The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-15

investigations; that you. are right and
they are wrong. Keep UP this strike un-
I'LL the company comedies your right TO
confer; Keep 1t UP, but be law-ablding,
ana l believe you will win. I am tod
that no Mine Worker has entered car
since the strike began. and, as far as 1
am concerned, not one of them will until
this strike is honorably settled"
q. Do you remember that speech? a.
Yes, l recall IL very we'll. l spoke en-
tirely extemporaneously and ! do not
know that am reported verbatim ] am
sure of that. However. the views as you
quote them are not much Mt variance
with the views hold upon the question
of the right of men to ride in n street
car or not to ride as they see fit, to spend
their money with whatever merchants
they choose. In other words, u boycott
Is simply a strike.
O. I notice that in your speech which
YOU delivered to the Citizens Alliance of
Scranton July 10. you used the expression
boycotting rather as q term of reproach.
You said: rs 1t not rather strange that
this organization was not formed at any
time during the past twenty-five years in
which the anthracite coal companies were
Black-listing and boycotting and driving
from their homes and families all mon
who dared to assert their rights and join
labor organizations" q. Do you remem-
ber thatP A. Yes, sir.
O. DO YOU remember letter which was
written to the Evening Leader of Wilkes
Barre? 1 will read it. .Whereas. the
Evening Leader of this city has published
reports of riots. etc, as occurring in and
around this city, which has done injury
to the Just cause of the striking mine
workers, be it there resolved. that the
delegates accredited, etc, to the Wilkes
Barre sub-district headquarters demand
that the Wilkes Barre Evening Leader re-
tract its statements and in future treat the
L. NJ. w. of A. fair. Should the man
agement do this, all union men in the city
of Wilkes Barre and vicinity will be or
dered not TO buy. read or otherwise sup
port the Evening Leader, and all mer-
chants will be asked to withhold all pat
ronage from the Evening Leader from
this day forth.
William Carne President.
"E. l.. Barrett, Secretary"
Do you remember that? A. 1 recall
having seen that statement published in
the papers. @. Did you ever express any
disapproval of it in any way? a. did
not express either approval or disap-
prevail Q. What is the meaning of man
being unfair? A. Are you quoting from
something now? q. 1t is an expression
which / noticed has been used. A. We re.
gard a working man unfair who takes an
other mans job when he is OH strike for
better wages or in resistance to a reduc-
ton in wages. 9. Suppose you take an
employer; what does it mean as applied
to him? A. We would regard a merchant
as unfair if he would oppose the right of
men belonging to unions securing tor their
labor reasonable rate of wages. @. Sup
pose he sells goods to a non-union man;
how would you regard that? a. Well. [
never had occasion to pass upon the mat
ter myself. l / were spending my own
money | should feel 1 had a right to
spend it with him or some. one else if I
choose. and l feel that every member of
the United Mine Workers of America has
the same right
@. Suppose he declined to grant some
demand of the United Mine Workers;
would you consider it proper to put him
on the unfair list and send people around
to notify his customers that he was on
the unfair list? A. ] should say this:
That the members of the unolr>would
have a right TO advertise their friends |
and they would have an equal right to
notify their neighbors VINO were not
friendly to them. q. That is to say, they |
would have 2 right to send around and |
tell people not to deal with him? A. |
They would have right to do whatever |
the law gave them right to dol mean |
as far as the legal right is concerned.
BY the Chairman:
Q. Excuse me, Mr.. Wilcox: there is no
question about that-about the right of a |
man to deal with whom he pleaSeS. What |
the commission would like to know is more |
directly whether your organization, MIR. |
Mitchell. as you are representing it. ap-
prove of using the boycott as a weapon |
to the extent outlined in the resolution |
read n while ago, of which. of course, | |
cannot quote the substance from mem
ory; that where what you call 'scab' la
Dor Is in question all persons, provision
dealers, those who furnish the necessities
of life are warned to refrain from fur
nshing such necessities to those So
called scab laborers or their families upon
pain of the displeasure of the members
of your union.
A. | should say, Mr.. Chairman, that the
union, as such, has not sanctioned any
such action on the part of it's members.
@. Did they encourage it?
A They do not. There are times dur
ing great excitement, such as prevails in
a strike when the tension Is strong tina |
members. local unions, and mass meet
ings, may at times feel justified in adj
vising their friends and members not to
from a storekeeper who sup
plies goods to the non-union men. Q.
That is not the question: / think. the
agree about that. ] would
like to know whether you justify the tenn
porary withdrawal from the men referred
to of the necessities of fife, the things by
A. 1 say emphatically no. Q. That was
the purport of that resolution read. and
expected the question be brought down
TO that. l wanted that question answered
Mr.. WillcoN: The commission has
asked the witness the question and I can
not say anything more; ] am glad the
commission has done so. Is there any
thing further the commission would like
to ask on the "ubject?
The Chairman: We were very much
interested, and we expected to come up
to that point. The question was founded
upon Il resolution read by yourself as
passed by one of the district conventions?
The Witness: No, by local board.
The Chairman: The substance was
not to furnish the necessaries of life to
the scahs, so-called. or their families, |
which would be taking away the means
Of sustenance--their living. That is what
the commission wanted to be informed
about, and as this is for the information
Of the commission, / thought 1t worth
While to ask the question.
BY Mr.. Wilcox; What we are on that.
I will read from the New York Herald of
June 11th, 1902: 1.-The executive commit
tee OF the United Mine Workers of Nam
ticoke publish the following resolutions:
We ask all our union clerks and team
sters to cease serving or delivering goods
TO any non-union men now working in
and around the mines. Having received
OF two men selling milk
around our town, and not In favor with
our cause, who have expressed this in
strong language, To the effect that 20
cents a day was enough for any men TO
live upon. BE it resolved. that the two
and Hale-be declared un-
fair. and that they be dealt with ac-
rordingly' Do you remember hearing
Of that resolution?
A. 40 not. ! may have read it in the
papers at the time, but ! do not recol-