The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-07-28
An Address Stating the Terrible
Grievances of the Miners.
BOTH SIDES CONSULTING
Chiefs Of Americas Great Labor Organ
izations at Wheeling-The Mine
Operators Trying TO Agree
at Pittsburg.

VI idbbi
week by President Ratchford of the
United Mine Workers and approved by
President Gompers of the American
Federation OF Labor, OF which the
miners organization Is a part. The
purpose of the conference is To aid in
speedy and successful termination
Of the great coal strike. Sessions II
the conference We're held during the
day and tonight, but until the night
session was held little had been ac-
complished.
The first session was held at
o'clock, ON the arrival of Messrs.
Ratchford and Pears from Columbus
ON motion OF Mr.. Sovereign. Samuel
Gompers was chosen to preside, and
Secretary Morrison. also OF the fedora
tion. was made secretary.
Chairman Gompers then called up
on the miners representatives TO de-
tail the situation. They were also
asked to suggest In what manner the
other labor organizations could give
their aid. President Ratchford of the
Miners union. addressed the confer
ence AT some length. stating fully the
causes that had led to the suspension
of work in the bituminous regions and
presented the condition of the miners
who are taking part In the strike. He
did not propose anything In the way
of recommendations as to what the
organized labor of the country should
do in aid of the strike, preferring that
that important subject be left to the
consideration Of the conference. An
appeal for aid was made In a general
way.
w. c. Pears, Patrick Dolan and T..
Lewis also spoke In the same strain.
In the course Of their remarks 1t was
brought out that the miners believe
that the hardest fight should he made
at the works Of the Cleveland K New
York Gas Coal company tDe Arrnitts
mine In the Pittsburg districO. This
was considered fully as important a
point as the West Virginia district. At
this point a recess was taken for din
ner.
Upon reassembling at 2:30. the con-
ference again took up the strike ques-
tion. Messrs. Mahon. Rea and Debs,
who have been at work In the Fair
mont district; Mr.. Askew, who Is fresh
from the Norfolk and Western terri
tory. and Sovereign addressed the
meeting. the latter speaking at some
length The conference was held be-
hind closed doors. At its close IL was
given out that a committee of five had
been appointed to devise plan for
aiding the miners which would be re-
ported at the night session. kilograms
pledging. financial aid for the miners
were received from nearly all the
heads of organizations that had been
unable to attend on account OF the
short notice.
MIR. Morrison says the chief aim OF
the conference will be TO effect a sus-
pension of work In West Virginia and
at the DE Armitt mines. The night
session of the labor conference was
still In session at midnight. The re-
port of the special committee to ad-
wise ways and means to aid the miners
made its report. The report Is an ap-
peal TO the country to assist the MN
ers.
AT midnight nothing additional could
be learned of the further business that
was transacted at the conference. and
Il was thought that the conference
would probably soon adjourn To con-
tinue its session Wednesday. The full
text Of the manifesto as issued from
the conference committee at ll:J0 IL as
follows;
"A wall of anguish mingled with des-
peration, arises from the bowels OF the
earth, and the miners cry for relief, FOR
some degree OF justice. IL touches the
responsive chord in the hearts and con-
sciences of the whole people. Drudging
at wages which are inadequate and
portend misery, starvation and slavery.
the miners are confronted with con-
dition by which their scant earnings
are denied them, except through the
company 'pluckme stores which
out -shylock the worst features OF the
nefarious system, and which are
stigma on the escutcheon OF our coun-
try and a blot on our civilization. we.
the representatives of the trades unions
and of all organized labor of the Uni
ted States. in convention assembled To
consider the pending struggle OF the
miners for wages sufficient to enable
them to live and to enjoy at lsast some
degree Of the necessities OF life, are de-
termined to forever put a stop To the
state OF starvation in which they are
now engulfed. The deplorable condi-
tion Of the miners is well known to all
our people. They live In novels. unable
to buy sufficient bread to ward OFT star
walton, In many cases not sufficiently
clothed to cover their nakedness. their
children unfit to attend school because
of a lack of food and clothing. making
them danger to the future stability of
our republic We feel assured that all
men and women who love their families
or who have one spark OF humans sym
pathy for their fellows cannot fail to
give all the aid in their power to en-
able the miners to win their present
battle.
The representatives of the miners
have been restrained by injunction
when exercising their fundamental
right Of public assembly and free
speech 10 present TO the world their
grievances. We. as American citizens
resent this interference with the rights
guaranteed TO US under the constitu-
ton. In the ordinary affairs of life all
enjoy privileges and rights which con-
stitutions neither confirm nor deny, but
the guarantee Of the right OF public as
sembly and free spesch was Intended
to give opportunity to the people. OF
any portion Of them. to present the
grievances from which they suffer and
which they aim to redress
We dsnounce the issuance of an in
junction by the judges of West Vir-
ginia. Pennsylvania and other states
as wholly unjustified. unwarranted
and unprecedented. more especially in
, the absence OF any exhibition or mani
festatinn OF force on the part Of the
miners. We call on the governor OF
West Virginia and upon the governors