Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1902-10-30
The anthracite

These are the leaders. The anthracite
coal neids are divided into three as
tricts: Mr.Nichols is chief OF DISTRICT NO.
in the Lackawanna and Wyoming val
leys, Mr. Duffy of District No. IN the
Hazelton region, and Mr.. Faliy OF Dis
trict No. in Schuykil county. They
are held responsible for the organization
in these various districts The organi-
cation has an executive board composed
OF eight persons. These three district
presidents are members, and there are five
others from among the employees OF the
anthracite coal fields. The United Mine
workers union covers the whole OF the
mining regions of the United States. The
bltuminous fields have also their dis
trlcts, and their workmen like those of
the anthracite coal fields, are members
OF the Mine Workers Union OF the
United States of America. Mitchell is
president OF the organization all through
the United States.
Mitchell do not know personally. lie
is the miners idol. Here is an instance
for You showing how far some OF the
Slavs are carrying their hero worship:
Two olavs were talking on the street.
One said Mitchell am God" mo"
said the other, Mitchell am more than
coo. The control of that man over the
Slav miner, who is the lowest type we
nave, is enormous. Among tile English
speaking men he is also an idol. They
believe that he is the greatest leader in
the anthracite coal field and the greatest
leader who evertried to benefit the work.
lngmen. They believe that what he is
doing is done from high motives. On
the whole, he is conscientious. Mr..
Mitchell today has been brought to great
er prominence before the people of the
United States than any other man who
is connected with labor unions. If he |
would sell out the corporations would |
gladly pay him handsome sum. lie
could make hundred thousand dollars
in going through the country lecturing.
But he has resisted all this. He has
stuck to his post lie is today the most
censured, worst treated. most maligned
by the operators of any man of the labor
organizations. One thing they want, and
that is to get Mitchell off the field.
The lawlessness in the strike area is
largely due to the lower tentl-the shift
less and the incapable who in all agita-
tlons attain far greater prominence
tnan their influence or their numerical
strength would warrant, while the con-
servatlve and orderly element patiently
and silently steps aside and awaits devel-
opments. Even in well-disciplined armies
there are camp followers whose lawless-
ness and crime cannot be wholly sup
pressed even bya general in whose hand
lies the power Of life and death. How
can we expect John Mitchell to suppress
TINS, when daily the operators attempt
by agents to break the ranks of the men
ana positively refuse to recognize the
union which would strengthen his hands
that he may enforce greater discipline?
This lawleSSneSS and disorder have, I'M
for the cause of labor in gen
eral and especially to the mine workers
of the anthracite coal fields, beclouded
the real issues in the contest, which de-
serve the attention of the operators and
the public at large.
The operators say, ''Smash the union"
That will never do. Smash this today,
and tomorrow you will have another to
smash, and the third day the work of
smashing must be done over again. 1t
is almost uncomfortable that clear-sighted
men such as we have among the captains
of industry in these coal fields should
take refuge in such fatal policy. Can
it be that greed for gain blinds them to
their own inteptsta as well as to that of
the country as a whole? Whatever comes
of this present struggle, the operators of
the anthracite coal fields can rest as
sured that the fight they now wage will
not result in two decades of submission,
forbearance and silent suffering such as
existed from 1881 to 1900.
Some such organization as the union
is absolutely necessary to defend the men
from the tyranny of bosses and superin-
tendents, who are the hired managers of
absentee capitalists whose only interest
is to get as much wealth out of these
coal fields as possible, and who employ
these men who manage the collieries be-
cause they can produce cheap coal. Put
down the cost of production is the cry,
and that means often reduction of wages
and unfavorable conditions against this
see no possible protection to the men
save in their organization.