The Forrest City times., 1894-06-15
WHY THEY SIGNED.

bus, O.. Not Everything that was Desired,
 but the Best that Could be Hoped For Un-
 der Prevailing Condfti pms, the Lawless-
 ness of the Strikers Having Destroyed
 Public Sympathy.
 COLUMBUS, O., June 13.-The circu- lar of the national officers of the Uni ted Mine Workers announcing and ex- plaining the settlement with the oper- ators here Monday. was issued to the miners last night. It is voluminous document of nearly 5000 words, but much of it is history of the strike. The most interesting part of the circu- lar is the close-a peroration, as 1t were, as follows:
 FELLOW MINERS: In thus terminating the grandest effort of combined labor that was ever engaged in by any body of men at any time, we know that you are disappointed and assure you that we share your disappointment We believe In the efficacy of general suspen- sion. and have for years earnestly and hon. estly advocated 1t as the miners only hope. When on the 21st of April l25,000 men quietly refused to work, you with us shared the exhil- irating hope that in a few days or weeks at the most our battle would be fought and victory won, and as the miners all over country joined our ranks and industry began to feel the paralysis resulting from our inaction, our hope gave place to certainty and a buoyancy of spirits worthy of a cause noble characterized our efforts.
 Our struggle has. contrary to all expecta- tions, continued until the eighth week has been reached, and conditions so changed that in our judgment make settlement necessary. and under the circumstances the very best that could be secured at this time, and better than could be gained if the conference had adjourned without agreement. To this circular explaining the facts surrounding this question we invite your serious consideration, and ask that you will not act hastily or unad- yisedly. We assure you that we did not enter into this agreement because it was pleasing or even satisfactory to us, but because we se- riously believed that better could not be got no matter how long the struggle continued.
 We feel that much has been gained by this effort which could not have been secured by any other method. We earnestly advise that you accept the conditions and resume work on June IS, as provided in the contract. We are so confident of the correctness of position in signing and advising the acceptance of this contract. that on it's acceptance rejection by you we stake our reputation as your servants and our further continuance in official posi- tion.
 In recounting the strike, special at tention is called to the convention and conference at Cleveland, May IA and 15, when. after failing to reach an agreement. the miners adopted reso- lution placing the whole question in the hands of a committee consist ing of the national officers and the district vice-president. The circular then quotes from the resolu- ton declaring the strike, which was adopted at the national convention here in April, and special attention is called to the clause which declares it to be klns s~~&@ % r. f II the law, and pledging the members everywhere to active cooperation in the enforcement of law and order The circular then proceeds:
 As long as the miners engaged.in the suspen- sion observed this policy of peace and order, there was no doubt of their ultimate triumph There has been at no time. nor can there be any reason for setting law and the authorities at defiance and indugng in violent demonstrations to redress imaginary wrongs. That violence has been committed. and law in other ways disregarded, there can be no doubt, but that our men have been so outrageously lawless press reports indicate. we deny. Any violation of law, how ever small. supplemented by the malcously- exaggerated press reports, proved sufficient oO change and turn against us public opinion never too friendly toward the la boring men when in conflict with cor
 
 these facts and being powerless to enforce discipline in our ranks, believing that the dan- ger point had been reached, and being unwill- ing to assume bear the responsibility for acts over which he had no control, called meeting of the national strike committee in accordance with the instructions of the last national convention.
 Here follows the resolution adopted by that committee, arranging for the district meetings held last Saturday. The circular further states that at the meeting a resolution was adopted unanimously that in this district, rather than risk defeat and disaster, the minimum price of sixty-nine cents for Pittsburgh field and the same rela- tive price for Indiana and Illinois be accepted.
 The making of this agreement is in line with the decision of the national committee and. in shs judgment of the members of that committed Tn Keeping with our best interests. At the time our national committee met to canvass the. situation the members realised that we had reached the critical and turning point in the fightand that we must chose between de- feat and demoralization, and a com- promise settlement. Our seemingly ex- treme position not to mine coal at any price or for any purpose, though justified by our wants and your interests, turning against us> the railroad manufacturing and other coal-consuming forces, and in nearly every large city, operators were rendered their cooperation financially and otherwise to assist fir operating the mines with new men, and con- Sdaring the number of idle men, 1t was znly too evident that the threats of many of the larger operators to operate the mines within the next week would with the assistance of every lawful and unlawful Winchester in the country and with the prOStrate and mu-