Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-10-21

I
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partial investigation had been accept
ed six months ago instead of now
there need have been no strike. We
have been so eager, Mr.. 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, We will not
permit outsiders to dictate to us in
the management of our affairs. We
have nothing to arbitrate'
Operators Taught Lesson.
Now that the managers of the COM
panies have been compelled by you
and thoroughly aroused public con-
science 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 vital American principle have won
the victory.
The poor. underpaid mineworkers
OF these coal regions, who toll hard
| from early morning until late at night
for livelihood, nobly supported by or
gained labor in this and other lands,
I have light these corporation man
! ayers az'useful lesson in civic and So
1 cial duty.
We eXult over these tributes to the
/ dignity of labor, because it is the tris
umph of right and good public policy.
/ We do not however, teXult over our OPP
ponents; 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
4 relations between employer and en-
| ploye, and for the advantage of both.
Forgive Insults of Operators.
I'VE refuse them their arrogant re-
fusal to deal with u.s. 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 fellow
ship and ask them to join with us in
securing amicable relations and whole,
some conditions in this region.
I'VE forgive them even the false ac-
cusations which they have made
against us. They charged us with be-
ing criminals, rioters, and anarchists,
and our organization they denounced
as .lawless and responsible
"They know and lid know that their
charges were unsrue and without
foundation in fact; they gnew that ev-
cry officer of the United Mineworknrs
of America, from the president down
has constantly urged upon its menu
1 of no
speeding the law: that every mai
: who commits deed OF violence is an
, enemy to our cause, has been oul
) watchword.
/ Despite these admonitiQns, sup
) ported with all our influence. there
/ have been few crimes and number
) of misdemeanors chargeable to those
on strike. But, Mr.. President, we
make the unqualified declaration that
} the imported guardians of law and or
der. the companies coal and iron po-
: lice, have committed more unprovok-
| ed murders during the strike than cal
| be charged to the great army of mel
who have been in idleness for the las
five months. We have repeatedly, ant
in language not susceptible of miscon
: struction condemned transgression
: of law On the part of those on strike
!, we challenge the coal companies t.
!, point to one public utterance Oh thei
: part in which they have even depre
: Gated acts of violence committed b
their hired guards.
4 lnsultsd as Presidents Guests.
y 1--WE declare that it was unfair an
unmanly for the coal road president
i to insult us while we were your guests
h and charge our organization with re
l. sponsibility for acts of lawlessnes
+ during the strike. 1t would be just a
e logical TO charge the American arm
h in the PHILIPPINES with being an arm
y of murlerers, torturers, and robber
because a few crimes were committe
l. by soldiers there. Until the milleni
d UNI there will be crimes in every con
It munity, and human nature is tn
le same, no better and no worse, anon
M the half million people dependent VI
lel on us in the coal fields as it is every
ID hwhere in our country.
e "The pretense Of the operators tina
they were unable to produce coal b.
n cause intimidation kept from wor
n men who were willing to work ha
s. been proven false by the fact that tn
lg protection which they demanded hs
n decreased rather than increased tn
N number of men mining coal
~ hundred thousand troops coul
le not have enabled the operators /
D. startyTheir mines. for the simple re
,e sen thar the men wlilE work for the
lie are numbers of the United Minewor
to ers of america. men VINO were dete
mined 10 stand to the last for the
n right Y organize and through the