The Minneapolis journal., 1902-10-20
MR.. MiTCHELL'S SPEECH

|
Mr.. MiTcHELL's SPEECH
The President Of the Union Advocates
| Calling Of the Strike.
| Wilkesbarre, Oct. 20.-President Mitch
ellis address at the afternoon session was
as follows: x:
"Gentlemen: In opening this conven-
| tion for the transaction Of business. /
take pleasure in extending warm greeting
and welcome to the accredited representa-
tives of the 100000 men and boys whose
! heroic struggle for living wages and
American conditions of employment has
won the admiration of the whole civilized
world. Language is Inadequate to express
the sense OF pride feel in you and those
you represent. Your noble defense Of the
principles of untonism< <endearsyou to every
man and, every woman in our land who
works for livelihood. When the his
! tory OF the struggle Of toilers shall be
written, its pages will record no event more
important, no principle more ably defend
ed, no battle more bravely fought than
the contest which earnestly hope is now
about to be happily ended.
Not Necessary to Review the Strike.
1T is not my purpose to review the
progress of the strike or even to enumer-
into history. Imprinted indelibly upon the
hearts of our people are the memories of
the sufferings and hardships which have
been and are being endured. For five
long: months the eyes Of the nation have
been centered upon your actions and It
is a pleasure to say that the great heart
OF the American people throbbed in SYM
pat,ly with you.
| 1T is of course a source of deep regret
that the millions of underpaid workmen
| of our great cities should be the most
acute sufferers by reason of this contest
between ourselves and our employers. But
strange as it may appear hundreds upon
hundreds Of those who suffered most from
lack of fuel sentawords of commendation
and encouragement to us and In many
| instances declared that they would endure
any privation in order that the miners
and their families might secure suffi-
cient wage to enable them to enjoy little
happiness and sunshine instead Of the
gloom and sadness which has been their
lot for many years. The debt Of gratitude
we owe our fellow workers in this and
other lands the debt of gratitude we owe
a generous public and a friendly press
who have supported and sustained us dur
ing this memorable strike can never be
adequately repaid.
For our opponents we entertain no
feeling of malice. While they have
maligned our characters, 1mpugned our
motives and sought the victory by meth
DDS which we should scorn to use yet on
this day when we have secured an avenue
Of redress, on this day when the realiza-
tion of our hopes and ambitions seems
near, when the prospect Of a brighter and
happier future seems assured we should
hold out to them the hand Of friendship
and ask them to join us in providing for
such business relations as shall for all time
establish peace and tranquility In the coal
fields. ,-.
Right Of Capital to Organize Not Denied.
"The day is past when great organiza-
tiOns Of capital can maintain the false
position that their employees shall be de-
MED the right to organize into compact
bodies and speak through the organization
Of which they are members. We recog-
nize the right of capital to consolidate, to
federate and to speak and act through
it's organization, but in according these
rights and privileges to capital we de
mand and shall assert the same privileges
for those who toll Between the com
bination Of capital on the one hand
and the organization of labor on the other,
there should be and need be no irrecon-
cilable conflicts; each is a factor in the
economic development of our civilization,
ard the application in business Judgment
and plain common sense by each would
enable them to work in harmony. While
the interests Of labor and capital are not
. by any means Identical, they are never
theless reciprocal; each Is dependent upon
the other and under our form of govern
ment one cannot prosper without the
other Abraham Lincoln truly said that
t Capital is the fruit of labor and could not
exist If labor had not first existed; abor,
? therefore, deserves the first consideration.
> That this fundamental principle will be
/ recognized by the tribunal selected by the
| Dro Of S1o Ypjf fn1 Cfoto T lo1
2 reason to doubt.
Need Of Third Party to Arbitrate.
1.-THE grave question which you have
been called upon to consider to-day de-
mands and must receive your most care
full thought. Personally I should have
preferred an adjustment of the difficulties
existing in the anthracite field by confer.
ence with the anthracite mine owners anc
without the Intervention Of agencies MOI
z directly involved, but I recognize the fac
' that relations between ourselves and the
i operators have become so strained so tt
( render direct negotiation at this time i'm.
7 possible. If the consequences of this
strike affected only the interests of the
? operators and mine workers, there would
, be less reason for the Intervention of 8
+ third party; but the fact that coal fam.
inc was upon the people of eastern and
seaboard states and threatened to become
a national calamity, justifies the actor
of the chief executive of our nation II
his earnest effort to bring about an early
resumption of mining. esEF D.. ...-..
{ 1.-THE proposition submitted for you1
: consideration may have Objectionable feat
: ures and In its detail may not meet with
the unanimous approval Of our people, bu
. it is iunmeasurably better as now pre-
: sented than when originally offered by the
representatives Of the coal corporations
am Arm in my conviction that the
I prompt acceptance of this proposal will
\ secure to the anthracite mine workers anc
those dependent upon them greatel
measure Of justice than they could attain
I by continuing the conflict: / believe tha
! the prompt acceptance OF this proposition
will secure to the mine workers greater