The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-18

or not the emergency will arise TO call ont any
deputy sherGs. Let your conduct be such that
il will give the lie 20 those who have tried TO
paint you an inferior article.
There is an impression abroad that we are an
inferior article. This is the time to demonstrate
that you are equal to other classes Of workmen
How will YOU prove 1t? BY your conduct, unity
and intelligence.
Organizer Dilcher was then intro
duCer, and he was accorded a hearty
welcome by the assemblage He began
his remarks by saying that he was
very much pleased to see so many min
ers and mine laborers at the meeting.
II desire to say emphatically," he con-
tlnued that District No. has $4,000
men connected with the United Mine
Workers of America, and 73.J00 out of
that number, at the time OF my leav-
ing the office, had laid down their
tools 1t is a complete tie-up, and SIS
per cent. of the men in district no. 7
and No. 8 We're out this morning" lie
continued as follows:
Remarkable Strike.
Never was such strike declared in the history
Of organized worlncn and never was an order
promptly needed as this when Ii2, 900 men
laid down their tools. This j. strike oi Justice.
honesty and fairness. We have nothing to con.
ceal from the american public, and ID the men
are honest to themselves we will bc the NctorS
Of the greatest strike ever recorded ia history.
Our one object in this fight is Justice aud the
president Of the United Mine Workers urganizi.
tion stands ready 30 adjust our differences hy
arbitration. We are willing 70 accept President
Mckinley, William j. Bryan. Cardinal Gibbons
and Bishop Potter as arbitrators II the operators
ave fair they cannot get away from the Justice
Of uur claim.
The soft coal miner. have as much bu,iucs, to
help Tia" anthracite miner to secure Justice as
Sup rintculnut Ioomis and Superintendent Rose
have to lulp the corporations keep down the
wages ct the mine workers What is good for
the goose is good for the ganlcr ! have the
greatest respect for these gentlemen; they are
simply the tools Of the corporations.
There is new era in the trades and labor
union movement, and this strike must be settled
by YOU without ofense. II you do not win this
strike, you will force poverty upon your families
for the next twenty-five years to come. VIII
You win, gentlemen?
| never felt SO confident in my life Of winning
a strike is ! do now in this one. It is the
greatest strike in the history OF this country.
You are worse of than the lIborcrs in .NLbdma,
with all your laws. II the wheels OF industry are
grinding. We want them to grind tor US, too
and ii they don't there will be no work.
I can assure YOU that the soft coat miners will
be stopped il they attempt to ship pound II
coal into this region We could have stopped
every pump in the mines this morning ii we
wanted to, but w. will permit the engineers to
operate in order to keep the pumps running and
the pump men at work in order to keep the
mines from being flooded, and we will also let
the stable bosses look after the mules. as the
companies think more of them than they do Of
the men.
Expect to Gain.
In District No. l we have 5000 United Nine
Workers this afternoon, and by saturday night
We expect TO have every man and boy IN the
district in the organization. On saturday after.
noon we will have parade OF the boys and ii
we win this strike we will take 10000 Of them
TO New York and march them mp Fifth avenue
to show the millonaircS who helped them build
their mansions.
Ii the operators have no grievance they should
not I've afraid to meet the men. We stand ready
to give them 5000 men 10 protect their property
as long as they don't put sc1b labor in, and il
they do that We will withdraw our men.
Mr.. Dilcher here read an interview
published in an AFT arnoon paper with
| g. A. Walker. the treasurer of the
Delaware and Hudson Canal company,
and ridiculed the latter's argument.
| He characterized the statements quot
| ed as being extremely ridiculous, and
commented freely on the statements
made.
"If they thought they could keep
| you in the mines they'd do it," he
| said This strike must be conducted
along business lines. There must be
no violence. breakers must be pro-
! tected against danger 1t any cost. We
| know about the Wlnchesters and am
| munition that have been received by
| the operators but 7 warn then not 10
repeat the Lattimer murder, as the
! shooting may not be all on the one
! side.
"I warn them not TO incite the men
! They have no right to import guns
into this fight. Let every man be
! peaceable and stay away from the
mines until we tell them to go in"
At this point the rain came pouring
down. and the meeting hastily broke
up.