The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-11

your wishes, and ever since You have cursed
; those officers.
| ] cannot expect my fellow workingmen, al.
ways to have your approval, expect that in
the performance of my duty. sometimes. a part
OF the miners will believe that I an wrong;
our executive board will moi always have your
confidence, although, trust that we sall al.
ways deserve the confidence Of the VAST ina
orly. II we cannot retain your confidence by
being honest, we shall never try TO hold the re.
gard Of men by telling them lies; II We cannot
| retain their ttntAlc l,r telling the .riih, we
should prefer not to have their confidence.
Holy as Religion.
To me tile cause Of labor is as holy that
of religion; believe that those who try 10 bring
to tho homes of the miners little more happi.
ness and sunshine, instead OF the gloom and
sadness which too often finds dwelling place
there. are serving cause rs holy as religion.
Let me advise You to continue this strike as
you have done; and tnat every man stay away
from the mines until convention declares the
strike of
have not. up TO this time had anything to
say about the operators propositions; | am now
| willing to say that their proposition is not sat
isfactory; but if they will give YOU ten per
cent. they ought 10 offer it for year. they
ought to be willing to abolish their company
stores. and pay You twice monthly God
\ln'ishty. the law calls for that !thev ought
to be willing TO abolish the sliding scale.
! do not believe that this strike will correct
all the abuses that have accumulated during
the past forty years; yet am convinced that
with each succeeding year, if you maintain your
organic; lon, YOU can secure improved cond.
tions of employment. 1t is the height Of my
ambition to establish the same relations between
yourselves and the operators as exist in the btu.
minons fields. where the operators and miners
liz, s,, sD:,N
business men, and adjust their differences with
ont recourse to strikes.
Are Civilized Weapons.
1t is said by some one that strikes are bar.
, barous, but, my friends. strikes never take
place except in highly civilized na,ions there
are no strikes in Asia: there are no strikes in
Africa; there no strikes in India; you
never heard OF a Chinamam going on strike; you
never heard Of All African going on strike
Strikes are to be regretted: strikes should not
be encouraged: strikes should not be tolerated
except where all honorable efforts to adjust diff
ferencps fail
Before this strike was ordered we made every
possible effort 10 bring about peaceful adjust
ment OF yonr differences. | went TO New York
and sacrificed my personal dignity in an effort
to secure conference with the operators: they
turned me away without hearing; they said
that their men would not strike: that they lad
no grievances; it was said they had poed the
mines; and that not ten per cent. OF the men
would strike. I said that they would strike and
my predictions have been more than verified. All
the men who took part in the strike deserve
credit and while u non.unon man who will join
strike is not as far sighted as Il union man.
he deserves as much credit. When the strike
was declared our union was not strong-wc had
but 5000 members in this region-bnt $4,000
men joined the strike when II was called.
Ny fellow workingmcn. my voice is not strong
enough 10 make you all hear, but before closing
wish to ask that the miners will conduct them.
selves as they have up to this time. wish to
ask the mothers and daughters who are here
TO give us their powerful support; | wish to
say that have less sympathy in this strike for
yon strong men, who are accustomed to hard
ships than have for the breaker boys, the
mothers and daughters who suffer more. II pos
sible, than YOU Continue as you have been
doing; keep your union intact, and the strike
will not be in vain.
Other Sneak kers