The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-10-18

| false witness from the same source. Our
gratitude is due to you, and to the
American people and to the press who
| have supported you and US in the long
| struggle which we hope is now about to
| close. During all these long months in
which our motives have been impunged
| and our characters maliciOusly assaied,
We have refrained from saying any
word or taking any action which would
| tend to render reconciliation more diff
| ficult, but now it secone a duty to de-
| fend ourselves against the ISLANDERS
| which have been heaped upon us, and to
| proclaim that We have from the first
| favored practically the method which
| is now employed to break the deadlock.
IF our proffer of. arbitration or i'm
partial investigation had been accepted
six months ago, instead of now, there
needs have been no strike. We have
been so eager, MIR President, to respond
to the peoples demand for coal that,
during the progress of the strike, we
have more than once offered arbitration,
but we have invariably been met with
the reply, 1--WE will not permit outsiders
to distate to us in the management OF
our affairs. We have nothing to arbi-
trate.'
Now that the managers of the COM
panies have been compelled by you and
a thoroughly aroused public conscience
to recede from this position, we are
proud that the firmness and the heroic
endurance Of our men and women in
support of their rights and of a vital
American principle, have won the VIC
tory. The poor, underpaid mine work
ers of these coal regions who toll hard
from early morning until late at night
for a livelihood, nobly supported by or
ganized labor in this and other lands,
have taught these corporation manag-
ers a useful lesson in civic and social
duty. We exult over this tribute to the
dignity Of labor because it is the tri-
umph of right and of good public poll
cy."
I'VE do not, however, exult over our
opponents; we appeal to them now. as
we have from the first, to turn their
eyes to the future and to cooperate with
us in an effort to establish better rela-
Itions between employer and employe
for the advantage of both.
1--WE forgive them their arrogant re-
fusal to deal with us, and in this hour
when they are forced to acknowledge
their inability to operate their mines
without our consent and cooperation,
we hold out the right hand of friend
ship and ask them to join with US In
securing amicable relations and whole
some conditions in this region. We for
| +bo FOIL tinnS
which they have made against us.
They charged us with being crlml-
mails, rioters and anarchists, and our
organization they denounced as law
less and irresponsible They know and
did know that their charges were I'M
true and without foundation in fact;
they know that every officer of the
United Mine Workers of America, from
the president down, has constantly urg-
; ed upon it's membership the imperative
need of respecting the law; that every
man who commits deed of violence
is an enemy to our cause has been our
vatchword. Despite these admonitions
supported with all our influence, there
, have been q few crimes and number
| OF rntsdenneanors chargeable to those on
, strike.
But, Mr.. President, we make the I'M
qualified declaration that the imported
, guardians of law and order, the COM
panies' coal and iron police. have COM
| mitted more unprovoked murders dur
: ing this strike than can be charged tc
the great army of men who have beer
2 in idleness for the past five months. We
{ have repeatedly and in language not
susceptible of misconstruction, con-
l demned transgressions Of the law or
4 the part of those on strike, and we chal'
/ lenge the coal companies to point to one
| public utterance on their part in which
= they have even deprecated acts of vio'
, lence committed by their hired guards
: 1--WE declare that it was unfair anc
: unmanly for the coal road operators tt
r insult us while we were your guests
= and to charge our organiza ton with re-
t sponsibility for acts of lawlessness dur
= ing the strike. 1t would be just as log
l zeal to charge the American army r
| the Philippines with being an army o.
} murderers tOrturers and robbers be
= cause few crimes were committed b,
t soldiers there. Until the millennium
i there will be crimes in every communit!
and human nature is the same, no bet
ter and no worse, among the half-mil
i lion people dependent upon us in thu
= coal fields as it is everywhere in gu
Y country.
THE pretence of, the operators tina
they were unable to produce coal be
cause intimidation kept from work mel
who were willing to work has beer
proven false by the fact that the pro
Il lection which they demanded has de
creased rather than increased the mum
Der of men mining coal. A hundred
: thousand troops could not have enabled
3 the operators to start their mines, 70
l. the simple reason that the men WIFI
" work them are members of the United
y Mine Workers of America, men WIFI
=. were determined to stand to the last
y THE operators declared that the,
would have nothing to do with tn
United Mine Workers Of America, bu
nize the power of the United Min
;, Workers Of America through you, MI
G President, and to seek terms of peac
- which will enable them to resume thei
: business Of mining and selling coal
The recognition of our strength thu
| forced upon the operators by stern ne
o. cessity we exult over, not in any mar
. row spirit, but because we believes
II marks forward step to new era
Upon the foundations laid through wa
| we ra ready to iOin with them II, h,,iIfl