The Militant Coal Miners (cartoon)
Unknown artist, c. 1922-25.
This contemporary cartoon appearing in a Nova Scotia newspaper (pulled from Morton 2007) illustrates the conflict between the Cape Breton coal miners and the BESCO executives, who were based in Montreal. The proprietors appear to be visiting the coal fields and are positioned on a higher plane than the miners. The miners appear dirty, but strong and firm, while the BESCO representatives are clothed in fur-trimmed wool coats, and shiny boots to highlight the distance between the two groups.
This illustrates the difference in worldviews of these two groups and the arrogance of the company proprietors. It also deals with with the miners' intentions or expectations vis-a-vis the strikes. The cartoon satirizes the miners' demands: they are minimal and relatively reasonable, compared to what the BESCO executives earn, the cartoon suggests. This could mean that the gains that the miners expected from the labour dispute were modest, and were really about retaining the dignity of having a decent living wage to support their families. and enjoy a relatively comfortable standard of life.
This contemporary cartoon appearing in a Nova Scotia newspaper (pulled from Morton 2007) illustrates the conflict between the Cape Breton coal miners and the BESCO executives, who were based in Montreal. The proprietors appear to be visiting the coal fields and are positioned on a higher plane than the miners. The miners appear dirty, but strong and firm, while the BESCO representatives are clothed in fur-trimmed wool coats, and shiny boots to highlight the distance between the two groups.
This illustrates the difference in worldviews of these two groups and the arrogance of the company proprietors. It also deals with with the miners' intentions or expectations vis-a-vis the strikes. The cartoon satirizes the miners' demands: they are minimal and relatively reasonable, compared to what the BESCO executives earn, the cartoon suggests. This could mean that the gains that the miners expected from the labour dispute were modest, and were really about retaining the dignity of having a decent living wage to support their families. and enjoy a relatively comfortable standard of life.