Mt Olive Coal Miner - 1 Jan 1998 - Macoupin County Illinois
Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives ©1997 Larry Clark

The following article submitted by Larry Clark, was published in the St Louis 
Post Dispatch in 1915 and reproduced with permission (see end of article). The 
article gives the coal miners side of the story contradicting the coal dealers' side 
of the story about profits.

Coal Miners Side of the Case

contributed for use by Larry Clark

To the Editor of the Post-Dispatch. In your editorial of Sept. 25 you say: In 
demanding a six-hour day and a five-day week, the coal miners cannot be 
accused of “gluttony.” Absolutely not! That is more than can be said for the coal 
dealers and operators. The situation is this:

The average cost of a ton of coal delivered f.o.b. the mine to the operator is 
$1.25, 65 cents of which the coal miner receives for wages. The coal dealers’ 
figures to the public show very plainly that he is making no profit. Such figures 
do not deceive the coal miners at all. If the miner receives 65 cents for mining a 
ton of coal, where, I ask you, does the rest go?

We know! Partly to the coal operators, but mostly to the dealer. The operators 
say the miners make $10 per day. Some of them do. But how many days in the 
year does he work: he works on an average of 125 days a year. Why? Because 
there are too many mines and too much coal mined. He does not average $2.50 
per day. The six hour day, five days a week, will give us more steady 
employment. Also, a coal mining town is the profiteers’ heaven. The moment the 
miner receives 10 per cent increase in salary, the store keepers advance their 
proces 30 per cent. When they are asked why their reply is always: “Well, you 
got a raise.”

The following is an example of some prices in Mount Olive; Beef, Mount Olive 
40 cents per pound, St. Louis 17 1/2 cents; sugar 14c, St. Louis 11 cents. 
Everything else in proportion. Is it any wonder we must have an increase in 
wages?

Why does not the public and the Post-dispatch give heed to the miners’ side of 
the case? Has not the miner the right to live the same as other? You think that the 
average miner is something less than human. The American miner is above the 
average in intelligence. I want to impress on you, and in future I request that 
you give heed to the his side of the case. If any of the profiteering coal dealers 
want to take up this matter I will make a few more disclosures.

A MOUNT OLIVE COAL MINER


This article reproduced with permission of the St Louis Post-Dispatch and is 
copyrighted by the St Louis Post-Dispatch. POSTnet, an Online Service of the 
Post-Dispatch and Pulitzer Publishing.


NOTICE: This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities for 
educational and/or research purposes as long as this message remains on all 
copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for 
profit or other presentation without the permission of The Macoupin County 
Illinois USGenWeb Project.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be 
reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or 
persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the 
written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, 
and contact the listed USGenWeb Project archivist with proof of this consent. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Project Archives by ©1997 Larry Clark