The miner, on the other hand, however expert, could not dispense with the companies.
He needed a job; his wife and children would starve if he did not get one.

What the miner had to sell--his labor--was a perishable commodity; the labor of to-day--if not sold to-day--was lost forever.

Moreover, his labor was not like most commodities--a mere thing; it was part of a living, breathing human being.

The workman saw, and all citizens who gave earnest thought to the matter saw, that the labor problem was not only an economic, but also a moral, a human problem.

Individually the miners were impotent when they sought to enter a wage-contract with the great companies; they could make fair terms only by uniting into trade unions to bargain collectively.