The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-18
MITCHELL A GREAT WITNESS


the coal companies he represents to en-
ter into agreements with an organiza-
ton that could not control it's own men.
Mr.. Mitchell stoItly maintained that
the discipline in the organization is as
good as it possibly could be where 49,
900 men were involved He claimed that
the strikers were not entirely RESPONSE
BILE for the acts of lawlessness that were
committed. He regretted that men,
bers Of the union had, in some instances,
violated the law, even after they had
been warned to refrain from doing so,
but made the excuse that in times of
great excitement there was always
more or less disorder.
In answer to questions he said that
where there was a reign Of terror. and
he had no information that such was
the case during the late strike, condi-
lions arise that are ''intolerable" or
unfortunate. Replying to specific in
stances pointed out to him by Mr.. Mac
Veagh, where men had been deferred
| from going to work through fear of
personal harm or social ostracism for
| themselves and families. Mr.. Mitchell
said that in some instances men may
have been deferred, but denied the as
sertion that such alleged acts prevented
| the mines from being operated. He said
| that when the strike was declared every
miner in the region quit work and re-
manned out even after the entire nation
! al guard Of the state had been thrown
| into the coal fields. In short, he said,
| that the men would not have gone to
work under any condition.
| The miners president, no matter how
skilfully he was questioned, could not
be dragged into a fiat admission that
he, as president of the union, approved
of the boycott complained of by the
companies. He had his personal opin-
ion of some phases of the boycott, but
would not express them as being the
sentiment or policy of his organization.
During the cross-examination the COM
missioners often interrupted with ques-
lions in order to stop long colloquy
over some disputed point. While the ex-
animation was at time quite spirited,
animation was at times quite spirited,
Only once Mr.. Mitchell showed signs of
irritability. This was when Mr.. Mac
Veagh, reading the long list of acts of
violence, would take Mr.. Mitchell to
task for some particularly vicious act
and say, sharply: You could have pre-
vented this"
| In the course of the forenoon session
| Mr.. MacVeagh examined Mr.. Mitchell
regarding the eight-hour demand, and
referred to the fact that Abraham Lin
coin, James A. Garfield and William
Mckinley worked more thar eight
hours a day and were thus enabled to
climb the ladder to the presidency. Mr..
MacVeagh grew eloquent in the course
of putting one of his questions to Mr..
Mitchell regarding the martyred presi-
dents, and added:
"I only mention these because they
are the three victims of the spirit of
anarchy which is the curse Of this coun-
| try to-day, and the only serious curse
affecting it,
The miners president, quick as a
flash, came back with the inquiry:
Trades unions are not held responsible
for it, are they?" to which Mr.. Mac
Veagh quickly responded that they
were not, and supplemented this with
the remark that labor unions are most
admirable. The bringing Of the word
| anarchy" into the examination caused