The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-23
THE EVENING SESSION.
Salaries of Officers Increased-COm-
mittees Are Named.

afternoon session. The report was TO the
effect that an isolated local. should mean
one situated more than two and one-half
miles from any other local An amend
ment was offered to allow all locals made
up of non-English speaking members to
send a delegate to the convention, but the
proposition brought on a stiff discussion
during which a German member made the
remark that the proper thing to do was to
transact all business i'm English and do
away altogether with the locals of for
eigners. Delegate Dolan. of Pittsburg. put
the finishing touches to the matter by say
ing that it was not the Slavs, Poles. Hun
garians, Italians or Germans who created
the trouble in the organization, but the
Irish Hungarians" and Johnny Bull
Hungarians," and that the greatest club
the miners had ever placed in the hands of
the operators was the power to array
locals of different nationalities and relig-
ions against each other
The amendment was finally lost and the
original report was adopted with an
amendment by Delegate Lewis, Of Ohio,
other local be entitled to delegate with
railroad fare paid out of the national
treasury.
SALARIES INCREASED.
During the morning session a report of
the committee on constitution was adopted
and by it's provisions the salaries Of the
national officers were materially increased.
President Mitchell received an increase
from 81 200 to $500; Secretary Pearce from
$1,000 to $1,000; the vice president from $500
to $1,000; the editor of the Mine Workers
Journal from $50 day to 81 a day and the
members of the executive committee from
$3.50 to 50 day.
Last night, when a motion was made to
adopt the report of the committee as
whole, Delegate Mclaughlin asked that
that portion which increased the officers
salaries be stricken out, and then trouble
began. President Mitchell, because of the
fact that his material interests were being
discussed, was so embarrassed that he did
not feel like adopting any methods for
putting the delegates on the right track.
Several speakers urged that the officers
were being paid better than any men who
worked I'm the mines and that there was no
justification in increasing what was al
ready q larger amount than they ever
earned at mining.
President Mitchell finally took the floor
and said he had opposed the increase at
the time it had been granted, because he
realized that 1t might promote discord and
dissatisfaction in the ranks and that he
loved the organization too much to permit
any delegate to go away without feeling
perfectly satisfied.
j. M. Hunter of Illinois, finally came to
the rescue and scored the delegates merci-
lessly, saying that brains were at a pre-
MUM" and that inasmuch as the miners
were going to secure an increase in wages
Ii was bat due that they should give their
officers more money. "All the good men
have been SKINNED from our ranks" said
he, land ii is your niggardly policy In the
past which has robbed the organization OF
the services of it's best men for you have
driven them to seek places elsewhere
where their talents would be appreciated.
Some of the delegates have quoted the
Bible as authority for the statement that
to him that hath shall be given and to him
that hath not, that which he hath shall be
taken away Now L want to quote some
Bible. too: The laborer is worthy of his
hire 4"
Finally a delegate bluntly told President
Mitchell to vacate the chair and allow
the convention to settle the thing without
any embarrassment TO him and this was
done. Such a strong sentiment In FAVOR
of abiding by the decision of the morning
was aroused, that, in five minutes, the mat
ter was voted without dissenting vote.
SCALE COMMITTEES REPORT.
Throughout the session attempts were
made to have report from the scale COM
mittee in order TO be prepared to meet the
operators to-day, but, inasmuch as the
previous partial report had been struggled
to the Pittsburg and Springfield GILL; pa
ton even knew what the report would be-,
it's report until the joint conference was
held. This action was taken because at
tention was called to two operators-T. G..
McKell and T. Z. Webb, of West Virginia
who were sitting in the gallery.
The only other thing of Importance done
at the night session was che action on the
report of the special committee on "gov-
eminent by injunctions." Secretary Lewis.
of the committee. read the resolution which
was disappointingly mild TO a number of
delegates who favored the total abolition
of the power of injunction.
1t held that the original intent OF the
Injunction was not an evil one and that III
ought not to be abolished, as 1t was a
good remedy in cases where ordinary legal
methods would not avail. The thing OBJ
jected TO in the resolution was that judges
could issue injunction on the application
of individuals; createNa law of their own
and punish those thought to be guilty OF
contempt without appeal or trial by jury.
The resolution urged the adoption of a
law that would make it possible for in
functions TO be issued only on the Joint
request of two or more police or Circuit
Court judges and that before any punish
ment be melted out TO people accused of
contempt OF the orders of federal courts.
that they be given a trial by a jury of
twelve citizens of their own community.
Secretary Lewis said the main purpose was
to give the Injunction power only to Judges
who owed their positions entirely 10 the
people and not 10 judges who were APP
pointed for life and were therefore inde-
pendent OF the people. After a long dis
cussion between the supporters Of the reso-
luton and the radicals I'm the convention
the resolution was adopted.
COMMITTEE ANNOUNCED.
Before the close OF the meeting. Presi-
dent Mitchell announced the members OF
the committee to meet the operators and
arrange scale for outside labor" The
names were: ID. II. Sullivan. Ohio: It. r.
Pounds, Indiana; Walter Mum, Illinois; Nj.
McTaggart, central Pennsylvania; Joseph
Heffern, Pittsburg; James Nesey, Tennes-
see; Phil Roberts, Indiana (block); James
| White. Iowa.
The special committee to prepare a con-
stitutional amendment governing the rails