Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-02
FOE TO UNION MEN
Adlai Stevenson Crushes Or
ganized Labor
IN ITS BATTLE FOR BREAD
His Record as Attorney and Pribident
Of the Mclean Company-A Bitter
Enemy 10 the Miners.

WHEELIso, W. Va, Nov. 1.-The In
telligencer Of this city published the
fesult of It's Investigations into Adlsl
+. Stevenson's record in Illinois ae an
enemy of organized labor. having sent
= well-known mine unon ofhciAl 10
Bloomington and StevensonvIlle for
that purpose.
The publication shows that Steven
son aud the coal company with which
he Is connected are relentless enemies
Of trades unions, their whole record
for seventeen years past having been
continuous war against organized labor.
No man in their employ has dared to
belong TO union and instances are
cited where miners have been die
charged. the cole reason being gwen
that they were connected with unione.
Every effort of labor 10 organize has
been met with determined opposition,
the officers stating that they would
never consent to permit their men to
organize, and would close their mines
nrst.
Crushed the Union.
hS ihteAScAhk Reit VI VIZ PtDi'~>
ton IS the history OF the strike OF 1887
at the Mclean company's works (ot
which Mr.. Stevenson IS now president
and was then large stocknolder and
attorney. In this strike the sole issue
was the life Of the union, no other
question being involved. In this fight
the company won, the union was
crushed out and the mines are non-
union TO thIs dag. Non-union men
were brought In To take the places of
the old and trusted employees who had
joined the union. The non-unionists
were foreigners and negroes. Many of
them could not speak the English Ian
guage. The struggle was long and
bitter.
Quotes From the Pantagraph
The Intelhgencer publishes extracts
from the Bloomington Daily Panta-
graph from day TO day during the
strike, detailing It's progress. Its cause,
| and effect, interviews with officers of
the company, declaring the striking
employees were faithful men, and that
the only objection the company had to
them IS that they had tried to form u
union and this they would
not stand. The Paragraphs re-
port give the CAUSE Oh the strike
and statements of the men made
TO the reporters at the time. The whole
is an interesting exhibit, and shows
Stevenson and his company up, from
the record, as pronounced enemies Of
organized labor.
An Enemy to Labor.
One of these reports, from the Panta-
graph of October s, 1887, quotes Mr..
Graham, secretary OF the company, as
| saying: Late last night there was no
| feeling whatever against the company.
| Ii WAS a square business difference.
There is no trouble as to compensation.
The company doesn't believe that the
union business IS beneficial either to
| the company or It's miners, and they
don't intend To employ men who are in
| the union. Under the union system
there is continual annoyance, strikes or
threats of strikes every week or two,
and so on"
Letters are published from p. II.
! Donnelly, ex-secretary and treasurer of
the Illinois Miners association, ad-
| dressed to the workingmen of West
! Virginia, detailing Stevenson's record
! and calling on them to let Stevenson's
scabs elect him, saying, mo seif-re-
| spectIng union man can vote for him."
William ScaIf, ex-presdent of the
| Illinois miners, writes a similar letter.
| He says Stevenson is an enemy of or
ganized labor, aud he cannot recon-
mend workingmen TO vote for him.