The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-15
OPERATORS
TAKE UP
MINERS
GAUNTLET

concluded from Page 81
meetings on the company's property OF
Oh the roads approaching the company.
property, or in any way interfering will
the employees of the company or persuad
ing them or interfering with them goins
10 work. we have many eases of tina
kind. l should certainly approve of an,
organizer in our employ holding meetings
IN public halls, in public places; doing
that which under the law they have 8
risht to do. We deny that the courts
nave any reason to restrain members OF
labor unions from doing anything that /.
lawful when done by some other citizen
in other words, a member of the unio,
proposes to exercise all the rights thai
arc exercised by other citizens of the
country.
Q. do not think anybody will differ
with you on that. I shall not, A. (Con.
tinuing). But in these cases we feel thai
we have been interefered with unjustly
For Instance miners have been sent tc
prison for holding meetings on our owr
grounds. Q. What case Is that? A
Judge Jackson sent miners to prison fol
holding meetings on ground owned. by
lease. by the United Mine Workers OF
America.
Q. Have you ever known of an injunc.
ton being granted against any orraniza.
tion which YOU thought was proper? A.
Yes, sir; there have been provisions ir
iniunctions restraining our people from
violating a law that have been proper
The only reason we objected to the in
junction was because it restrained us
from doing things we had legal right
to do, and in any event, we believe we
should not be restrained from a commits
sion of acts that We might be punished
for by simply enforcing the law. We feel
that men ought not to be sent to prison
for contempt Of court when they could
be sent for simply violating a law: that
the law is ample 1t is far-reaching
enough to restrain and punish those who
violate the law.
O. l want to ask you something about
your views on the subject of boycottSnr.
There was more or less of that during
the recent strike. was there not?A. / un-
derstand from the newspapers that there
was considerable boycotting. c. What
newspapers do you mean? A. I have seen
it in the daily papers: [ know nothing
officially or personally of that matter. I
never authorized a. boycott @. Did you
ever hear of this resolution passed by
the executive committee of the United
Mine Workers OF America, and is from
the New York Tribune of June 1Sth-I
think it is--l9O2: "iIaving considered the
Oll11cultloS now presented by the INTRO
duction of scab labor into our town. we
do here respectfully request all store
keepers, butchers, ice merchants and
others not to supply any of these i'm
ported scabs with any noccssaries of life,
as In so doing it will show that they have
a little sympathy with our cause and so
help us a little to- fight this, our fight of
right against might"
Do you remember that? A. No. I have
no recollection of even hearing that, al
though I may have read of 1t in the
papers during the strike. If did that
is all the knowledge l have of it. @.
Your association took no action on the
subject did it? A. Our association re-
cognzes the right of its members to pc
tition storekeepers to sell to people, if
they want to; or to refrain from selling
to them, if they want to- In other words
membership in our organization would
not deny or prevent any of our mem
bers from doing anything they might do
If they were not members.
G. Do you remember making a speech
on the subject OF boycotting? A, Yes.
sir. @. During the street car strike on
the 18th of December, 1901? A. / recall
having spoken at that time; yes, sir. O.
I will read from The Scranton Tribune
what purports to be a correct report Of
that speech. 1t was delivered at a mass
meeting, December u, 1901, and reported
in The Scranton Tribune of December
18Th:
81 do not know whether YOU were
right or wrong when this strike began.
but | do know that the refusal of tho
Scranton Railway company to confer
with YOU places the burden of the re-
sponsibllity for this condition of affairs
upon the company. 1t has come to nv
notice that the business and professional
men have been building IN an organiza-