Evening star., 1902-08-02
MITCHELL TO STRIKERS
ASKS THEM TO HOLD OUT
LONGER.
Says II They Return to Work They
VIII Have Wages Re-
duced.

"A oiSpatch from scranton. Pa, yester-
day says: The first of the series of strik-
ers mass meetings, planned to take place
at the various strike centers, was held to-
day in the Roundwoods. There were 1900
strikers present from all parts of the city
and the adjoining towns. some locals hav-
ing marched four miles to the meeting,
headed by band or drum corps. and car
rying flags and banners. National Presi-
dent John Mitchell, District President T d.
Nichols, District Vice President Adam
Ryscavage, District Secretary John T.
Dempsey, Organizer Mortoni Memlo and
Subdistrict President Theophilus Phillips
delivered addresses. Vice President Itys-
cavage spoke in Polish and Organizer
Memlo in Italian.
The crowd enthusiastically cheered all
the speakers. and fairly went wild over
Mitchell. When he was introduced to
speak some one shouted Hats off, and
although the suns rays beamed down SO
intensely that many were carried from
vast assemblage barred his head and re-
mained uncovered until his speech was
concluded. Then the crowd surged about
the platform and shook hands until he
himself was almost exhausted.
Mitchell Was BRIEF.
Mr.. MitchelPs speech was brief and dealt
only with the live issues of the fight. He
said in part: 'It has been said by some
who are not your friends that the miners
Of the Scranton region are getting tired of
the strike and are about to return TO
work. 1 come to find out IL this is so. 1
want to know If you are going to return to
work, dishonoring your organization and
dishonoring yourself. (Cries of Never!
Never. No! No" Don't you believe it"
and like expressions).
- xto t- HaI ,foff ~
help the men, women and children who
depend for their subsistence upon mining
Of anthracite coal. If the strike Is lost
you will pay the cost Of the strike.
II want to say that the anthracite min
ers went on strike themselves. They
themselves voted for the strike. 1t was
not the officers of the United Mine Work
ers who called the strike. 1t Will never
end until you vote 1t ended.
From the offices Of the coal presidents
in New York comes the declaration that
the strike will be settled only in their own
way of settling 1t. 1 would direct your at
tention to similar declarations made in
the 1900 strike The coal trust may be
powerful and strong, but the Americans
whose hearts throb in sympathy with the
| miners cause are stronger that the coal
trust. The American people, like a jury,
| have passed upon this conflict. They
heard OF the miners request for better
ment Of conditions and the operators re-
fusal. They heard Of the miners propOsi-
tfon to arbitrate and the operators
further refusal. Ninety per cent of the
people have agreed that the miners are
right and the operators wrong.
No Miner Will starye.
"I understand there is some dissatisfac-
tion and misunderstanding about the dis
tribution Of the relief fund. The operators
have sent men among you to urge you to
be dissatisfied. Through the newspapers
| they have told you that you were dissat-
| isfied. We have sent circular to all the
| locals which will explain In detail the
! plans for distributing relief, and I trust
! when you hear it read there will be an
end to dissatisfaction and misunderstand-
| ing. While we haven't got millions we
have enough to see to it that no miner will
starve during the continuance of the
| strike. cloud cheers.)
| 81 want to, appeal to men with means to
| refrain from applying for relief Let the
| fund be used by those who are IN absolute
need of help. Be patient with your COM
| and do your share of the work. Don't de-
| pend altogether on your officers to win
your fight. If we are to win We must all
help.
THE one among you who violates the
| law is the worst enemy you have No one
| is more pleased than the operators in New
! York to hear of disorder in the coal re-
| gionS. I want our men to exercise their
| rights under the laws, but l want no man
| to transgreSs the law.
''The strike will be won. cloud and long
cheers) I have no more doubt about 1t
| than l have that 1 am standing here ad-
dressing you.
THE operators trying to make 1t
appear that the strike is beginning to break
up. There is saying that those who come
from afar can lie with impunity. At Sha-
mokin the operators tell the strikers that
the men at Wilkesbarre are returning to
| work. At Wilkesbarre they tell them the
men at Shamokin are returning. and at
other places they tell them the men at
Scranton are weakening. 1 fail to see any
signs of weakening here. daughter and
applause)
Importance Of Winning.
'This is possibly ths>4ast time I ever will
talk to you. 1 want you to listen to me.
I want to impress on you the Importance
of wiz ming this strike. If you win. as you
surely will win, there will be no more
strikes; there will be a basis Of adjustment
arrived at which will prevent strikes.
"If you lose the strike, the operators will
make you pay for their strike losses by re-
ducng your wages. And II you lose the
strike, you lose your organization. I trust
and hope and constantly pray you will
stand as you did In 1900. (Cheers and cries
Of We will.)''
Before the handshaking episode began,
SHduIHdH uli.ppS dSheQ all VINO Favored
| a fight to finish to raise their hands.
Every hand went up.
Twenty-Five years ago today. August I,
1S77. 10000 striking miners who had been
out for six months met at this same Round
woods, in almost the Identical spot where
today's meeting was held. and with uplfted
hands avowed that they would not return
TO work until their demands were granted.
That afternoon occurred the memorable riot
on Lackawanna avenue. when q company
of hastily formed vigilantes killed two men,
fired upon a procession made up of strikers
from this and another mass meeting, who
were bent on burning breakers and who had
nearly killed Mayor MeKune when he tried
to halt them. A week later tthe miners