5 oo THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



In the soft coal fields, after a strike in 1875 caused by a reduction 

 in wages, two of the strike leaders, John Siney, president of the Miners' 

 Union, and Zingo Parks were arrested for conspiracy. Siney was ac- 

 quitted ; but Parks was sent to the penitentiary. 43 The famous " coal 

 and iron police" was organized at this time. The union among the 

 miners was practically destroyed, and soon the "Molly Maguires" ap- 

 peared as the natural product of a policy of repression. 



The pressure of hard times caused the membership of the Inter- 

 national Typographical Union to decrease from 9,797 in 1873 to 4,260 

 in 1878; and the number of unions in the organization declined from 

 105 to 60. In 1877, unionism among cigarmakers "was almost extinct." 

 Only 17 unions remained in good standing in the International Union. 

 Outside of New York City, Chicago and Detroit there were only 217 

 union cigarmakers in the United States and Canada. The strikes of 

 1877 are said to have acted as an "alarm bell." There were over six 

 times as many unions in 1881 as in 1877; and they were better organ- 

 ized " than in the most flourishing days of the past." 44 Organization 

 among the coal miners was practically destroyed by the period of hard 

 times. 



John Siney died of grief and hunger in 1876, and with him all organization 

 among the men.45 



The Knights of St. Crispin and the Daughters of St. Crispin also 

 practically disappeared with the panic. 



Up to 1875 as a rule, labor leaders opposed the use of the strike 

 except as a last resort. President Siney of the National Miners' Asso- 

 ciation stated that one of the objects of the association was "to remove 

 as far as possible the cause of all strikes." In 1877, the first great 

 railway strike occurred, and many bitter contests took place in the cigar- 

 making industry. And after 1877, "strikes multiplied enormously." 46 



The middle years of the decade of the eighties were years of dis- 

 content and struggle. The competitive battle was extremely fierce. 

 Many independent industries and proprietors were being ruthlessly 

 crushed in order that industrial " American Beauty roses " might 

 flourish ; and in the process the employee inevitably suffered. The em- 

 ployer no longer came in personal touch with his employees ; and the old 

 personal relations no longer existed to soften and humanize the treat- 

 ment of his employees. On the other hand, where the unions were in 

 control, " the methods employed were not always diplomatic, and some- 

 times they were a bit coarse." 47 This big-stick policy reached its climax 

 in some of the western mining towns the government of which was con- 



•*3 Simonds, "The Story of Manual Labor in all Ages," p. 661. 



44 Cigarmakers ' Official Journal, March 10, 1881. 



45 Simonds, "The Story of Manual Labor in all Ages," p. 661. 



46 Swinton, "Striking for Life or Labor's Side of the Labor Question." 

 4i Buchanan, ' ' The Story of a Labor Agitator. ' » 



