The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-09
President Boyce Discusses the Sit
uati0n at Wardner..
MUST EMPLOY UNION MEN
CANNOT WORK MINES WITH UN
SKILLED LABOR.
Leader of the Federation Takes a
Conservative View of the Situa-
Federal Authorities Would Be
Absurd-Union Not Responsible.

Miners are startled and indignant at
the outcome of the Wardner troubles.
They denounce the position of General
Merriam and Attorney General Hayes
of Idaho. that union men cannot work
in the Occur d'Alene district. Dele
gates to the convention of the Western
Federation of Miners of America, lead
ers in the camps where they live in the
various states of the west. were eX-
cited when they read The Herald yes
terday morning and learned the posi-
ton which has been assumed by the
state and federal authorities in Idaho.
But above the violent talk INDUCED
in by men who speak their feelings
in strong language, was the calm voice
of President Boyce of the federation.
He does not counsel harsh measures;
he does not believe in resistance to the
federal government, because it would
not only be wrong, but absurd. How
ever, he is not at all worried by the
position that has been assumed by the
authorities, for he considers the in
furious effects to miners of much less
consequence than is believed by the
public.
Mr.. Boyce came here on Sunday from
Boise City to preside over the conven-
ton, and he will be the guide to the
miners in their deliberations. He does
not look nor act the wild agitator that
he has been described at various times.
He seems to be a very level-headed
calm man, who generally thinks twice
before he speaks.
'They cannot operate mines without
union labor" said he last night. THAT
is sufficient answer to the position of
General Merriam and Attorney General
Hayes. They cannot find enough min
ers to do the work of the Occur
d'Alene district outside of the fedora
ton. They may get scabs and labOrers
and try to make miners of them, but
the effort will not be successful, for it
won't pay. Mining requires skilled la
Dor. 1t has always been the history
of the industry that where men who
don't understand the work We're en-
ployei. it cost more in the end than to
pay union wages. As mineOwners are
after money, they ultimately get the
work which are in fact. the cheap
est-that is, work by union men.
Trouble at Wardrer.
THE whole trouble up there origin
ates over the Last Chance and the
Bunker Hill and Sullivan mines. neither
of which has been worked by union
men, and l undertake to say that
union men are not responsible for the
blowing up of the Bunker Hill mill.
for SO and $3.50 per day, and they be-
came dissatisfied. The owners prom
iSed to pay all underground men $3.50
on July 10. In the Bunker Hill about
one-third of the men were earning SO
per day. and the other two-thirds $3.50.
When they learned of the promises of
the Last Chance owners, they, too, de-
manded $3.50, but they got no satisfac-
ton, and the troubles commenced. The
union men had sympathy for them. and
some aided them. That is the situa-
ton. The public believes that all men
in the Bunker Hill and Last Chance
mines were union men, and ii blames
them for blowing up the mill. whereas.
as a matter of fact. the whole trouble
comes from non-union men,"
Many of the miners here believe that
the mill was blown up at the instiga-
ton of the mineowners. in order to gain
sympathy and to destroy the union.
Again President Boyce was conserva-
tive when he spoke of this.
Possibly it is the case" said he. but
I should not like to say so without
been done before, and these owners
hate the union. But until have more
evidence l should hesitate to make the
charge"
Mineowners' Bluff.
me IllHeoWierS are Slu1ply IndhlnS
A bluff when they promised Attorney
General Hayes at Spokane yesterday
that they wouldn't employ union men
in the Occur d'Alene district" said
David c. Coates. editor of the Pueblo
(Colo) Courier. the official organ of the
federation. They will promise any
thing to get the aid of the military
authorities
Il believe that those owners caused
all the damage themselves said Dele
gate Bell of Boise. Il believe that they
blew up the mill-or, rather, hired men
to do tin order to get the sympathy
of the country, and to have soldiers
sent in to destroy the miners union.
It's outrageous that such things should
be done. But they will find that they
cannot successfully operate the mines