Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-08-07
AT A BIG MASS MEETING.
Seven Thousand Miners Assem-
bled Near Scranton.
ALL WERE ENTHUSIASTIC.
Some Of the Wen Marched Four Niles
to the Place of Meeting and All
stood with Uncovered Heads While
Mitchell Addressed Them.

Scranton, Pa, Aug. 2.-The first Of
the series of strikers mass meetings
planned to take place at the various
strike centers was held Friday in
the Round Woods. There were 1000
strikers present from this city and adj
joining towns, some locals having
marched four miles to the meeting,
headed by a band or drum corps and
carrying flags and banners. Nation
al President John Mitchell, District
President Nichols, District Vice
President Ryscavage, District Secre-
tary Dempsey and Organizer Memolo
delivered addresses. Ryscavage spoke
in Polish and Memolo in Italian.
The crowd cheered all the speak
ers and fairly went wild over Mitch
ell. When he was introduced to
speak some one shouted Hats Off
and although the suns rays beamed
down so intensely that many were
carried from the crowd exhausted,
every man in the vast asscmblage
barred his head and remained uncoY-
cred until his speech was concluded.
Then the crowd surged about the
platform and shook his hands until he
was almost exhausted.
Mr.. Mitchell's speech dealt only
with the live issues of the fight. He
said in part:
at has been said by some who are
not your friends that the miners of
the Scranton region are getting tired
of the strike and are about to return
to work. | come to find out if this IS
SO. / want to know if you are going
to return to work, dishonoring your
uTiz ligh
selves"
Cries of 'Never, never" "No. no."
Don't you believe it," and the like.
From the offices of the coal presi-
dents in New York comes the declara-
tion that the strike will be settled
only in their own way. | would di-
rect your attention to similar declara-
tions made in the 1900 strike. The
coal trust may be powerful and
strong, but the American people
whose hearts throb in sympathy with
the miners cause are stronger than
the coal trust. The American people,
IKE a jury, have passed upon this
conflict Ninety per cent. of the peo-
pie have agreed that the miners are
right and the operators wrong.
Il understand there is some dissat-
ISlactlpn ABOUT the distribution OF Lne
relief fund. The operators have sent
men among You to urge you to be
dissatisfied. We have sent circular
to all the locals which will explain
the plans for distributing relief, and
| trust when you hear it read, there
will be an end to dissatisfaction.
While we have not got millions, we
have enough to see to it that no
miner will starve during the strike.
THE one among you who violates
the law is the worst enemy you have.
No one is more pleased than the oper-
ators in New York to hear of dis
order in the coal regions. I want our
men to exercise their rights under
the laws, but | want no man to
transgress the laws.
THE operators are trying TO make
it appear that the strike is beginning
to break up. At Shamokin the opera
tors tell the strikers that the men
at Wilkesbarre are returning to work.
At Wilkesbarre they tell them that
the men at Shamokin are returning,
and at other places they tell them
the men at Scranton are weakening.
! fail to see any signs of weakening
here"