Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-17
Mansfield Valley Men Turn Out in
Force to Hear Addresses in Favor
of an Eight-Hour Day.
In LANGUAGE EARNEST AND EVEN
They Are Urged to Send Representatives
to Harrisburg Who Will Vote for
the Passage of a Law
70 KEEP IGNORANT MEN OUT OF MINES.
The First Movement in This District Among the
Graft for the Short Day.

Yesterday witnessed the initial move
ment in this district among the miners fol
the eight-hour day. Fully 5000 people
were present in the grove at Mansfield tt
hear addresses on the eigEt-hour day. A
parade, participated in by general turnout
of the miners of the locality, took place in
the forenoon, and at 1:30 o'clock Vice Presl
dent William Barker called the meeting tc
order. There were present on the platform
the Hon. n. R. Hysell, Speaker of the
Ohio House OF Representatives; President
John B. Rae, General Secretary Robert
Watchorn, President Hugh Mclaughlin,
Secretary Robert Boyd, General Organizer
Peter Wise, Ben Bowden and William Nc.
Qaaid, Secretary of Committee of Arrange.
ments, and Peter McCurdy.
Excellent music was furnished at inter-
walls bv the Banksville Brass Band and
Mansfield Union Cornet Band. The day
was general holiday, and the grove was
lighted up by groups of some of Mansfield s
fairest, who took no little interest in the
proceedings.
Chairman Barker called the meeting to
order, and introduced President John B.
Rae, of the United Mine Workers organi-
Eation, who said:
PRELIMINARY SPEECH.
MIR. Chairman ana Gentlemen.
lam here only as sort of preliminary to indi-
cate what liEe the distinguished speakers who
will follow me will take. There is the Hon. n. r.
Hysell, Speaker of the Ohio House of Repre-
sentatives, who will talk to you of the political
aspect of the question we are all here to speak
60 you about; there is General Secretary
Watchorn, who will tell you about the condi-
tion of the organization. and there is General
Organizer Peter Wise, who will speak to Ger
man brothers in the tongue they best are used
TO. am pleased to see such a large gathering
as is assembled here to-day, because it is an in
oication of a better appreciation and a more
growing interest in movements appertaining to
the welfare Of the craft than has been exhib-
ited by the public and characterized the
miners of this district any time during the Is
years with which have been acquainted with
them.
Well. you all know why we are assembled
here to-day. You know we are here to discuss
the question OF eight hours as the longest time
which any miner should work. This movement
Tor eight hours is making more progress than
any other movement in any other time has ever
done. 1t is generally understood that working
men are devoting too much time to labor; are
doing too much of it, and not bestow1ng enough
time to their functions as members of society
and as American citizens. What we have to
discuss is how to bring about as good results in
our trade as have been attained in others.
Now. it may startle you when say that am
not in favor of eight hours for miners am
not; because L am certain that eight hours
IS too long for the miner to toll
under the conditions under which he has to
labor. When you compare the labor of the
miner with that performed by other trades the
miner should not work more than seven hours
a day, and perhaps Only six. When the coDdi-
fions under which he plies his avocation are
considered; when you remember the impure
air, the absence of sunlight and the confined
space and physical discomforts which he has
to endure. the work-time of the miner should
be from one-third to oue-fourth less than the
hours worked by trades under the free air of
heaven and Gods benetcent sunlight
HARD TO AVOID.
The miner is accused of grumbling and other
tmmoralities during his spare time, and the
charge is made that he is given to drinking
but how can he help these things when, with
nervous system unstrung, he leaves his narrow
working place for the few brief hours of re-
Taxation he has before returning to the miner
You all know how your wives and
your mothers feel the long hours
Know
they have to be CD early and in bed late to keen
pace with your wants and requirements. and
you know that by the SO much you yourselves
personally beneft by the reduction in your
working time by the so much more will YOUR
families benefit in freedom from care anxiety
aud the Worry incidental to the long hours
they now share to Keep pace with yours. The
other day, at Broad Top, an operator said TO
me: This movement of yours will only bring
Injury on the working class" 1 asked How
soy For answer. he pointed to number of
boys and nen who were gambling nearby |
under tree. is that aIl?' l asked him. "And |
Is it not enough?" he replied. l told him it |
supplied me with good argument in favor of |
the elEht-hour movement. told him tine men |
had gone through hard days work and abso- |
lutely required some stimulant and some re- |
Taxation as relief to their toll ! argued thar |
with shorter hours the men would go direct to |
tbeir homes, would seek other amusement and |
penent by the opportunity for improvement 1
and reasonable pleasures which their present |
long hours bebar them from. will not discuss /
TINS point any further, as there are others to |
follow me, but will proceed to speak to you /
about organization.
There is no doubt about the steps in advance
made by the organization. A few years ago |
euch a meeting as this could not be held A |
great change has taken place. and that change
Is reflected In the countenanoes of the men |
see around me. 1t is no holiday look, but the
outward sign OF the bonds OF brotherlv feeli,T
which bind the craft together and jmDel them
20 pull all together" in unison and harmony.
Ihls standing together and pulling together is
he
country. But the EFFORT must be maintained.
organized labor must pull together: there mnst
be no seesaTlng and pulling against each
other Methods Of organization have changed
and those new methods must be understood
n1d paid heed 30. Tney must be learned and
lived up TO. When l was boy we ONLY came
together when something turned up, and the
meeting generally ended in a fight You ali
understand the meaning and purposes of or
ganization and you all know how much i'm
portance is attached to the methods which
have been adopted for the furtherance of yonr
interests.
THREE COURSES OF ACTION.
In your organization there are three courses
Of action. The FIRST is conciliation; the second.
arbitration. and the third. strike. The copcil-
Iatory method is adopted to bring about better
results than any of the others. By adopting
conciliatory tone harmony is engendered and I
right-thinking men are moro inclined to listen
60 statements in a case where a conciliatory
manner is used A study Of the labor problem
has shown that more results have been attained
by the conciliatory policy than by any other
The arbitration board is the next STEP after
3 conciliatory policy has failed. Men have
been accused of trying to please both sides and
pleasing neither, and sometimes with trying to
please the bosses
i'And with giving too much to the bosses"
said voice.
81 have known too much to be given to the
men. The United Mine Workers of America
have had many cases of this kind. Offense has
been given on many occasions. but the results
have generally come out right. In time arbi.
ssation will drive strike out of the field alto |
ZetaeT. When the time comes to strike Won |
must see to IL you are prepared to strike with a |
S the fault with young organizations that they |
IrO too eager to try their strength; see what |
hey can-do. They are like the boy who gets a |
,ew suit and, running out to show it to his |
nEr~1.1, &c Inn En1 md foil /