Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-09
President Rae, of the United Mine
Workers, Gives Interesting Facts
About His Craft.
THE NEW PAY BILL is OBSERVED.
A PhilOsOphic Comparison Drawn Between
the Past and Present Condition
of Labor.
BRIcKLAYERS CONTROVERSY STILL on.
General Drift SFrOm the Industrial World in and
Around Pttsburg

President J. b. Rae, of the United Mine
Workers of America, is in the city on his
way home from Eastern Pennsylvania,
where he attended the Labor Day demon
stration. He held a conference with John
Costello, President of District 8, last night
with reference to the condition of affairs in
and around Pittsburg He will see Mr.. Cos
tello today again, and, ifimmediate arrange
ments can be made for series of meetings
in the district, Mr. Rae will remain and
attend them. If not, he will go West and
then return for a ten days visit TO the
unions under President Costello's iurisdic-
tion.
Representative Rae was seen by DIS
PATCH reporter last night, to whom he
cerning the condition of the miners in Penn
sylvania, Ohio and Indiana.
His craft have made some encouraging ad
vances this year, despite their failure in
the eight-hour movement on May /, and it
is becoming evident to the rank and file of
the organization that the quiet prepara-
tory work which has been going on, and
which Will be continued, has done more to
place the miners in a position to force the
eight-hour demands when the proper time
comes than anything else that could be done.
ONLY RESTING FOR THE PRESENT.
Mr.. Rae did not express himself on this
point except to say that the eight-hour
question is resting for the present and it is
not known vet whether it will be attempted
next May or not. The American Fedora
tion will not decide until in October which
craft it desires to support next, and, until it
does So the future actions of the unions
will remain undecided. Speaking of his
craft, Mr.. Rae said:
1--WE are moving along smoothly as a
rule. We are gaining rapidly in Indiana,
and 1 think can say very truthfully that
that State will soon be in line There are
a few miner disputes in Ohio, but, generally
speaking, affairs are in pretty good shape.
Our greatest work now is to educate public
opinion and back that up with thorough
organization. We are deeply interested in
this work now and / feel assured that we
will soon begin to see the result of our
labor. Our organization must be adapted to
the conditions and needs of the times; each
division attending to the work of its own
department, the locals attending to their
own work, supplemented and aided by the
districts and the districts so supplemented
by the national, no local or member eyading
responsibility.
KEEPING MINERS IN LINE.
''The work of education must go on, bet
ter laws must be obtained and those we have
Il,
organization complete and well disciplined.
Our immediate work is the correction of in |
equalities the redress of local grievances |
and the enforcement of present laws. We |
are meeting with much opposition in our |
efforts TO have recent legislation enforced |
in the various States. A great spectacle is |
presented 10y the corporations of Pennsyl- |
Vania, West Virginia, Indiana and Illinois, |
plotting to evade and sometime es openly de- |
Tying the enforcement of the laws, the en- |
actment IF which recognition of labors |
needs had compelled. What an example |
of lawlessness by the men in high places. |
The agitation now needed will make other |
reforms possible. have noticed that where /
companies or corporations know that the /
organization is weak they can and do defy /
the laws. They know they can dictate terms /
20 their men. But it is different when the /
organization is strong. The same argument |
holds good wherever labor is employed.
$50 far as our craft is concerned, the semi /
monthly pay law is generally observed in
Some large corporations
do sO we will have more work to secure |
What is known as the Far |
rells store bill is receiving our special at /
tention.
AFTER THE COMPANY STORES.
at is to be noted that the bill only deals |
with corporations and companies. Our or
ganization is left to deal with the individual |
employer. This is proper. In fact only |
through organization can favorable legisla-
IN ha IN Cnd Tba los hot
or corporation shall Keep a store
on the premises under penalty of forfeiture /
of charter. One good feature of the bill is
that the Attorney General of the State is
made prosecutor. Wherever the law is vio-
lated we want two or more citizens to make
affidavit to said violation and send the
is placed properly IN the hands of the At
torney General and assist him in having the
matter attended to. In this way no one gets
into trouble, and certainly il is right that
the laws of q State should be Observed
Mr.. Rae is quite philosopher and takes
great pride in watching what he chooses to
ant march Of the industrial classes forward.
Speaking on this point last night he said:
MINE WORKERS ARE A POWER
Compare the past with the present and
note the progress labor has made. Labor's
has been heard. Labor's plea is
now receiving attention. The respect due
is iii measure accorded. Public men in all
walks of life now consult her, and. although
not always disinterestedly, seek her pleas
ures and desires. Less than 50 years ago
and children were employed in the
factories and mines; home deprived of
almost all that makes home, and
children OF the necessary opportunities
Hours of labor were anywhere from Il to IL a
lav. Public sentiment and legal enactment
now demand that the home shall be pro- |
tected and the children have the chance for |
such education as shall in some measure |
lit them for the emergencies of life |
large amount Of legislation has been OBJ
tanned: conditions have been improved SEQ
per cent. The hours OF labor have been re-
duced onc-third, wages more than doubled,
regular payments, generally semi-rnonthly |
or weekly, established; the standard of liy- |
ing raised and higher intelligence pre-
walls. The morality of worl1men has i'm
proved accordingly. They are more self
hopeful and selfreliant"
Asked the second time about the prosuects
for a renewal OF the eight-hour movement
next May, Mr.. Rae said: Il would rather
not say anything about that now. 1 be-
licve our cause was injured last spring by
too much premature agitation. 1 will say
that whenever the organization is prepared
to make the move, we will not hesitate in
letting the opposition know about it,"
Nearly All Scales Signed.