The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1900-10-20
A REMARKABLE STRIKE
AT AN END-REWEwED FRon A
NoN-POLITICAL POINT OF
VIEW.
The Strike of the Century
and 1t Won by United Eff
fort-A Fight for the Ex-
istence and Supremacy of
the Labor Order-Plan of
England Galleries Sug-
gested for the Future.
pAssIE FENToN orTLEY,

PAssIE FENToN oTTLEY,
After twenty-seven days the
great strike Of the anthracite coal
miners of Pennsylvania has been
announced rs at an end. Dele
gates from all mines involved held
a stormy session at Scranton on
the 18th and agreed to accept the
tincrease of ten per cent with 9th
er concessions offered by the ope-
Tators. This means that 137, 900
OF the 100000 coal miners of the
anthracite region will go back to
work; that the women and chill
dren will not be cold nor hungry.
and that all will go quietly until
President Mitchell and the Unit
ed Mine Workers need the anthra-
lcite miners again, when out they'll
go. This has been a remarkable
strike for other reasons than that
1T involved a large number Of
men aud chronieicd the first leg
ifimate success of organized labor
IN the anthracite regions after 80
years spent in the effort for gem
eral enlistment of action there.
IT was a strictly modern strike,
q triumph Of perfect organization
and unquestioning cooperation.
Those features which have rem
dered earlier strikes lurid and
dramatic were conspicuously alb
sent.
Grim want, fierce passion and
the stern determination to drag
Justice from the reluctant heavens
even though the stars fall with it
-all these things have been lack
ing in the present case.
The premonitory symtoms Of a
strike has not appeared. There
had been no mutterings, no spe-
clal discomfort, no complaint ex-
ccpt in one or two instances
which were to have been arbitrat-
cd upon.
sl'rhere- -weia- neasons,svhya strike
was deemed advisable by the pow
crs; President Mitchell, like
young Lochinvar. came out of
the bituminous coal regions, the
order was given and presto, with
out a word, murmur or q rufiied
composure, out go the 1000 an
thraeiters for ~ days al loss to
themselves of 3,288, 900, to the
railroad and other business and to
the operators of 81, ,000, 900, at cost
to the State for troops of 5000, 900
and the loss of six lives.
1t really looked like a great
rally of the labor forces, sort of
fire drill for emergencies lust to
be sure all was in working order.
OF course, this fact Of the extran-
eousness of the strike, has been
the feature which has so offended
the employers. They maintain
that the grievances were not real
and that where they did exist the
men knew they could be easily
righted by application to them.
There was, indeed, no time dur
ing the strike when the demands
of the men would not have been
cheerfully acceded to but the
employers stood out for the right
to treat each with his own men.
This, of course, was the very thing
which President Mitchell could
not possibly yield. 1t was, in
short, fight for the existence and
supremacy of the labor order, in
IT'S most centralized form, which
President Mitchell and the Unit
ed Mine Workers have been wag-
ing and the anthracite coal min
ers and their grievances have been
only weapons in the struggle. TO
win the general in command has
been forced to resort to the rules
of war and sacrifice some ethical
principles. There are many labor
sympathizcrs who deplore the ac-
tion of the directors of the strike
in compelling the men Of certain
mines to break their special agree
ment with their employers for ar
bitration in case of trouble.
| They feel that this will be used
| by the enemies of labor as an ar
gument against the reliability oil
the miner and to prove that no
concessive or reasonable measure
are possible with him.
| This is all true and it is to be
regretted that these pledge should
have had to be forfeited and vel
it seems strange that any on,
| could fail to see that in the fighI
Mitchell was making all indiyidu.
Al arrangements or consideration
had to go down before the one
Igreat end of absolute union anC
perfect concert of action.
That was the stake for which
he was playing. The very exist
ence of the labor movement de.
pends upon its being won anC
maintained.
| Howspuerile it would be for th,
Leader of great host to throw
away the victory for which he 4
| striving because Of broken pledges
even, on the part of indiyidua
members of his army.
The integrity and force of th
whole labor movement depend
upon its unity; its leaders must, b
course, preserve it at any cost.
A labor union we must remem
her, Is q trust the object Of whicl