The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-07-22
THERE WILL Be NO
GENERAL STRIKE
he United Mine Workers
Declare Against 1t.
MITCHELl'S PLAN WINS
Provision is Made for Raising a Strike
Fund.
AN APPEAL ISSUED TO THE PEOPLE
Asked 10 Com. to tie support Of The Miners
Now On Strike in the Anthracite Field.
The Miners Cony .ntion
Adiournc
Adiourns.
(By the Associated Press.)

t6y the hSSOcidlcu IIeSS.j
Indianapolis, Ind, July 19.-At one
O'Clock this afternoon the convention of
United Mine Workers adjourned after
declaring against a general strike, pro-
viding for the raising of a fund with
which to aid the striking anthracite
miners and issuing an appeal to the
American people for support.
The recommendations brought in by a
special committee. and which are prac-
tically identical with those suggested
by President Mitchell, and unanimously
adopted by the convention, follow
i. That the national treasurer be
authorized and directed to Immediately
appropriate $50, 900 from the funds of the
National Treasury and place it at the
disposal Of the officers of districts Nos.
1, Z and 8, (these are the anthracite dis
tricts.)
2. That all districts, sub-districts and
local unions be appealed to, to donate
from the surplus il their treasures as
large amounts as they can afford.
80. That an assessment of ten per
cent. be levied on the gross earnings of
all members of local unions in districts
Nos. 6. 8. u, 10. % and %, and an as
sessment of 81 per week upon all mem
bers of local unions in district Nos. ,.
5, II, Is, IA, 10, 16, 20 and q. The men,
bers of districts now on strike, which
may resume work before this ASSESS
ment has been removed, shall be assessed
either ten cent of their gross earnings,
or 81 per week, whichever their district
may decide from the time work is re-
sumed.
"a. The assessment shall be paid di-
rect from the local unions to the Ma
tional Secretary and the local unions
will be held responsible for the payment
of the same.
IS. An assessment Of 20 per cent>Will
be levied upon the wages, salary or per
centage received from the organization
of all national, district and sub district
officers and organizers.
sc. The assessment shall begin with
the 10th of July, 1902.
-. All contributions made from the
national offices to the anthracite region
will be divided pro rata to each anthra-
cite district in accordance with the num-
Der of miners and mine laborers in each
Of them, as shown by the most recent
coal reports.
IS. That a circular be issued to the
American people,
The following amendment, submitted
by President Nichols, of anthracite dis
trict No. /. was included:
That each local union in the regions
that are at work select a committee
which shall secure work fof as many
Of the men on strike as possible and the
locality where the local union is sit
uated, and that the local inform secre-
taries of the strike districts of the mum
Der of men needed, the kind of work,
wages and arrangements for transpOr-
tation. That the same proposition be
submitted to all local unions in the
American Federation of Labor.
%. That the circular to our local un-
ions shall include a recommendation that
committees to be appointed to canvass the
business men and other citizens of their
localities for subscriptions.
The circular to the public states the
line of action determined on and the
reasons therefor. 1t says:
when we look upon enormous fortunes
that our labor has made possible, and
the luxuries it brings to the people at
large, and then examine the paltry pit
lance we received as wages for the labor
w ~ ~ ~ LIZ - NAoO w
undergo. the dampness we must endure, |
the foul air we must breathe and the
peculiar rheumatic and lung troubles, |
superinduced by these conditions which
We must bear, we naturally feel that
we are being unjustly dealt with. The
extremely low wages paid to anthracite
miners; the refusal of the coal conn.,
panies to have the coal properly weighed,
or permit the miners to employ a man, |
at their own expense, to see the coal
they have mined weighed, measured or
the great number of hours the
miner must work each day in the most
u~nsanitary conditions; their cruel and
unjust treatment by petty bosses, the
assumption by the employers
that neither the miners nor the pub
lie has any rights that are entitled to
consideration by the men have forced us
to organize, not to take from the opera-
tors that which belongs to them, but
to secure, by business methods, better
and fair recompense for our
labor.
IF it is the purpose of the coal opera
tors to destroy our union, then upon the
principle hat self-preservation is the
first law of nature. we would be fully
in taking drastic measures to
prevent the accomplishment of their de-
I'VE believe that our interests in the
and our obligations to the
operators, with whom we have agree
ments, require that we shall not inaugu-
a general suspension Of work in the
coal trade. They may destroy our union.
but they cannot make us violate our
contracts.
"The struggle in the anthracite region
will be continued until our demands
been granted or a competent board
of arbitration has declared that we arel
wrong"