The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-10-08


shown by the statistics Of 1891, which give
total Of 1905 homicides, but ten OF
which were committed in strikes in that
year.
You may not be aware that number of
union men and their friends have been ID :
dicted for riot, and will have to appear
for trial on the 10th prox. in the First
district court in Provo. This, trust,
will be sufficient reason for presenting
the foregoing facts to your readers, be-
/ HeVing that neither you, IN yesterday S
editorial, nor they would intentionally
do anything to excite public prejudice
against these who have already suffered
severely. Respectfully,
JOHN DUGGAN.
FL refer particularly TO ex-Marshal
Benton's statement about throwing
dynamite into the mill (hoisting works.
from the hills, feat impossible, as he
well knew.
We give place to the foregoing letter
because we desire to do justice to the
other side of question on which THE
HERALD has taken prominent position.
There are some statements in it, however,
which require some comment.
THE HERALD is aware of the kind of
compromises which the Miners Union at
Tintic was willing to make with the COM
pany named. The offer made to the
workmen by the company was $3.50 a
day for miners and So day for laborers,
with promise of return to former
wages as soon as silver reached higher
figure, which was named in the PROPOSE
ton. To this the miners replied through
the Union, raising the rate rs cents day
and lowering the figure required as the
price of silver which was to signal the
return to old prices.
Another offer from the Union was to
take silver at certain figure for wages,
and the still further reduction of the
market price after that would give some
color of truth to the statement that an
offer was made which would have meant
even lower wages than are DOW being
paid.
But what was the difficulty in the way?
If the Union men were really willing to
work for lower wages than are being
paid now, why did they not accept the
company's offer of better rates than the
writer of the above letter says they were
willing TO accept?
The gist of the matter was that the
Miners Union assumed to dictate in this
affair. The company would not treat
with the Union. 1t was willing to make
terms with employees. but not with an
organization that they Were under no
obligation to recognize. Employers do
not like to be brought under the control
of society which tries to prevent others
than its members from working and
holds such strong control oyer those who
yield to its rules.
If the Miners Union had kept out of
the dispute it would have been settled by
the employmentof men who needed work,
and who would have been far better off at
the reduced wages than in lying idle for
many months. And all the consequences
which THE HERALD has described, and
which it foreshadowed at the time of the
outbreak, have been fully suffered by
those workmen and their families, and
the Union itself is left stranded and almost
forsaken.
We did not accuse the Union Of perpe-
trating or advising the outrages which
made Tintic region of terror, and for
which our correspondent says number
OF Union men have to answer to the law.
We said the Union fostered the i'll feel
ings which resulted in those disturbar-
ces, and that we still maintain.
1t is true the Union provided food for
men who had engaged with the company
in this city to go to Eureka and work for
wages agreed upon, and it also found
means to hinder those men from fulfilling
/ 4 hac n
Salt Lake. More than that. It sur
rounded such workmen as desired to
honorably fill their contract with the
company with noisy and threatening
mobs, using the most scurrilous epithets
and endeavoring to intimidate the men
and prevent them from working,
Violence to person and property were
no doubt advised against in Union
meetings. but how? Was it not, on some
occasions, in the same spirit in which 6
boy shouted to mob who had seized a
preacher whose views were obnoxious tc
1 them, and had him close to the town pump
"Oh! DON'T pump on him, don't pump
on him!" Of course he was drenched il
quick order, and the deeds of violence
which followed the Union meetings are
quite suggestive.
In our opinion the best policy of the
Miners Union at Eureka is to keer
silent except when it is on the defensive
in the courts. We hope no Union mar
will be made to suffer innocently. We
recognize the fact that when violence
accompanies strike it is often against
the counsel and protest of the Union that
ordered the strike. Also that if Union
man does wrong it is often unfairly
charged upon the society and upon other
members who are not implicated in the
wrong. We hope the case will be fairly
tried, and The HERALD has not the least
desire to fan the fires Of prejudice or to
encourage the least injustice.
We recognize the right and often the
necessity of the organization of labor fol-
the maintenance of those rights which
men should enjoy. 1t is only Iawlessness
and that tyranny which labor organiza-
tions sometimes exercise, both on theil
own members ard toward workmen who
will not join them, and their attempted
dictation of employers that we raise OBJ.
lection to, and THE HERALD will BIZ
found on the side OF all lawful efforts t
ameliorate the condition of the toiline
masses.
If you have sick or nervous headac he.
1 take Ayers Cathartic pills. They viii
| cleanse the stomach, restore healthy ac-
ton to the digestive organs, remove effete
matter (the presence of which depresses
-