The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-10
CONFIDENT ~ OF WINNING Mitchell Speaks to the
 Mine Workers. HE CRITICISES OPERATORS Says They Have Organized
 Press Bureau. - - The 'Citizens' Alliance" of Wilkes Barre and Scranton Alleged to
 Be Keeping Its Member
 ship Secret.
HE cRITIcIsEs OPERATORS

Nanticoke. Pa. July s.-In an address today before the 400 delegates of District No. 1. in convention. President Mitchell of the Mine Workers Union said he had never before participated in a strike, in which he was so confident of success. This statement by the miners chief was gr eeted with great applause. The notional president severely criti- cized the Citizens Alliance organizations wilkes-Barre for the purpose of prosecut- ing persons who boycott or otherwise intimidats men still working in the mines or their relatives.
 President Mitchell was enthusiastically received. He said in part:
 Tt may not be amiss for me to make few comments upon the situation as it presents itself to me, and also to point out some of the means that are being used to discourage and injure you. The coal operators have organized a press bu- reau, and are constantly sending out through 1t what purport to be interviews with and statements from them; while. as a matter of fact there is not a coal operator in the entire region who will stand responsible for any of the state ments.
 The "Citizens' Alliance" "The operators have also organized an- other adjunct under the name of the Citizens Alliance. I am sure I do not know how many citizens are members of thta rnyafortnua or0a niza fiou aO far only one has the manhood or the effront- cry to acknowledge his membership. I, of course, hesitate to criticize men for doing anything they have legal right | to do; but when an organization of the | citizens of any community is formed, the alleged purpose of which is the mainten- ance of law and order. and when it de- velops that the entire energies of the or ganiEation are being directed against the coal strikers, 1t arouses a suspicion, to say the least in my mind that the name of the association Is & misnomer and the alleged purpose of the cloak under which so called citizens have joined forces with the coal operators is damnable attempt to crush the union. Is 1t not rather strange that this organization was not formed at any time during the twenty five years in which the anthracite coal companies was blacklisting, boycotting and driving from their homes and fami- lies all men who dared to assert their rights and join a labor organizationE Again, did any one ever hear of the Citizens Alliance proceeding against the coal trust when 1t threatened to close the mines of the independent operators by refusing to give them railway cars. simply because some independent opera tors bad granted an eight hour day to their firemen? In the strike only a year ago. moreover did this great Citizens Alliance attempt to prevent the illegal efforts that the coal corporations were making to cause the defeat of every can didate for membership in the legislature of the sctate of Pennsylvania who ad- vocated or favored labor measures in the last session?
 Know Its Personnel.
 of men have a right to belong to an organization and if the organization is formed for good purposes. why do not It's members come out in the sunlight like men and acknowledge and be proud of their membership in 1t? However. gentle men. let me say that we know more about inc personnel of the Citizens Alliance than its members think we do. and when this strike is over some of them who are nlavinR fast and loose with the cause of inc mine workers will find it extremely difficult to account of their conduct
 personally, stand always and under all circumstances for law and order; our organization advocates full and complete observance of the laws of our country, and I want to declare emphatically that as Iaw-abiding citizens. as patriotic. hb- ertv loving citizens. the members of the miners union are second to none. and while there may be some among us who have transgressed the law, let me say em- phatically that the proportion of law breakers in the ranks of the miners Is no greater than in the ranks of business. professional or any other element in our society.
 And now, gentlemen, permit me to warn you and through you the mine workers of the anthracite region that no attention should be paid to the silly re- ports that care being sent out that the strike is about to collapse or that the men want to resume work These same pre- dictions, emanating from exactly the same source, have been made through the columns of the press each day during the mast month, and yet everp mine is idle. and let me say that every mine Will re- main idle until the strike is settled.
 Tn all my experience in labor move ments 1 have never participated in a strike in which felt so confident of sue cess.
 "If our members will stand. as know they will we shall, in the not far distant future. achieve a victory and settle for all time the right of the coal miners to receive for honest labor and unremitting toii at least a sufficient wage to enable them to live, maintain and educate their families and enjoy few pleasures of our civilization
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