Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-16

lea. He is only 80. but he does not
look even that. Like many other men
of force. he is smooth faced, almos:
boyish in appearance. For his
weight, nearly 40 pounds, he is rath-
er small in stature. He dresses neat
ly but not extensively. and usually
wears soft SLOUGH hat. He is ma
tive of Illinois, having been born in
Braidwood on FEBRUARY I, 1869.
He is just the man to lead a band
of miners. He has been one himself,
and he comes of gritty stock. His
father was not only Il miner, but Il
union soldier. so that mining and
pluck run in his veins. He was mere
lad when he began supporting him
self. His mother died when he was
two years old and his father die,l
two years later, and until' he was Ia
years old the boy lived with his step
mother. acquiring what education his
meager circumstances permitted.
Then he east loose and began to
shift for himself. lie became farm
laborer. but the mining impulse was
in him, and at Il he began his car
reer as a coal miner. BY Is he was
Knight of Labor, joining the order
at Braceville, III. He already had .
sense of the power that was to be
gained by organization and systema-
tized agitation. Shortly after joining
he concluded to see something of the
far west, and Travelled to Colorado.
New Mexico and other points in the
west and southwest, earning his way
by digging coal. He returned to Hi
nois in the spring of 1891, and mad =
his home in Spring Valley, where at
the age of %, he married Miss Caro-
line O'Rourke. Mrs. Mitchell and
their children, three boys and a girl.
now reside at Spring Valley. Mr..
Mitchell's eXacting duties keep him
in indianapolis or elsewhere most of
the time. but he goes home whenever
his work permits him.
Being practical miner, he was
alive to his fellow worLmen's needs.
and, being equally alive to the power
of organization, he was not slow to
identify himself with any labor
movement that looked to the real bet
terment of the miners condition.
His first office of Importance in con
nection with the Knights of Labor
was in the north Illinois subdistrict.
of which, in 1895. he was made secre-
tary-treasurer. He was bright and
quick witted, with a knack of argu-
ment and a pleasing address, which
ten to what he had to say Conse-
quently. a year after he became sec
retary-treasurer, he was sent to
Springfield to work for mine meas
ures before the legislature. This he
did with such persistency and intelli-
gence that he secured the passage
of the '.gross weight" law and the
antitrust laws. These and other
measures which were passed at his
instance made him extremely popu-
lar. As result he became in 1897 a
member of the executive committee
of the Illinois state organization, and
in the same year was made an or
Qanizer of the national body.
Step by step he had risen to moro
and more commanding Importance in
labor councils. He took another step
up in 1898, when he was elected to
vice president of the United Mine
workers of America, and he reached
the. top of that organization, the
presidency, when, in the following
September, NJ. ID. Ratchford resigned
to become a member of the National
Industrial commission. The proud
position to which Mr.. Mitchell has
succeeded became his by election at
Pittsburg in January. 1900.
When he became president the or
. nfakN
has 100000 members. Mitchell is a
man of so much foresight and such
keen penetration that since his presl.
dency the organization has had no
failure and has been successful IN ali
the strikes he has ordered Gonse'
quently, he stands well with the rank