The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-24
WHERE TROUBLE WAS
b. L. Hughes Tells About the Occur
d'Alene Strikes.
HIS ADDRESS LAST NIGHT
He Spoke Before an Audience of
Workingmen and SympathIzers
In Foskett's Hail-fie IS on
Tour of the Northwest.

large audience or wOrkingmen and
the friends of labor gathered last even
ing in Foskett's hall to hear the story
of the Occur d'Alene labor situation
from 1892 to the present time. The lee
turer was Hon. ii. L. Hughes, a bright
newspaper man from Wallace. vino last
winter represented the people from Sho-
shone county in the Idaho legislature.
At this time he is touring the North
west with the purpose OF presenting
the situation to miners from the
unions standpoint. in the hope that a
thorough understanding of 1t will keep
experienced men out of the country.
This policy. he states, has been hereto
fore very successful.
Many suppose" said Senator Hugh
es, that the troubles in the Occur
d'Alenes have been adjusted but this
is true only in part. A strike is still on
at Wardner and at Mullan the one that
began a year ago last November, and
which we hope will result in ultimate
victory.
"A very strong contrast exists be-
tween the situation on Canyon creek
where the mine-owners are paying the
union rate OF wages and at Wardner
and Mullan, where they are trying to
force reduction of 81 per day. The
former case presents a wholesome les
son for both capital and labor. The
~ with the most satisfactory results
the miners are contented with the good
wages they receive; all cause for fric-
ton has been removed and all are sat
isfied and prosperous.
The non-union mines present quite
different state of affairs. The opera
ton of their properties is far from sat
isfactory. even aside from the vast
sums of money they are expanding in
lighting the union. In the case of these
mines the union is using the same
methods in vogue heretofore, and by
purely moral persuasion have kept ex-
perienced miners from entering the
employ of the companies. The results
are that these miners are struggling
along with Incompetent workmen, the
force now employed by the Bunker Hill
& Sullivan mine at Wardner being I'M
used to mining, is producing not more
than one-third the former output of
the mine, and a careful estimate shows
the company to be losing somewhere
from $3.50 TO 5000 a day. Just how long
this company will care to go on losing
thousands of dollars monthly to defeat
organized labor is hard to say. but
doubtless, when IL gets tired of this un-
equal warfare IL will be glad enough to
pay the wages, and by that time the
union hopes to win a grand and hon
orable victory
I'm the matter of this strike. Gov
ernor William j. Mcconnell the repub-
lican chief magistrate of Idaho, has
played a most disreputable part; i'm
fact. he has done that which has per-
haps never before been done by any
other governor in the history of the
American republic. He has organized
two militia companies at the request of
these companies, who compelled their
employees to join them, to hold their
places. He has time and again assisted
at,fa In hal nrtn
schemes to reduce wages. and in return
expects them to assist him into the
United States senate. For this reason
he has tried to- make IL appear that the
labor unions in the Occur d'Alenes were
lawless class, and he himself a bold
fearless. law-and-order governor But
the working people of that country are
not ging to fall into his trap so easily;
they have no intention of committing
any lawlessness, but propose to win the
strike strictly on the merits of their
cause"
OF the former troubles Mr.. Hughes
said:
THE strike had its beginning on
Jan. 20. 1892, when the Mine Owners
association met and closed down all
the producing mines that would con-
sent TO go into the scheme with them. |
Information was given out that this |
meeting was for the purpose of dis |
cussing freight rates. and that the |
mines were closed down TO force con-
cessions from the railroad companies. |
Subsequent developments had. how |
ever, shown that IL was for no other |
purpose than that of breaking the |
backbone of the Miners union by fore |
ing a few months Of idleness upon its |
members and then resuming opera
lions at a reduced rate of wages.
March Il. 1892, the Mine Owners as
GnCfQfinn M
manifesto setting forth the conditions
affecting them: silver was 80 cents an
ounce and lead was 81 20 per hundred,
and they proposed resuming operation
April i at $3.50 a day for miners and |
80 for carmen and shovelers. being a
reduction OF so cents a day on the 4
wages OF the latter. These they claim |
ed were not skilled labor and should |
not receive the same wages as miners
On the other hand the union claimed |
that carmen and shovelers did equal |
service, ran fully as much risk to loss
of health, life and limb and were en-
titled to the wages of $3.50 per day.
Now the question would naturally
arise: Were the men justified in de- |
handing that their former wage rate
Of $3.50 day for all men working I'M
der ground be maintained? The facts
in the case would certainly demand an |
affirmative answer. At the time these
mines were closed down lead was
salty and silver 92% cents. Since
then these same mines have been able
TO operate under the same rate OF
wages. the same freight rates, and /
with the prices Of lead as low as 81 30
and silver SO cents. Still. these mines
seem TO be prosperous; they are maxi
ing extensive improvements. seem anx-
ious TO run and certainly they must
be paying their owners handsomely or
else this would not be So"
In discussing the riot of July IL at
Gem. the speaker charged that IL was
caused by the tools and servants OF
the Mine Owners association, who
were made desperate by the failure of
their attempt to import men to work
the mines.