Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-13

VoNOJ G11AAAA Ga 6d4y vi lax DullC
Miners Union-that the miners in my
employ, or in the employ of any and all
OF the concerns in which I have a con-
trolling voice. shall and will receive the
present scale of wages paid by me or
by said concerns for a days labor of
eight 90 hours.
I beg to assure you that 1t gives me
great pleasure to make this announce
ment to the Miners Union of Butte on
Miners Union day.
Recognizing the spirit of fairness and
conservatism which has characterized
the ACTION of your union during h past
% years, I.feel no doubt this action will
conduce largely to bringing about the
desired result all over this state in a
most speedy n amicable n I
assure you that I will do everything, in
my power to assist you in the accom-
plishment of your laudable purpose.
Yours very truly,
Pres. Montana Ore Purchasing Co.
When the cheers which greeted the
conclusion of this letter had subsidized the
1t follows
Butte, Mont, Tune 18th, 1900.
To Mr.. Michael Mccormick, President,
and Messrs. Cunningham, Whitley,
Powers. McKenna n Tonrey, COM
mittee appointed by the Butte Miners
Union tofconfer with me upon the u b
ject of the eight hour movement:
Gentlemen: I beg to inform you that I
have fully considered the question
which we discussed at he conference
which we had recently upon the subject
above referred to. and herein submit my
conclusions.
I believe I fully understand and appre-
ciate the situation of the great masses Of
mankind that are obliged to earn their
bread and support their families by toll,
and I ave always been an advocate of
adequate pay for honest labor performed.
l realize the hazardous character of la
Dor in the mines, and that it increases
with depth of the workings by reason Of
difficulty of ventilation, disturbance of
the walls, decay of the timbers, and
many other reasons that are apparent to
all mining men.
I am. therefore. satisfied that the de-
mand for shortening the time for a days
work to eight hours, provided that full
time Is occupied, in all underground
workings in mines, is not an
abb one, and I ave in of this
decision given Instructions to the super
intendent Of all the mines operated by
me in this district to adopt the eight hour
system beginning the 18th instant.
l congratulate the Butte Miners Union
upon the magnificent celebration of it's
tWenty-second anniversary today, and
wishing the members thereof and their
families the greatest possible prosperity
and happiness, I remain,
Your Sincere Friend,
W. A. CLARK.
A voice from the audience cried:
Have you anything from DAILY? ?"
Mr.. Mccormick smiled and sad that
other mines had been visited and the
officers here announced themselves in ia
vnr IF tho ich ~ n,1r Ia,v h-A 49, l.
the absence of those in authority the
consideration of the change would have
to be postponed.
When President Mccormack had pro-
~ceeded-far enough with the reading of
n Heipze, communication to give the
crowd an idea of it's purport, and his
hearers realized that it meant an eight
hour, day, the vast audience cheered and
applauded vociferously.
Wlhen he had concluded the applause
was resumed and lasted fully a minute,
Then someone in the crowd sprang to
ms Feet and called for three cheers for
F. Aug. Heinze. They were given with
roof-raising effect. Then followed the
reading of the Clark communication and
more cheers n tumult. Three cheers
were given for Senator Clark, and with
as much gusto as had greeted the Heinze
communication. The demonstratiou
lasted some time, after which M. p. Hag-
gerty, first vice president of the Mill and
Smeltermens' union. was introduced
President Boyce stating that he was one
of the foremost labor leaders of this city.
Mr.. Haggerty spoke in part as follows:
Mr.. President of the Miners Union,
Ladies and Gentlemen believe the
president has told o sufficient so that
you will understand hat / have only
come before you to comply with the Gus,
tom hat has always prevailed. 1t seems
that the committee had not made ar
pa U ramon for a Snaha Il q ~ md n,, ~
the gentlemen who had been long in the
movement said the occasion should moi
go by without some one to say a few
words.
IT wish to call your attention to the
disruption that prevails throughout the
labor world today, n~oticeably in tn
United States. There is hardly an in
dustry in our land today that is not dis
rupted by what we know as Strikes anG
~lockouts.' AIT the present time that hor-
rible spectacle in ST. Louis is challeng,
ing the attention of all civilized nations
and men have talked and asked the
question, rs there no way that the in
dustries of a great nation can be carried
on without bloodshed? You who read
you who think, must see in this upris.
ing a striking similarity between those
! conditions and that which took place
previous to the French revolution
Thomas Carlisle in his French revolution
told us that the revolution actually be-
gan 200 years previous to the deeapita'
ton Of Louis XVI, l believe that WE
can trace our present capitalistic system
fromlthate time. You are aware that i
was the conflict of the fuedal system
, the conflict of the landed artistocrac,
and the present incoming capitalistit
system; the industries have been grow
ing, the fuedal system saw it's approach
and they tried to hold it back. But i
vas useless, because that Is civilization
The capitalist system as we know it to
day triumnhed in what we know as tn.
French revolution, and fuedalism disap
peared from off the face Of the earth
That is something more than 100 year
ago. and I wish to call your attention tt
the great development that capitalism
has made, AT that time it was in its in