Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-20
AGAINST GENERAL STRIKE
Convention Of United Nine Workers Ad-
jOurns After Reaching Decision.
ADOPT PLAN SUGGESTED BY MITCHELL
Provide an Assessment Against Those
ct work TO Assist I'm Paying
Expenses OF the striking
Miners.

" ~ 0hAkIa AAAaR "
1 O'Clock this afternoon after declaring
against a general strike, providing for the
raising OF a fund with which to aid the
striking anthracite miners and issuing an
appeal to the American people for sup
port.
The recommendation brought in by the
special committee appointed in the executive
session OF yesterday. and which are prac-
tically Identical with those suggested by
President Mitchell in his address on the
nrst day OF the convention, and unanimously
adopted by the convention, are as follows:
l.. That the national treasurer be author
pirate $4,000 from the funds of the national
treasury and place II at the disposal OF
Uhese are the anthracite Districts.
2. That all districts, subdistrlcts and LOCAL
unions be appealed to to donate surplus
they can AFFORD.
S,'That an assessment Of 10 per cent be
bers of local unions In districts Nos. 8
II, 10, q and %, and an assessment OF u
in districts Nos. Z, s, il, 10, il, is, iS, %
and q. The members of districts, now on
assessment has been removed, shall be as
sessed either 10 per cent Of their gross
99hi strietF may ar S e lRsF fr %sek the ~a ti@e work us Is
| resumed.
I. The assessment shall be paid direct
reiary, and the local unions viii be held
responsible for the payment OF the same;
levied upon the wages, salary or percent;
age received from the organization OF all
national, district and subdistriet officers
9; The assessment shall begin with the
18th day Of July, 1902.
tional oflco to the anthracite region will
be divided pro rata to each. anthracite dis,
miners and mine laborers in each. OF them,
as shown by the most recent coal reports.
To Find work for the
1t was voted that each local union in the
regions that are at work select a committee
which shall secure work for as many OF
the men on strike as possible in the To-
cality where the local union 10 situated and
that the same requests be made OF, the
local unions of the American Federation OF
Labor and also that committees be APP
pointed by local unions to canvass the bust
ness men In their localities for subscrip-
tions.
In accordance with the recommendations
Of the special committee 1t was voted to
issue an address to the public. This address
as reported by the committee, says:
When we look upon the enormous for
with the innumerable comforts and ~luxuriss
that II brings to the people at large. ana
sseR Ws esam for the he l Sllory we have to perform,
the dangers we undergo, the dampness we
must endure, the foul afr we must breathe
bles, superinduced by these conditions
which we must bear, We naturally feel that
we are m being ,Ini iSis ywo 1edIs goods wn5a IN Which, iSs
we receive in return for so much labor and
so many sacrifices.
Have Sought Better Wages.
i One hundred and fifty thousand Of our
craftsmen in the anthracite region OF Penn
s~yIvania have sought to procure better
wages and relief from many CALLING condi,
lions under which. they have been compelled.
every honorable means known to civilized
men to adjust the grievances with their
employers, without resortins to a stra IKE
ployers have assumed to be the only parties
Interested in all the questions involving
has q not been sustained BY the conditions
existing since a stoppage of work has taken
Some of the coal operators have been
quoted as saying that the question is not
one Of wages, but they believe Il to be. an
Whether they have made this statement or
not, their actions indicate that their pur-
pose is to destroy our oTganiza Od tors
to destroy our union. then, upon the princi-
pie that self-preservation is the first law
taking drastic measures to prevent the
accomplishment of their designs. We be-
iieye we have within our reach the means
by which that purpose can be thwarted.
No legal power can compel US to work II
we desire to remain idle.
We believe that our interests In the COM
munity Of which we are u part and our
obligations to the operators with whom we
inaugurate a general suspension Of work
union, but they cannot make US violate
The struggle in the anthracite region will
be continued until our demands have been
granted or a competent board or arDltra-
ton has declared that We are wrong.
More Money Needed.
The care Of $50, 900 men and their families
IN a protracted struggle, such as this Is
likely to be, will require the expenditure
Of a large sum OF money IN the pnrehase
We have levied a large assessment on those
Of our members who are. at work TO assist
us in caring for those who are on strike.
, we need more money for that purpose
and we appeal TO every trade union ana
trade unioniis SSoI to sve snd G ~ eysry w1 loyer on Of
fair play, to assist us in raising 100000
per month from outside sources as long as
'H We Believe that with this amount of
money, together with the amount received
from 1Sr SW 5pt miem InStiee, S Ms sSseeen o Secursd
for the anthracite miners.
The reading Of the report Of the COM
mittee and the appeal to the public was
} listened to in absolute silence, but as the
voice. Of Secretary Wilson ceased, there
came a tremendous cheer from the dele
gates that foreshsdowed unanimous adop-
tion, which followed. a few minutes later.
y The miners from Illinois announced that
they had appropriated $4,000 from their
treasury for the support OF the anthracite
strike. Ohio gave 1000 and Iowa and
Indiana promised contributions to be made
later.
President Mitchell declared that there
was approximately $1,000. 900 in the treas
ury Of the various local unions and. that
his construction OF the clause directing
the unions to contribute what they could
AFFORD" was one-half of this money.
The convention was then adjourned by
the singing Of America"
Immediately after the adjournment Pres
ident Mitchell called the meeting to order
again to hear a belated report from a com
, mittee appointed early in the week to pre-
pare resolutions Of coincidence upon the
recent mine disasters In Pennsylvania and
Utah. The report eensured sharply District
Mine Inspector Roderick Of Pennsylvania
4 for allowing work to be commenced In a
5 mine before. all the corpses had been re-
moved.
4 President Mitchell requested that the re-
- - .-aaa - 49, .1nIA h. Ia