Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-21
NINE WORKERS MEET
Continued from First Page.)


in our land who works for a livelihood.
When the history OF the struggles OF toilers
shall be written its pages will record no
event more important, no principle more
ably. defended no battle more braVely
fought than the. contest which 1 earnestly
hope is now about to be happily ended.
1t is not my purpose, to enumerate the i'm
portant events which have now passed into
history. Imprinted indelibly upon the hearts
of our people are the memories of suffer-
are being endured. For Ave long months
the eyes of thu nation have been centered
upon your actions and 1t is a pleasure 10
people throbbed in sympathy with you.
II is, Of course, a source of deep regret that
the millions of under-paid workmen of our
great cities should be the most acute sur
ferers by reason OF this contest between
ourselves and our employers. But strange
as II may appear, hundreds upon hundreds
of those who suffered most from lack OF
fuel sent words, Of commendatiop and EN-
enlargement tovds, in many Instances, de
ton in order Ghat The miners miners ANY aSd tReir
families might secure a sufficient wage to
enable them to enjoy a little happiness and
sunshine instead OF the gloom and sadness
which has been theirsl lot for many years.
The debt of gratitude we owe our fellow
workers in this ana other lands. the debt
a friendly press who have supported and
sustained us during this memorable strike,
can never be adequately repaid.
For our opponents. we entertain no feeling
of malice. While they hav" maligned our
characters, imptgned our motives and
sought to win victory by. methods which
we should scorn to use, yet on this day,
when we have secured an avenue of re-
dress, on this day, when the realization of
our hopes and ambitions seems near, when,
the prospect of. a brighter and happier flu
ture seems assured, we should hold out to
to join us in providing for such business
relations as shall for all time establish
peace and tranquility in the coal fields.
The day Is past when great organizations
of capital can maintain the false position
that their employees shall be denied the
right to organize into compact bodies and
speak through the organization of which
they are members. We recognize the right
of capital to consolidate, to federate and to
speak and act through Its organization, but
In according these rights and privileges to
capital we demand and shall assert the
same privileges for those who toll.
No IrI ecOnci.abIe Conflict.
Between the combination of capital on
the one hand and the organization Of labor
on the other, there should be and need be
no rreconcilable conflicts; each is a factor
In the economic development of our. civili-
ment and plain common sense by each
would enable them TO work In harmony.
While the interests OF labor and capital
nevertheless reciprocal; each is dependent
upon the other, and under our form of
other. Abraham Lincoln truly said that
capital Is the .fruH or labor and could not
s tSaTet II labor dss.r had no. not AIRS hrst existed; la, labor =
That this fundamental principle will be
recognized by the tribunal selected by the
president OF the United States / have no
reason to doubt.
The grave question which you have been
called upon TO consider today demands and
must receive your most careful thought.
Personally, I would have preferred an ad-
justment of the difficulties existing in the
,antkfseite mine owners and without the
Intervention of agencies not directly in
volved, but / recognize the fact that rela-
NHnna hpNNvaan aFuRaRlUaQ and the nnaraN tors
have been so strained as TO render direct
negotiations at this time impossible. II
the interests OF the operators and mine
workers there would be less reason for the
Intervention OF a third party, but the fact
that a coal famine was upon the people
of eastern and seaboard states, and threat
ened to become a national calamity, justi-
hes the action OF the chief executive Of