The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-18
STRIKE NOT FAVORED
Continued From First PAGE.

Continued From First Page.
over whose destiny Il is my privilege
| to preside. f
Il have, during9aH my life In the la
Dor movement, deelared that contracts
mutually made should during their life
! be kept inviolate; and, while at times
| it may appear to the superficial OBJ
| server or to those Immediately con-
| cerned that advantage could be gained
! by setting agreements aside such adj
vantage, if gained, would, in the very
nature of things, be temporary, and
| would ultimately result in disaster,
| because a disregard of contracts strikes
| at the very vitals of organized labor.
| The effect of such action would be to
| destroy confidence, to array in open
| hostility to our cause all forces of So
| ciety, and to crystalline public senti-
| ment in opposition to our movement.
Regarding Sympathetic Strikes.
Sympathetic strikes have many adj
| herents, and the efficacy of such meth
DDS appeals strongly to those who, be-
| ing directly involved in trouble, do not
| always recognize the effect of their ac-
ton upon the public mind; but the
| past history of the labor movement
| teaches lessons that should not be for
| gotten today. AS far as my knowledge
goes, do not know of one solitary
sympathetic strike of any magnitude
| which has been successful; on the con-
trary, the most conspicuous among the
| sympathetic labor struggles have re-
suited in ignominiouS and crushing de-
feat, not only for the branch of indus?
try originally involved, but also for the
division participating through sympa-
| thy. In my judgment the United Mine
Workers should not repeat the mis-
takes which-like milestones-mark
the path trod by the toiling masses in
their never ceasing struggle for better
and higher civilization. This, like all
great progressive movements, has met
with repulses, but gathering new
| strength in adversely moves forward
and onward again in it's march to ulti-
mate victory. Each defeat should
teach lessons of inestimable value in
framing the lines upon which present
and future battles shall be fought and
won.
IF this convention acts wIJely if it
! 1egislates judiciously, / feel confident
| that public sentiment will be so con-
| centrated against the arrogant and I'M
reasonable attitude of the anthracite
| coal operators that they will be forced
| to yield and to make settlement with
| their employees which shall insure liv-
| ing wages and fair conditions of en-
| ployment, and establish a basis for fu-
| ture adjustment of wage queS tons that
Snail T6QQGF SlFlkGSs with IuGIF dLlSuQ-
| ant Sufferings and losses, unnecessary.
Thinks Strike Will Be Won.
cit has been the proud boast of the
| United Mine Workers of America that
| during the past several years, or since
| our organization became a power in
| the labor world, contracts based solely
| upon the honor and good faith Of our
| union have under the most trying cir
| cumstances been kept inviolate, and in
! this supreme crisis failure to live up
| to the high standard that has made our
union pre- eminent among organiza-
! tons of labor would prove substan-
| tiation of all the charges and allega-
! lions made against us by our enemies,
! and would confirm beyond the posi-
| bility of refutation the speciouS argu-
| ment of the anthracite coal operators
/ that the United Mine Workers of
| America is an irresponsible and unsafe
body with which to deal.
81 am firm in my conviction that the
! strike in the anthracite fields can and
| will be won without repudiating our
solemn contracts with the bitunnineus
! operators provided the bituminous
| miners will rise to the occasion and do
their full duty by their struggling fell
| low workers.
Help, Not Sympathy, Wanted.
The speech was greeted with great
/ applause
luminous miners. ~
! President Ryan, Of the Illinois min
ers, offered motion, which was
| promptly seconded, that the recon-
| mendations be adopted. The question
was just being put when delegate
rose to ask for information, and then
began the debate which continued I'M
| til adjournment. lr
John S. De Silva, of District 9, of
| Shamokin, Pa, made a ringing speech
! in favor of the recommendation of the
| president. He said that he wanted the
| world shown that when the miners of
the United States signed a contract
/ they lived up to it. 1--WE don't want
| sympathy" he said, ''but we do want
| help. We are financially weak down
! in the anthracite regions, but we do
| not want the bituninOuS men to viO-
| late their contracts. If you men will
| live up to those recommendations, we
| in the anthracite region are ready to
| strike until we win"
1 Several of the anthracite men spoke
| of a desire to hold a caucus to enable
| them to act as a unit in presenting
| their demands to the convention. Mr..
| Ryan, of Illinois, offered to withdraw
| his motion that the recommendation
| of the president be adopted, until the
| anthracite men could hold a caucus,
| and President Mitchell said that if the
anthracite men wished the hall for the
| purpose of holding a separate session
they could have it.
Not Urging Violation of Agreements.
Lewis L. Lewis, of Parsons, Pa, an
| anthracite delegate, said that neither
| he nor any other anthracite man was
sent to the convention for the purpose
of asking the soft coal men to violate
| their agreements.
| Other speeches were made, those in
| favor of the recommendations of Presi-
dent Mitchell being in the ratio of
three to one, compared to those
| against.
Upon motion of John Dempsey, Sec
| rotary of District No. of the anthra-
cite district, an adjournment was then
taken until 10 o'clock Friday morning,
to enable the anthracite men to hold
| the caucus.
| The Iowa miners held a caucus in
the evening, and decided to uphold the
action of President Mitchell. The ac-