The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-22


all those who resume work to exercise
more than usual care in order that &C.
cidents to life and limb may be averted
Owing to the condition of the mines al
ter an idleness Of five months, there will
be great danger when work Is resumed
We are prompted to offer this advice by
the fact at the close of the strike two
years ago many more accidents and
deaths occurred than take place when
the mines are operating regularly.
John Mitchell.
President United Mine Workers of
America.
wv. B. Wilson, Secretary and Treas
urer."
President Mitchell has not made any
arrangements regarding his future move
ments. He does not know whether he
will go to Washington on Friday.
Mitchell as Attorney.
The miners leader will act as the attor-
ney for the men at all sessions Of the
commission and wall have with him
several assistants. Headquarters here
will be kept open probably until after
the award of the arbitration commission
Is announced. Secretary Wilson's speech
voicing the sentiments of President
Mitchell was made after the committee on
resolutions had reported. In his address
Mr.. Wilson said in part:
ut seems to me rather peculiar for any
of the delegates in this convention to OBJ
ject to the settlement, after they have
gone through a struggle of Ave months.
and have secured as a result of that
struggle the acceptance of the terms they
laid down when the strike began. When
the employers refused to accept the prop
ositions made by the miners, the miners
said: We will submit the entire ques-
fn ~ht fro nd nhfda
decision of the arbitration
During the time the struggle was on
one Of the employers said, We will not
concede anything; we will not arbitrate;
and the miners cannot return to work
until there is an unconditional surrender
within the past two weeks the opera
tors have entirely changed their position
upon that point and they now say that
are willing to submit this matter to arbi-
tration.
Now, then, the question raised is in
anticipation of the dismissal Of some of
the men. You have not returned to work;
you do not know whether or notsyou are
going to be dismissed from the positions
you occupied before the strike. but you
are anticipating; you have already secur-
ed a proposition by which the question OF
dismissal of those men, If they are dis
missed, will be submitted to arbitration,
and the operators have agreed to abide
by the decision of the arbitration.
heady for the Issue.
1--WE can just as we'll afford to meet
them on that ground now as we could
have afforded to meet them on that
ground four months ago. In fact We
can afford to meet them on that ground
now a great deal better than we could
then.
I'm view of the fact that even II some
of the men are left out and in view Of
the additional assurance given by the
President of the United Mine Workers
of America yesterday that If any. man
were left out of employment the United
Mine Workers of America would take care
of them until employment was found for
them, l believe it would be folly to risk
the chances that you now have, or risk
the chance of ultimate defeat rather than
to accept the complete victory that is now
before you.
Some of YOU say we should not accept
this proposition now. Would 1t not be
well to ask If you do not accept this
proposition what will you substitute for
it? What will you put in its place? What
has made your struggle the complete sue
cess 1t has been up to the present time?
1t is the fact that 1t has been so handled
as to command the admiration the
respect and the confidence of the entire
American people. If then you turn down
a proposition made in good faith by the
President Of the United States looking to
a settlement of the difficulties now cxist-
ing can you expect to retain that conf
dence, that admiration and that respect
of American people that you have had in
the past? You should accept 1t because
1t is the proposition that you yourselves
made when the struggle began. You
have won that which you were "ontendiug
for. Now the proper course to pursue
is to accept your own proposition made
when the strike began"
President Mitchell in putting the ques-
ton of the adoption Of the committee
report had this to say:
A Speech by Mitchell.
Now. gentlemen, the chair is going to
ask to be permitted to speak without be-
ing in order. 1t is quite apparent to ev-
ery one here what the action Of the con-
vention is going to be. / do not think any
one here has any doubt now as to the
way this convention will vote. If 1t were
otherwise possibly 1t might not be quite
in place for me to speak to you just be-
fore you vote. but l want 20 remind you
OF this: That when the arbitration prop
osition was accepted labor all over the
land breathed a sigh of relief That this
can deny. Labor occupies a position now
that II never occupied before.
THE fruits of your victory may not be
as apparent to you as they are to those
who have studied the labor question more
thoroughly than you; and l do not want
to have our achievement your achieve
ment, dampened by one dissenting vote.
l trust this convention will vote as our
people struck; l hope you will all vote
one way as you all struck one way
After the miners had called the strike
off they adopted resolutions thanking all
national, State and municipal govern
ments, all organizations and individuals
throughout the world for assistance rem
dered the miners during their great strug-
gle. These resolutions in full are as fol-
lows:
The Resolutions.
whereas, we. the anthracite mine
workers of Pennsylvania have been on
strike for more than five months in de-
fcnse Of the constitutional right to MEM
bership in the organization of our choice
and to secure for ourselves wages which
will enable us to live in manner com
Portable to American standards and prop
erly maintain and educate our families
to fit them for the responsibilities and
(Cootinuad IN PAGE SeVenl