Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-01-10
Received Yesterday From MIR. Duffy,
Chairman Of the Arbitration Com
mittee of the O. V. 7. & L. A.. in
Answer to the Card From the
Richland Miners, Published Re-
Gently.

Richland Miners, Published Re.
Gently.
The following communication was
received yesterday from Chairman
Duffy, of the Arbitration Committee
of the o. V. T. & l.. A. 1t is an an
swer to the card published Sunday in
the Register by the Richland miners
with regard to the situation at that
mine:
To the Editor of the Register.
Sir:-I see a communicates in the
Sunday Register from the men now
at work in the Richland mine, signed
by Messrs. Beach and McNichol, in
which they say that they will en-
deavor to correct some of the state
ments made by me. But in their
communication they did not attempt
to refute one statement made by me in
my communication to the Register on
January 5th.
If the Arbitration COMMITTEES
ever told them about AMI one
using non-union coal it was
in denunciation of the parties,
whoever they were, and l defy them
or any other man to prove that the
Trades Assembly ever refused to use
their efforts to prevent the use OF
non-union coal or any other non-unlon
product when duty bid them to do so.
And any man using non-union coal
when he could get union coal violates
not only the principles of the Trades
Assembly but of all labor organiZa-
tions Mr. Beach nor Mr.. McNichol
never made any charge of this kind
previous to the trouble. They know,
or should know, that the laws of the
Trades Assembly provide remedy for
this. / would ask Mr.. Beach If the
Trades Assembly was injurious to the
Richland miners about a Year ago,
when they furnished them the means
of support to enable them to fight for
their rights against Mr.. Gilchrist.
This is the way they show their graft
tude, by trying to bite the hand that
fed them. l would publish their con-
tract, as they challenged me to do, if
it were not for taking UP too much
space in the paper. The contract has
nothing to dc with the present diff
Guilty, and they only refer to it because
they cannot combat the true facts.
The Trades Assembly never declared
the strike off. AS | stated in my for
mer communication, after the Trades
Assembly had given its decision, Mr..
Gilchrist refused to allow the men to
return to work; the case then assumed
the form of lockout, and was so de-
clared two weeks later by the Trades
Assembly, and not five weeks later. as
they state
The arbitration committee did not
tell this gentleman (Mr McNichol)
that he was doing nothing wrong. l.
myself, told him that | understood that
he was working in the mine under a
mistaken idea, and that | had come to
inform him and the rest of the men
that they were doing wrong from a
union standpoint The committee then
asked him to sign a petition which
was addressed to Mr.. Gilchrist, which
asked him to make an honorable settle
ment of the difficulty, so that they
could uphold their principle of man
hood and preserve themselves and their
families from the odious brand of
"black Sheep" and in case he refused,
they would quit work. He not only
signed the petition, but sent his son
with the arbitration committee to in
duce the rest of the men to sign the
petition; all the men signed it and Mr..
Beach presented it to Mr. Gilchrist.
Why did he and the rest of the men
sign that petition making such a re-
quest, if they were doing no wrong
They were fully aware of what they
were signing. The committee told him
to continue work until they had receiv-
ed a reply from the petition, and as the
petition itself stated. in case Mr.. Gil
christ refused their request they were
to quit work.
They ask the committee to withdraw
their statements. AS the author of the
articles published, / not only refuse to
withdraw any of the statements, but
defy any one to prove one word of I'M
truth in any statement have made re-
lative to this matter. l do not wish
to continue any controversy with these
gentlemen through the newspapers.
have given the true facts of the case in
the paper on January 5, and my words
and actions received the endorsement
of the Trades Assembly at the meeting
last Sunday. Any further communica-
ton coming from these gentlemen will
be ignored.
Let me conclude with few friendly
words to Mr.. Beach and Mr.. McNichol
Do you not know that Mr.. Gilchrist
stated that he was going to run a non
union mine? Did not Mr.. Gilchrist say
that he would allow you TO have I'M
ion of your own, but you should not
affiliate with the Trades Assembly or
the Union Mine Workers, or any other
body? Has he not in the past told you
that he would be compelled to reduce
your wages in order to compete with
the other non-union mines, and will he
not do it again in the future? And are
you forever going to allow him to pre-
vent you from applying the only rem
edy, which will be to organize together
and have a uniform wage scale, so that
Mr.. Gilchrist will not be compelled to
reduce your wages on account of lower
competition? Lay aside all prejudices
now, and do not try to dodge the truth,
but look into the matter in the true and
proper manner. There is time yet for
you to reconsider your actions, and re-
member if you don't take the oppor-
will 11ppp yaiy in Won &c