England is preparing to send an expedition into the Soudan to reconquer
the province of Dongola, which was lost during the revolt of the Mahdi
in 1881-85.
Many of you have probably heard all about the Soudan war, in which the
brave General Gordon lost his life. But that you may understand the
matter fully, it will perhaps be as well to go over it again.
The Soudan is a vast tract of land in Africa, the boundaries of which
are not very clearly defined. Roughly speaking, it extends from the
Atlantic Ocean on the west to Abyssinia (King Menelik's country) on the
east; and from the desert of Sahara on the north, southward to the
Guinea Coast and the Congo Basin.
Part of this country was owned by Egypt. If you look at the map you will
see that Egypt borders on the Soudan.
The portion of the Soudan owned by Egypt comprised Lower and Upper
Nubia, the White Nile region, and the territories around the Red Sea and
the Gulf of Aden, Dongola being one of these Soudanese provinces.
Egypt is now a dependency of Turkey, and is ruled by a Khedive, who is a
subject of the Sultan. Egypt pays a yearly tribute to Turkey.
In 1859 the building of the Suez Canal was begun. This canal extends
across the Isthmus of Suez, and connects the Mediterranean Sea with the
Red Sea, opening a waterway between Europe and Asia.
To accomplish the enormous task of building the canal it was necessary
to have a great deal of money.
France subscribed one-half, and the Khedive of Egypt the other half.
But Egypt was not rich enough to advance such a large sum, so after a
while the Khedive sold the shares he owned in the Suez Canal Company to
the British Government, and the canal was then owned half by England and
half by France.
Having such a heavy financial interest in the country (the cost of the
canal was about one hundred million dollars), both England and France
were anxious to have some control of the government of Egypt to prevent
any legislation that might be hurtful to the development of their
enterprise.
For some years England and France exercised a joint supervision over
Egypt, but later it was arranged so that England assumed sole charge.
Much was done by England to develop the natural resources of the
country, and all went well until the rebellion of the Mahdi in 1881.
The Mahdi claimed to be a Moslem prophet.
The prevailing religion of Egypt and its provinces is Mohammedanism.
Now the Mohammedans believe that a great prophet, or Mahdi, will come to
lead them. Under his generalship they expect to gain possession of the
whole world.
More than one ambitious man has come forward and claimed to be the
Mahdi.
Whenever such a leader has appeared the people have flocked to his
standard, and through blind faith that success must attend their cause
under his leadership, have done some brave deeds.
The most important of all the Mahdis was the chief who came forward in
1881, declared himself to be the long-expected prophet, called the
people to his standard, and, taking the field against the British and
Egyptian troops, overthrew the Egyptian power in the Soudan.
At first the rising of this new Mahdi was not considered serious, but
after a time the rebellion assumed such serious proportions that it
became evident that Egypt alone could no longer hold her provinces in
the Soudan.
She appealed to England for help, and in 1884 the famous General Gordon
was sent out by the British Government to help the Khedive.
There were many military posts scattered throughout the Soudan, and the
object of General Gordon's mission was to relieve these garrisons, and
withdraw them safely from the troubled territory.
General Gordon was known as "Chinese" Gordon, on account of a brilliant
campaign he made in China, for which he was decorated with the yellow
jacket and peacock feather by the Emperor of China. He was chosen to go
to the aid of the Khedive because he had had long experience in Egypt,
having been in the service of the Khedive as Governor-General of the
Provinces of the Equator from 1874 to 1876, and of the Soudan from 1877
to 1879.
The story of the stand he made against the forces of the Mahdi at
Khartoum, and of the long-delayed expedition which was sent to his
relief, are among the saddest annals of modern history.
Khartoum was the capital of the Soudan, and an important commercial
center.
General Gordon was forced to make a stand here against the Mahdi, and
was besieged in Khartoum from March, 1884, to January, 1885. The city
which had held out so bravely was at last taken by storm and General
Gordon killed. The relief expedition which he had been expecting and
hoping for arrived just two days after the city had fallen.
With the fall of Khartoum the Egyptian power in the Soudan was
overthrown.
Lord Wolseley made a campaign against the Mahdi's forces, but it was too
late.
The Soudanese were lost to Egypt. A strong effort is now being made to
reconquer them.
The British officers in the Egyptian army have been ordered back to
duty, and it is said that action will be taken in a few weeks. It is
expected that the Mahdists will fight to the death, but they will not be
as powerful this time as they were before, as they are now no longer
united. The tribes south of Khartoum are in open revolt against the
Mahdists, and a part of their forces will have to be detached to quell
them.
* * * * *
The news from India is still very discouraging.
A fresh outbreak has occurred on the outskirts of Calcutta. Eight
thousand workers employed in the silk mills on the Hoogly River have
started for Calcutta to help the rioters.
The troops at Barrakpur, fifteen miles north of Calcutta, have been
ordered out to intercept the strikers, and prevent their advance upon
the city. They are also carefully guarding the bridges which span the
Hoogly River. This river is one of the mouths of the Ganges.
While the immediate cause of the outbreak was the quarrel over the
mosques, about which we told you last week, it seems that the anger
against Europeans is really due to the measures which have been taken to
stamp out the plague.
In India there are many races of people who, while they all live under
the same rule, have each their own special habits and customs.
These curious customs are rigidly observed. Some must not drink milk,
some must not touch lard, none of them must eat food prepared by persons
who are not of their religion, and many of them must not leave their own
country.
If they neglect these customs they are said to lose caste--which means
that they lose their social position among their special tribe, family,
and friends.
To lose caste is a very serious thing to a native of India.
Europeans are, as a rule, very careful not to offend the natives in
these matters, and are most particular to observe all the customs in
regard to caste. But at the time of the plague it was not possible to
exercise this care.
When human lives were in danger the doctors did not try to find out
what caste sick persons belonged to, but did what they thought best for
them.
We know for ourselves, in our own families, that the rules of the Health
Board in regard to sickness are not always agreeable to us.
We submit to having our invalids taken to hospitals when they have
contagious diseases because we know that we must not endanger other
lives.
Imagine, then, how the ignorant Indian natives must have felt, when, for
reasons that they could not be made to understand, their sick were
carried away by Europeans, and put into hospitals with people of every
tribe and caste, all to be treated alike, and forced to eat the food
prepared by foreigners.
They regarded the vigorous means which the Government took to stop the
plague as a personal cruelty to them, and could not be brought to
realize that everything was being done for their benefit.
Many educated Indians, who were perfectly able to understand that the
Government measures were right and proper, pretended to side with the
people, and, for the sake of stirring up the revolt, published articles
in the papers, and circulated handbills denouncing the wickedness and
cruelty of the British Government.
This course is likely to give England a great deal of trouble, for the
people of India do not love the Europeans.
The telegrams say that there is no reason to fear the overthrow of the
British Empire in India, because there are seventy-five thousand white
troops in the peninsula, and they are fully able to keep order there.
It is thought that the discontent will lead to a series of outbreaks
that will have to be put down by the soldiers, and which will increase
the bitterness already existing between the Europeans and the natives.
* * * * *
The Turkish troubles are approaching a crisis.
We told you that the Sultan was doing all in his power to delay matters,
in the hope that something might happen which would relieve the
situation.
The Powers are, however, determined to settle the affair, so, finding
they will submit to no more trifling, the Sultan has been forced to make
a move.
He bade his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tewfik Pasha, inform the
diplomats that it was useless for them to hold any further meetings, as
he found it impossible to deprive his people of the fruits of their
victory, and so could never agree to relinquish Thessaly.
Tewfik Pasha added that the Porte insisted that the line of the Turkish
frontier should be established along the river Salammria, which would
give Turkey the possession of Thessaly as far south as Larissa.
Having caused this announcement to be made, the Sultan had a circular
prepared and sent to his ambassadors abroad, explaining the situation,
and why he could not accept the frontier line as demanded by the Powers.
It appears that he is convinced that the Powers will not fight him, and
so is determined to defy them and take his own course.
He is said to have remarked that if the Powers could not force Colonel
Vassos and his handful of soldiers to obey them in Crete, it is not
likely that they will be able to coerce the victorious army of Turkey.
The Powers are now entirely of one mind. Turkey must obey their wishes,
and obey them quickly.
On hearing of the Sultan's action, Russia immediately protested, and the
other Powers joined in a collective note to the Turkish Government,
demanding that their terms of peace be complied with.
The note was very severe in its tone, and insisted that the frontier
line between Greece and Turkey should be fixed according to the wishes
of the Powers, and also that the Powers were determined that peace
should be concluded without further delay.
It was at first intended that the note should fix a date by which the
Sultan was bound to send his reply, and should state what the Powers
would do in case their request was refused.
But the note that was sent contained neither of these clauses, and so
the Sultan is not yet convinced that the Powers really mean to fight him
if he remains obstinate.
The Sultan, who seems to be a very wily diplomat, has in the mean while
been trying to find out the individual feelings of the Powers.
He sent notes to the various rulers, asking their friendly assistance in
the settlement of the frontier question.
None of them gave him any encouragement or reason to suppose they would
uphold him in case the matter was brought to an issue.
The Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, having assured him of his
friendship, advised him, in very plain language, to conclude peace on
the terms dictated by the Powers.
He added: "The concert of the Powers is firm and united in its
decisions. Therefore I request your Majesty to take my advice into
earnest consideration."
The Sultan's great friend, Emperor William of Germany, has also
intimated to him that it would be wise for him to obey the wishes of the
Powers, and not resist the demand for the withdrawal of the Turkish
troops from Thessaly.
The Russian sentiment is also strongly against Turkey. The official
newspaper of St. Petersburg utters a warning to the Sultan that if he
remains obstinate, the Powers will resort to decided measures to enforce
obedience to their commands.
France has sent him a very decided refusal to interfere in the matter.
All this time Turkey has been pushing her war preparations forward, and
is ready to take prompt action in case the peace negotiations should
fall through; indeed, the Turks have already recommenced hostilities.
Two thousand Turks besieged the town of Kalabaka in Thessaly, the Greeks
defending the place until they were overpowered.
A great number of the inhabitants fled to the mountains for safety, but
those who were not fortunate enough to escape were cruelly massacred by
the enemy.
* * * * *
The Powers have agreed upon the conditions for self-government in Crete.
A Christian Governor is to be appointed and an annual tribute of $50,000
is to be paid to Turkey.
The payment of the tribute will not be commenced until five years have
passed, because Crete has been so laid waste by the war that she will
not be in a position to pay her tribute until she has had time to
recover.
The foreign troops are to remain on the island until a Cretan militia
has been organized. This militia is to be commanded by European
officers.
The Turkish troops that remain on the island are to be gradually
withdrawn as peace is restored.
The Governor is to have the right to appoint and dismiss all government
officials.
The Assembly, which will manage the affairs of the island, is to be
composed of an equal number of Christians and Mohammedans.
The affairs of Crete seem thus to be happily settled. It is to be hoped
that brave little Greece, who so recklessly went to her aid, may fare as
well.
* * * * *
There is a report from Havana that General Weyler has at last been
recalled to Spain. It has not so far been confirmed, and so may not be
true, but it states that the Spanish Government, disgusted with Weyler's
failure to pacify Santiago de Cuba, has determined to recall him.
Weyler is said to have declared that to conquer the rebellion he will
need 200,000 more soldiers, and a fresh supply of money amounting to
$200,000,000.
President Canovas, however, merely promises that in case the Spanish
army suffers very severely in the rainy season, he will send 20.000 men
in October "to inflict a final blow on the insurgents."
The report from Madrid says that General Ramon Blanco will be Weyler's
successor, and that the fact of the latter's recall will be publicly
announced as soon as he returns to Havana.
We told you last week that the Cubans were continuing their military
operations despite the rainy season.
It is now stated on good authority that the long-threatened attack on
Havana is to be made at last.
It is said that orders have been sent to the insurgent generals to
concentrate their forces in Matanzas province, and, if all goes well, to
advance on Havana.
It appears that the Cubans are making the weather their ally.
Accustomed as they are to the country and its climate, it is possible
for them to move their forces despite the muddy roads and the frequent
downpours of rain.
The Spanish soldiers, weakened by the fevers of the island, are in no
condition to withstand these hardships, and every march they make causes
them as heavy a loss as an engagement would.
The Cubans are perfectly aware of this fact and are using it to their
own advantage.
There was a report during the week that General Gomez was hemmed in by a
Spanish column near Sancti Spiritus, and was in great danger. It was
further stated that several of the rebel bands hurried to their chief's
aid as soon as they heard of his peril.
There would appear to have been little truth in these rumors, for he is
reliably reported to be advancing on Havana.
A story has reached us about a certain swamp in Matanzas province, which
the Cubans used a great deal in the early part of the war, but have
since been obliged to abandon for want of a guide to lead them through
it.
This swamp is remarkable for the many beautiful and healthful spots that
are situated in its interior, notwithstanding that it is surrounded by
almost impassable bogs.
The entrance to the swamp is so little known that in the whole Cuban
army there was but one man who could guide the insurgents through its
intricacies to safety.
This man, Colonel Matagas, had lived in the swamp for many years, and
was thoroughly familiar with it.
He was, however, killed in battle, and after his death the Cubans
abandoned all idea of using the swamp.
The insurgents have lately been joined by a South American named Avelino
Rosas, to whom General Gomez confided the leadership of a portion of the
army.
This man set himself to learn the secret of the swamp, and after much
patient work discovered it. He immediately devised a means of putting it
to military use, and has besides established a number of Cuban hospitals
in its depths, confident that they will there be safe from molestation
by the Spaniards.
The insurgents are showing such extreme activity that some stirring
action may be looked for ere long.
We must not expect a pitched battle, for the insurgents are too wise to
attempt to face the enormous force of Spain in a decisive engagement.
They have been highly successful in their plan of harassing detachments
of the Spanish army while on the march, destroying supplies, capturing
outposts, and thwarting the plans of its leaders.
Captain-General Weyler has decided to give up the town of Bayamo in
Santiago de Cuba. He has ordered the inhabitants to move to the town of
Manzanillo, and has asked permission of the war department to burn
Bayamo to the ground.
His reason for giving up Bayamo is that there is so much sickness among
the troops in Santiago that they are not equal to the strain of checking
the activity of the rebels and holding the town.
We have already told you how the rebels intercept every train of
supplies that is despatched to the outlying cities, and it is easy to
believe that the Spaniards have no light task in trying to hold these
towns.
You will be glad to know that the crimes against the unfortunate
soldiers are not to be allowed to go unpunished.
We told you of the shameful system of robbery that prevailed in the
Spanish army; how the unprincipled officers took the money apportioned
by the Government for the soldiers' food, and, pocketing one-half of it,
kept the poor fellows on the short rations they could purchase with the
other half.
Two hundred Spanish officers and contractors for the army are now
imprisoned at the fortress of La Cabana in Havana, under charges of
fraud in provisioning the army.
Among these men are some of the highest officers: Colonels,
Lieutenant-Colonels, Majors, and Captains.
The amount stolen by these men during the two years of the war is
estimated at several millions. The truth of this wholesale robbery came
to light when the soldiers protested against the bad food that was being
given them. When they found their complaints were being unheeded they
deserted in large numbers to the Cubans.
General Weyler then ordered the arrest of the robbers, and, as we have
said, some two hundred Spaniards were accordingly imprisoned.
The Cubans have of late acquired so much war material through various
successful filibustering expeditions that they now have more arms than
soldiers for the insurgent army.
We told you some time ago that General Gomez had said that he could
nearly double his force if he had weapons to put in the hands of the
thousands who volunteered to join him, but that he had been obliged to
refuse many of the men who flocked to his standard because he could not
arm them. Now, however, that the situation has changed, a circular has
been issued from the revolutionary headquarters, calling upon every
insurgent at work in the towns to come and join the army.
The announcement also asks all Cuban sympathizers to be ready to assist
the insurgents in case they attack the towns.
This appears to have had a very good effect as far as the insurgents are
concerned, for volunteers are hurrying to the Cuban camp in great
numbers.
A report from Spain says that an uprising in Alicante is feared.
Alicante is a seaport on the south-east coast of Spain.
The trouble is on account of the new war taxes which the Government has
levied and to which the people are much opposed.
* * * * *
The Tariff Bill has been passed by the Senate.
It was passed on July 7th by a majority of ten. Thirty-eight Senators
voted for the bill, and twenty-eight against it.
There was great excitement in the Senate Chamber during the closing
debate on this bill.
It had been expected that a vote would be reached on the 7th, and so the
members of the House of Representatives flocked into the Senate Chamber
during the entire day.
The Tariff Bill was taken up at 11:15 in the morning and at 4:15 P.M. it
was finally passed.
Mr. Allen, of Nebraska, offered an amendment declaring all combinations
and contracts to restrict labor unlawful, but his motion was lost, and
there is no clause against Trusts in the new bill.
After it had passed, a joint conference was called, and the
Vice-President appointed eight Senators to take part in the discussion
on behalf of the Senate.
This conference is to settle with the House of Representatives the
changes that the Senate has made in the bill.
You remember that the Dingley Tariff Bill was passed by the House of
Representatives before it was sent to the Senate.
Now the Tariff Bill, as it stands to-day, differs in many respects from
the bill as it was received by the Senate. It has therefore been found
necessary to call a conference of members of both Houses to discuss
these points of difference, and arrive at some conclusion in regard to
them.
The Senate's version of the Tariff Bill will be copied and sent to the
House at once. It has been agreed that it shall be handed over to the
members of the conference without being first discussed in the House.
The Senators who are opposed to the bill declare that it is the worst
ever framed, while those who favor it insist that it is going to bring
back prosperity.
* * * * *
The latest news from the Sandwich Islands is that Hawaii has offered to
arbitrate the immigration matter.
The Japanese minister has, however, stated that he does not think his
Government will ever consent to arbitration, and so it is not likely the
difficulty will be settled by that means.
Feeling is running very high in Honolulu. There have been some
unfortunate conflicts between Americans and Japanese there.
It is reported that an American lady has been severely beaten while
trying to assist her brother, who had been attacked by a number of men
from the warship _Naniwa_.
While walking in the town with her brother, this lady encountered two
sailors, who stood in her way and would not make room for her to pass.
Her brother pushed the men aside, whereupon they turned on him and began
to beat him.
When she endeavored to help her brother the Japanese sailors beat her
unmercifully.
The discussion between the United States and Japan seems no nearer a
peaceable settlement.
The Secretary of State has made public the official grounds for Japan's
protest.
They are:
_First_, that it is necessary for Hawaii to remain an independent state,
in order to preserve a good understanding between the Powers that have
interests in the Pacific Ocean.
_Second_, that annexation will endanger the rights which Japan has
acquired through her various treaties and contracts with Hawaii.
_Third_, that annexation might lead to the postponement by Hawaii of the
settlement of claims which Japan already has against her.
In Hawaii there is a strong desire that the Senate shall ratify the
treaty immediately, and put an end to all further question on the
subject.
Hawaii mistrusts Japan, and fears that she will do something to prevent
annexation unless our Government is prompt.
It is rumored in Washington that Japan and Spain are forming an alliance
to embarrass the United States in her dealings with both Hawaii and
Cuba.
It is felt that speedy action may be the best thing to prevent
complications.
The Government is seriously considering the advisability of sending
another ship to Honolulu. It is possible that the battleship _Oregon_
and the gunboat _Concord_ may both be sent to Hawaii.
The Navy Department realizes that annexation will necessitate a largely
increased navy, and Secretary Long will ask Congress to arrange for the
building of more cruisers and torpedo-boats.
* * * * *
On the occasion of the British naval review at Spithead, an illustration
was given of the short time it takes to turn a merchant vessel into an
armed cruiser.
England, despite her large navy, often has use for more ships than she
possesses.
To meet this demand she has placed a certain number of merchant vessels
on her Naval Reserve list. By this arrangement the Government has the
right to call out any of these ships when she has need for them.
At the time of the great naval review it was thought that it would be a
good thing to put this system to a test, and so several of the Naval
Reserve merchantmen were ordered to fit out as gunboats.
One of the vessels thus put into use was the _Teutonic_ of the White
Star line, one of the regular ocean steamers that ply between England
and America.
She arrived in Liverpool on June 21st, and immediately received orders
to transform herself into a war-vessel, and take her place in the naval
review at Spithead.
As soon as her passengers and freight had been landed her crew set to
work to take her war supplies on board.
A British naval officer had been sent from Portsmouth to superintend the
work, and under his direction magazines and armories were arranged, gun
platforms were built, and sixteen guns were taken on board and mounted.
In the crew of the _Teutonic_ were some fifty sailors who were members
of the British Naval Reserve. To them rifles and cutlasses were
supplied, and they in their turn were transformed into regular
man-of-war's men.
The rest of the crew was made up from sailors drafted from other
warships, and then the _Teutonic_ was ready to take her place in the
great Jubilee naval parade.
So fine an appearance did she make that she was put at the head of one
of the seven lines of vessels in the review, and Captain Cameron, her
commander, received a flattering letter from the flag-officer of his
division, congratulating him upon having the neatest merchant vessel in
the parade.
It took just forty hours to change the _Teutonic_ from a merchantman
into a war-vessel.
Captain Cameron is highly delighted at the praise he received. He also
is a member of the Naval Reserve, having the rank of lieutenant.
* * * * *
Sandy Hook, which is the first point of land sighted in entering New
York Harbor, has been again converted into an island.
This strip of beach is a continuation of the New Jersey coast. The
curious thing about it is that it has never been definitely settled
whether it is a peninsula or an island, as it is continually changing
its character.
The first mention of the Hook, says a writer in one of our current
journals, appears in the diary of Robert Juet, who was the companion of
Hudson during his third voyage in 1609. It was then an island.
On maps and charts in the possession of the New York Historical Society
it is represented both as an island and a peninsula.
It was certainly an island in revolutionary times, for when Lord Howe
retreated from the battle of Monmouth by the Navesink road he built a
bridge to Sandy Hook Island.
Twice during the last century it has tried to get away from the
mainland.
In 1870, the New Jersey Southern Railway laid a track along the west
beach for a distance of three miles.
This trestle is now the only connecting link between the island and the
mainland, the water for more than a year having been washing away the
neck of land which joined Sandy Hook to the coast-line.
The War Department owns part of the Hook. A proving-ground for guns,
armor, etc., has been established there.
The Assistant Secretary of War has sent word to Speaker Reed asking that
a joint resolution be passed to enable the Department to protect its
property.
An appropriation of $75,000 was set aside some time ago to repair the
breach made by the sea at the Hook, but the work could not be commenced
until certain laws had been complied with, and the consent of New Jersey
had been secured, or Congress had passed a resolution instructing the
War Department to proceed with the work.
It will be a great advantage to the Government to close the inlet, as
the heavy guns can then be transferred to the proving-grounds on the
Hook by a railroad built on solid ground, and not liable to give way
under their extreme weight.
The property-owners in the neighborhood, however, are anxious that the
inlet should remain open, as they say that the Shrewsbury River has been
some two feet deeper since the Hook became an island, the boating and
fishing have much improved, and, above all, the current has become so
much stronger that the river can now drain itself, and has become much
healthier in consequence.
The Secretary of War has been asked to give the matter his careful
consideration before he allows the work of closing the inlet to be
commenced.
* * * * *
Our Government has had cause to complain of England in reference to the
seal question.
It seems that Great Britain makes hardly any effort to stop the
destruction of the seals, maintaining but two vessels in Bering Sea,
while the United States maintains five.
We have lately had some correspondence with England on the seal
question, but it has not been made public for fear of causing bad
feeling.
Mr. Foster, who, as we told you, has been on a special mission to London
and St. Petersburg to arrange the dispute, has met with a friendly
reception in Russia. He hopes that the success of his mission in St.
Petersburg may induce Great Britain to look favorably on it also.
It is desired that all the countries interested in the matter shall send
delegates to a conference to be held in Washington in October.
At the conference it is intended to discuss the whole subject anew and
make fresh arrangements.
The difficulty has been that the Treaty of Paris is still in operation,
and Great Britain is not willing to open the matter until the treaty has
expired.
The Canadian sealers are much averse to the plan of branding the seals.
We told you about this a few weeks ago.
Professor Starr Jordan, who is passing through Victoria on his way to
the Seal Islands, there to recommence the work of branding, has met with
a very cold reception from the sealers.
Professor Jordan has taken with him an electric outfit for branding,
which will do the work more quickly and effectually than the old method.
* * * * *
We have to record more labor troubles.
The coal miners in the United States have gone on strike, in obedience
to the order of the United Mine Workers of America.
The cause of this strike is that wages have been so reduced that the
miners can no longer earn enough to support themselves.
The men declare that the strike has been forced upon them by the poor
pay they have received, and that they have been expecting and preparing
for it for some time past.
They hope to make the strike general, and that it shall be the biggest
ever known.
The miners all over the country have been ordered to quit work, and it
is expected that they will do so.
The men in West Virginia at first refused, but the latest reports are
that they are gradually falling in line with the rest.
In many districts the miners have been offered the price they ask if
they will only go back to work. They have invariably refused, saying
that they will not resume work until the better rate of wages is made
general in all the mines.
There is danger of a coal famine if the strike lasts very long.
Several of the Western manufacturing cities are already running short of
coal, and though there is plenty at the pit's mouth, the strikers will
not allow it to be handled until their demands are complied with.
Efforts will be made to move this coal, and it is feared that the
strikers will then become violent and riotous. Up to the present time
they have been very peaceable.
The Governor of Indiana has asked the Governors of Ohio, Illinois, and
Pennsylvania to meet him, and discuss plans for arbitrating the
difficulty.
England also has her labor troubles. A great strike is going on in
London among the engineers.
It is a struggle for an eight-hour working day.
The men do not insist that they shall only work eight hours a day, but
that eight hours shall be considered the full day's labor, and all the
work they do over that shall be regarded as overtime, and paid for.
The strikers have a large fund in reserve to fall back upon, from which
they will each receive a certain weekly sum to give them the necessaries
of life until the trouble is adjusted.
The fight promises to be a long and bitter one, for the employers
declare that they must hold out till they win, as defeat means ruin to
them.
The ship-building trade will be the one most seriously affected by the
strike.