The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-19
THE SCRANTON TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER


does but an organization like ours cam
not.
| Commissioner Spading:
| q. Could the operators do the same
thing. Mr.. Mitchell? Could they torn I,
| coalition and stop the mining of coal
| throughout the United States?
| The Witncss They could do 1t the
same as we could That Is especially
true right now when the coal fields of the
country are passing into the hands OF a
| few mon.
BY Commissioner watkins: Well, could
the operators really do that? The laws
would prevent their doing what your or
ganization could do. not being incorpor-
ated They would come under the head
| of the monopoly laws, and the trust laws,
and that sort of thing. if they sought to
control the fuel supply of the country,
while you would not?
| The Witness: / do not know any law
that would prevent them from shutting
down their mines. 1 mean there is no
statutory law to prevent them from doing
| II that I know Of. However. l do not
think 1t would be possible in our coun-
| try for that to be done either by la
bor organization or by an organization
i of capital.
The Chairman: Does not society de-
pend, after ALL on the old economic prin-
| ciple that all the great forces that tend
| to uplift and carry OH social advance
ment and civilization depend upon the
average desire of individual man to bet
| ter his own condition and to work for
wages, and for the man who has property
to utilize II and get work from It. Isn't
that II. after all?
The Witness think that that princi-
| pie is true.
The Chairman: If you can imagine all
| men ceasing to work at once. the So
cial machine would stop, would it not?
| A. Yes. sir
The Chairman: Therefore. does it not
become exceedingly important to consider
what agencies tend to restrict that lib
cray of action?
| A. Well, / do not know that 1 quite
| grasp the point.
| The Chairman I do not want to go
back to the discussion between you and
Mr.. MacVeagh. which has been so in>
teresting and so protracted as to wether
| 1t does not become very important tu
consider how far any agencies are call
| culated to restrict that principle of action
in achieving the individual desire of man
| to work tc support himself. although for
| the purpose Of contributing to the com.
mon veal. and that Of the owner of props
erty utilizing it to get an income from it.
| 1t is very important. l say is it not, TO
| consider how far any agencies that are
in being or possible should restrict that
! liberty.
| Ought to Be Limitations.
| The Witness: Well. think that that is
| true; that there ought to he limitations
upon 1t, and there Is one thing it would
possibly be advisable to know about our
labor movements in America that in the
very rare instances in which they seek
! to limit the amount of physical energy a
man may eXpend it is done only by re-
| stricting the hours of labor that he may
work. We do not do as they do in Great
| Britain. The report is probably very
much exaggerated but it Is charged that
the trade union movement there has set
a limit as to the number Of bricks a man
may lay, the amount Of plaster q man
may put OH, the number Of laths he would
/ nail to the wall, and all such things as
| that. In our country the trade union
movement does not stand for such restric-
tions. 1t asks restriction Of the hours of
work, and theE not only permits but eX-
poets a man to work as hard as he is
able. They are not only permitted to do
all the work they can do in the hours of
work, but they are expected to do so.
Commissioner Wright: To avoid recur-
| renee to this later on. do you consider it
| justifiable FOR the employers in a certain
industry. to resist the demands of a labor
union, to paralyze that industry Or any
group of industries?
| The Witness: No. do not think it is
proper.
Commissioner Wright: Would the same
answer be made IL 1 shonld substitute
unions in stead of employers? Would it
be justitiable for union to paralyze an
| industry or a group of industries in order
| to enforce its demand?
| The Witness: l think either side should
seek some other avenue OF adjustment
than by paralyzing the industry.
| The Chairman: Yes.
| iyctr
lie sympathy. do you think your union
could maintain itself?
| The Witness: No, sir; do not.
| Commissioner Spalding: no. Then II
YOU committed such an act as Mr.. Wat
kins contemplates in his question. do
You think you could continue to hold the
sympathy of the country?
| The Witness: No. sir: think our
union would Immediately dsintegrate.
By Commissioner Watkins: Q. The
| thought occurred to me, in connection
with the statement you made the other
| day that the president of the organiza =
tion has the right to interpret any doubt
| fll points In your constitution. That
gives to one man a rather dangerous
| power, does it not? I am simply calling
your attention to thai thought which oc-
! Cured to mo.
Change of Rules.
A. Yes. I might say. Mr.. Commissioner.
| ana it may furnish information to every
| one here. that 1 expect to recommend TO
| our next convention a change in our law;
| not that / think it Is absolutely neces-
| sary, but to remove what appears to be
| a. reasonable doubt l propose to recom-
| mend that the miners of the anthra cit c
| field cannot be called upon strike by a
| majority vote OF our national executive
| board. In other words, that we shall in
vest the same authority in the three
| members from the anthracite field as
there is now in the eighteen from the
| bituminous field, when the question of a
strike is 10 be considered, giving them
| equal authority. I think that Is fair and
| it is what would be done anyhow. 1t
| would be the policy while II is not a
! law, and propose to ask that it be made
| the law.
O. Do you know that resistance to the
encroachments OF your organization is
| based upon fears and doubts as to its
possible action in the future, and you also
know that that Is the situation over a
large section of the hituminous field, as
we'll as the anthracite field. For instance,
in West Virginia, believe and IL you
could throw any light on your attitude to-
wards those subjects that would prevent
the tying up of the fuel industries of the
country 1t would help me personally as
member of this commission. and guide
mo in my action. 7 simply call atten-
tion to 1t, because those thoughts are in
my mind. have been an operator. and
am still interested I'm the soft coal bust
ness. think the whole commission
should have light on that subject, ana
want 1t particularly.
A. think there Is no possibility of the
entire coal industry being paralyzed, al
though, under our law. ii is within the
power of the board TO do it.. | might say
however that the executive board will
never naugurate strike except by tie
vote of the members themselves,
q. do not want to be misunderstood