the call. The people generally look upon the strike with disfavor. The Interstate Grocer declares that a plan is now being worked out for the consolidation of the wholesale grocery business of the whole country into one organization. One great corporation will be formed which will buy outright the business and good-will of the various firms, and the central office will do the buying for all the houses operated by the trust. The little gunboat Bogota, recently purchased and fitted out by the agents of the Colombian Government in San Francisco Harbor, sailed for Panama on October 7, with the avowed purpose of attacking and capturing the insurgent Colombian gunboat Padilla, which has been giving the Colombian Government much annoyance for several months past. The Burlington Express was held up by bandits near Lincoln, Nebraska, on October 11. The safe of the express car was blown open with dynamite, and the contents secured. The amount taken by the robbers has not been made known by the company, but it is believed to be large. Zion City, the citadel of John Alexander Dowie and his followers, is now facing a financial crisis. His institutions are refused credit by the merchants of Chicago, and he is making an urgent appeal to his followers to come to the rescue with sufficient cash to tide over the crisis. An aged colored woman who claims to have been born in 1770 died in Chicago on October 11. If her story is correct, this woman had reached the remarkable age of 132 years. She was living at the time of the Boston Tea Party and of the meeting of the first Continental Congress. The war minister of the provisional government of Hayti has been defeated in a spirited engagement with the insurgents, losing many men and some of his equipment and ammunition. The government is planning to send stronger forces to cope with the rebels. Affairs in Bulgaria and Macedonia are still in a very unsettled condition. Reports from the latter country state that a general insurrection has broken out, and because of this Bulgaria is calling out her reserves to prevent the invasion of her territory. Another peasant uprising has broken out in Poltava, Russia. According to despatches sent across the border, fierce conflicts are taking place between the peasants and the local forces. Many persons are reported killed and wounded. A combination of English capitalists is reported to have launched a scheme to capture and control the British food market in the interests of the Canadian producers. The corporation is said to be capitalized at $3,000,000. The Grand Army of the Republic, whose annual encampment closed at Washington on October 10, voted to hold its next encampment at San Francisco, California. Thomas J. Steward was chosen as leader of the organization. William Zeigler, who financed the Baldwin expedition in search of the North Pole, is planning to send out another expedition for the same purpose, altho he has already spent $350,000 without accomplishing that object. The crown prince of Siam, Chowfo Maha Vajira-vudh, arrived in New York on October 10, and was taken at once by special train to Washington, where he was cordially received by the President and Secretary of State. A terrible gale prevailed on the Labrador coast on October 4. Eighteen fishing vessels were driven ashore and wrecked. This storm is said to have been the worst since the memorable gale of 1888. W. H. Wright, treasurer of Hawaii, has absconded, leaving a shortage in his accounts of $17,949. The police have not yet been able to locate the defaulter. The National Irrigation Congress which has been in session at Colorado Springs, Colo., adjourned on October 9, and will meet next year at Ogden, Utah. Twenty persons were killed in a riot attending the closing of a Spanish Socialist club just across the line from Gibraltar on October 11. It is now possible to send telegraph messages as far north as Eagle City, Alaska, which is just on the Arctic Circle.