The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-10-07
TWO VOLUNTARY LETTERS.
Nr. Hanna Was First to Recognize
Arbitration In Bituminous Field.
HIS UNIFORMLY FAIR TREATMENT
fiss and Misrepresentation Made In the
Interest Of the Mclean
q Candidacy.

The charges that have been heaped
upon Senator M. A. Hanna by the
Democratic press at the instigation
principally of his opponent for the
United States senate, John r. Mclean,
have been scattered widely through
the state Mr.. Hanna and his friends
have been surprised to hear that he
Is q "labor crusher" and an enemy of
organized labor, Notwithstanding quite
the contrary Is true.
The two letters which follow speak
for themselves. They are voluntarily
offered by the two writers for the in
formation Of the wageworkers Of Ohio
and ought to answer, though they will
probably not stop, the lies and false
charges made in the interest Of Mr..
McLean's candidacy for the United
States senate:
Glen Roy, O., Sept. 1S, 1897.
Mr.. John James, Ex-Secretary Miners
National Association, Albuquerque,
New Mexico:
Dear Sir--Senator M. A. Hanna of
Ohio is being assailed by the Demo-
cratic press and public speakers as an
enemy of organized labor, as an arch
enemy of labor. etc.
My acquaintance with Mr.. Hanna
dates back to the time Of the Miners
National association, Of which the
late John Siney was president and
you the secretary; and my impress
sions of him then and since were that
he was fair-minded and honorable in
his dealings with labor and with the
Miners National association, and that
he was the first employer of labor in
the bituminous fields to agree to arbi-
disputes.
wish you would kindly send me
statement as to how Mr.. Hanna treat
ed the Miners National association
and its officers. l have never asked
political favor at the hands Of Mr..
Hanna, and have none to ask now.
! do not, however, like to see good
man assailed as Mr.. Hanna has been
and is being now assailed.
II, however. I am mistaken in my
estimate of the man and II he dealt
unfairly with you, or attempted to
crush out the association, or In any
way displayed an unfriendly DISPOSE
ton to organized labor, or the rights
! of the workingmen, please send me
the facts and l will publish them as
freely as though they agreed with my
own estimate of Mr.. Hanna.
Neither Senator Hanna nor anyone
else has prompted this letter or knows
anything of this correspondence with
YOU Very respectfully yours,
ANDREW ROY.
Albuquerque, N. NJ, Sept. 21, 81.
Hon. Andrew Roy, Glen Roy, O.:
Dear Sir--It affords ME gree pleas
ure to respond to your favor Of the
18th inst.
The dealings which the Miners as
sociation had with Mr.. M. A. Hanna,
now United States senator, of Ohio,
were very cordial and friendly. He
was the first mining operator in the
bituminous coal fields of the United
States to recognize the cardinal prin-
ciples of arbitration in the settlement
of wage disputes between employer
and employee; and the first also to
recognize the Miners National asso-
citation. He cordially Joined with the
officers of the National association in
an earnest endeavor to have arbitra-
tion adopted by both parties in inter-
est. If Mr.. John Siney, the president
of the association, were alive. he
would, although politically opposed tc
4 Mr.. Hanna, join with me in testifyine
to the uniformly fair treatment ac.
corded the association and its officers
by Mr.. Hanna.
During the whole of our intercourse
did not at any time discover the
slightest evidence of the arch enemy
Of labor" or of any enemy of labor
In Mr.. Hanna. On the contrary
found him one of the most intelligent
considerate and conservative gentle
men had ever met In the whole min
ing experience. He was ever accessi
BILE to us, although sometimes through
force of circumstances we were not t
him. The real rights of labor he botl
recognized and without a question ad
mitted. I looked upon the man al
one of tie staunchest friends tn,
workingmen had In this country.
l write you fully and freely In sim
pie justice to Mr.. Hanna. I have hat
NO business relations or correspond
ence with him for several years. ant
have never asked political or othel
favor at his hands. Yours very truly
JOHN JAMES,
Ex-Secretary Miners National Asso