The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-15
MARK WILD'S CHARGE
John Mcbride Accused of Bribery
The Ex-Presidcnfs Explanations
New knights of Labor Order.

COLUMBUS, o., Feb. 14--A sensation was
sprung to-day in the meeting of the United
Mine Workers of America. Mark Wild, dis
trict organizer of the American Railway
Union in asking that Mr.. Debs be grant
ed the floor, stated that when the A. r.
L. officers last summer were attempting to
stop the running of trains on the Hooking
Valley railroad, John Mcbride, at that time
president of the United Mine Workers, gave
him $500 to induce settlement of the
strike of the railroad men on that road. Mr..
Mcbride was not present when this state
ment was made, but ON coming into the
convention said he did give Wild the money
as charity donation from some of the coal
operators, the strike on the road having
been previously overcome by the railroad
company. Mr.. Mcbride said "None of the
money came from the railroad company"
A committee was appointed by the miners
convention to investigate and report upon
the subject in controversy between Wild and
Mcbride.
Wild. who is not a miner or delegate, to
speak was the challenge Wednesday even
ing by Mcbride to either miners or railroad
men who participated In the strikes of last
summer to show that he acted unfairly or
had not been square in any act duty
which he performed. When he made thus
a resolution proposing a vote of confidence
in its national officers who had been ac-
cused by A.. A. Adams. of Ohio. with having
settled the strike colruptly, giving the
miners lower wages than they might other
wise have obtained. This opened the way,
for Mr.. Wild to ask to be heard. Mr.. Wild
admitted frankly that he took the package,
not knowing what was in it until he got
home, when he decided to use the money
to help Adams in his fight against the
miners national officers.
~
vention to-day was that Mr.. Wild had come
to him during the railroad strike and be-
sought HIM to pull the miners into strike
also. the road would not have coal to
haul. This Mcbride, declined to do. Then.
after the railroad company had defeated
Wild, who was one of its conductors, the
to what they assumed would be years
salary to Wild and asked Mcbride to give
the money TO him as charitable donation.
When Mcbride gave Wild the money 1T
was accompanied by a Kind request by Me-
Bride that Wild keep quiet from that time
on MIR. Mcbride sali: The operators
told me to give Wild the money because he
would need it and had stepped out of the
way to allow the railroad company to haul
the coal which was then being mined" In
closing, Mcbride repeated with emphasis
that the money had no bearing whatever on
the railroad strike as it had been settled.
Mr. Wild, in his speech to the convention,
stated that he received the 5000 two
three days after the railroad strike had
The following scale committees were APP
pointed by the United Mine Workers con-
Pick mining &. Crawford, Illinois;
John Hart, Indiana; Alex. Johnson, Ohio;
Geo. Wilson, Pttsburg; Geo. Harris. Cen
region; Thomas Fairy, West Virginia; John
Dykes, Ohio: John Cox. Kentucky; julius
Frohn, Iowa.
Machine minng-Fred Dilcher and n. Pur-
CELL Ohio w. HI. Larkins and Cameron
Miller, Pennsylvania; j.. Gallagher, Indiana.