The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-13

dent Mitchell Declares the Strikers Are as Firm To-day as Ever-WilIIng to Arbitrnte but Wants No COmpuI- sory Arbitration-Answer Ex-NIayOr Hewett-LawIessness.
 Philadelphia, Sept 12.-President John Mitchell, of the United Mine Workers of America, came here tonight and was presented with about $3,0OO by the or ganized workmen of This city for the benefit of the striking mine workers. The presentation took place at joint mass meeting of the United Trades associa- tion, and allied building trades and the Central Labor union. The money was gathered by these organizations through house to house collections, jars placed on step corners and other places and proceeds from picnics. The miners chief was given an enthusiastic recep- tion by the great crowd within the building. After the relief money had been formally presented to him, MT. Mitchell made a short address. He thanked the, donors on behalf of the great army of men, women and children who are making great struggle for living wages. He said the mine work ers' fight was fight for trade union- ism, without which the workmen of the country could not get fair treatment fYor, tho e1,on1nvarc The snokaSn1an of the operators, he continued, contend- ed they are making a fight for individ- ual liberty and for principle, but MT. Mitchell claimed the operators are bat tling to give wages satisfactory only to the coal trust. He said the strikers are just as firm to-day as they were four months ago. If the strike were to be lost, which he said it not likely, it would not mean the disintegration of organized labor, but it would be shock which would be seriously felt. He said it was difficult to keep the peace among such a great army of men who are struggling for living wages, but the miners, he thought, were keeping with in the law as best they can. The coal operators, he said, have characterized the miners union as an Irresponsible and lawless body" He admitted there had been some lawlessness, but "of the six persons killed in the coal fields since the strike started, three were murdered by the coal and iron policemen"
 No one depIored lawlessness more than he did, even though committed by his own brother. He characterized most of the special policemen as ''crin- inals and thugs"
 Continuing the miners president said: "Governor Stone is contemplating an extra session of the legislature for the purpose of having enacted compulsory arbitration law. The miners are willing to arbitrate, but they are not willing to have compulsory arbitration. They are not willing to enslave the workmen of Pennsylvania in order to get out of their own difficulty. It has been the in- variable rule for workmen throughout the country to abide by the decision of arbitration boards and also the rule, for organized workmen to stand by their contracts"
 MT. Mitchell referred to the recent public statement of ex-Mayor Abram S. Hewett of New York city, in which the latter was quoted as saying MT. Mitchell was responsible for the anthra- cite strike and that he had ordered the bituminous miners to quite work but that the latter had refused. MT. Mitchell denied these statements and also refuted MT. Hewitt's claim that he has been a friend of labor. MT. Hew- itt, he said, is director of the Erie railroad and a director in very large coal company: "All the men in the em- ploy of Mr. Hewitt in West Virginia, '' MT. Mitchell said, "are on strike, al- though he never told that to the pub lic.'
 MT. Mitchell pictured the young and frail children going to the mines and factories when they ought to be in the schools where they could get an educa- tion and become good citizens of their country. He asked the citizens of Phil adelphia to further assist the strikers
 "We cannot win the strike alone,' he said, "but with the help of the trades unions of the country victory will be ours. This is the struggle of our time and it is the duty of every organized ,s workman in the country to do what he can for our success"