The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-08-08
Big MASS MEETING
OF The STRIKERS
Great Gathering Near Scranton
Is Addressed by
Leaders.
"A SPEECH BY MITCHELL
Advises His Followers to Obey the
Law and Keep Order and to Be
True to Their Prin-
ciples.
. SPEECH BY MITCHELL

Scranton, Pa, Aug. 4.-The first of
the strikers mass meetings planned to
take place at the various strike CEN
ters was held yesterday in the Round
woods. There We're 1900 strikers pres
ent from all parts OF the city and adj
joining towns. Some locals marched
four miles to the meeting, headed by q
band or a drum corps and carrying
flags and banners.
National President John Mitchell,
District President 7. D.. Nichols, Dis
trict Vice President Adam r. Ryscav-
age, District Secretary John T. Demp-
sey, Organizer Mortimi Memolo and
Subdistrict President 7. Phillips de-
livered addresses. Vice President Rys-
I'VE spoke in Polish and Organizer
Memolo in Italian.
The crowd enthusiastically cheered
all the speakers, and fairly went wild
over Mitchell.
Mr.. Mitchell said:
1T has been said by some. who are
not our friends that the miners Of the
region are getting tired of the
strike n are abou to return to work.
r If he strike is lost may God Al
mighty help the men, women and chill
iren who depend for their subsistence
On the mining OF anthracite coal. II
the strike is lost you will pay the cost
Of the strike. -. a+
II want to say that the anthracite
miners went on strike themselves.
They voted for the strike. 1t was not
the officers of the United Mine Work
ers' union who called the strike. 1t
will end until you vote it ended.
From the offices of the coal presi-
dents in New York ONE the declara-
ton that the strike will be settled only
in their own way Of settling it. I
would direct your attention to similar
declarations 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 -.., - 49, ~
Ninety per cent Of the people have
agreed that the miners are right and
the operators were wrong.
IT understand there is some dissatis-
faction and misunderstanding about
the distribution of the relief fund. The
operators have sent men among you tc
urge you to be dissatisfied. Gg
While we have not got our mil
lions, we have enough to see to it that
no miner will starve during the contin-
uance Of the strike. !
II want to appeal to men with means
to refrain from applying for relief. BE
patient with your committees. Put
you1 SAAOuluC1 " l1Atu WHEEL anu 90 yOul
share Of the work. Don't depend alto
gether on your officers t o win this
fight. --
The n among you who violates the
law is the worst enemy you have. ]
want u men to exercise their rights
that inure to them under the laws, but
I want that no man shall transgress
the laws.
THE operators are trying to make II
appear that the strike Is beginning tc
break up. T. T,
"At Shamokin,. the operators tell the
strikers that the men at Wilkesbarre
are returning to work. At. Wilkesbarre
they tell them the men at Sharnokin
are returning and at other places they
tell them the men at Scranton are
weakening. I fail to see any signs OF
weakening here. .
Il want to impress on you the i'm
p~ortance of winning this strike. If you
win, as you surely will win; there will
be no more strikes; there will be a
basis of adjustment arrived at which
will prevent strikes"
Chairman Phillips asked all who ia
vored a fight to a finish to raise theil
hands. Every hand Vert up
Twenty-Five years ago, August /
1877, 10000 striking miners, who had
been out six months, met at this
same Roundwoods, in almost the iden-
teal spot where yesterdays meeting
was held, and with uplifted hands
Avowed that they would not return tc
work until their demands were granted
That afternoon occurred the mem
orable riot on Lackawanna avenue
when a company of hastily formed
vigilantes killed two men, fired upon
4 procession made up of strikers ron
this n another mass meeting who
we're bent upon burning breakers and
who had nearly killed Mayor Nc
kune when he tried to halt them.
A week later the miners went back
% work without gaining any conces-
sions and with their union disrupted.
AS a precaution against possible dis
order a big squad of police was kept in
reserve at headquarters and twenty
patrolmen were stationed in the neigh
oorhood Of the Oxford colliery, which
las resumed operations.