The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1902-11-29

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as they have to theirs and he has COM
PEELED their respect.
Mr.. Mitchell came up from the mines.
A poor farm boy, poor, Woodworking:
conscientious miner, an ambitious Or
ganizer, forceful labor leader, he pos
sessed that indomitable quality that
would not let him stay down. He -
the type of men of whom one says
without flattery, HE can do anything
WE'LL" He has it in him to be great
statesman. He would be good diplo-
mat. He would make stalwart busi-
ness man. AS military man he would
be wonderful disciplinarian and
loved leader.
There have been some men to ph,-
ture him in an official government
chair. Perhaps some such dream has
even fitted through his mind. Who.
having power, does not crave more?
But if it has, it has been quickly dis
missed to attend to the business in
hand.
Persons who did not know him
might imagine that in the conferences
before President Roosevelt in the
business giants of operators would so
far have outshone Mitchell that he
would have been quite overwhelmed
But no, Mitchell himself had no such
thought, harbored no such fear.
He went to the conference to face
men great in their business and the
greatest executive of the country, with
a calm and. simple assurance that he
was in the right, that his sincerity
would win the day, and people VINO
know of what occurred there, of how
the operators lost their tempers, of
how one was perhaps too forceful in
his words to President Roosevelt, tell
how tb@ quiSt, direct, plain speaking
John Mitchell, with his superabundan1
force, his intense sincerity, his honest
directness, outshone the others.
If there is pride in the man it is so
well balanced that his heels cannot
stand upon it. He is always the same
quiet, courteous, digniffed, clear head
ed John Mitchell, firm, forceful and
free minded.
Had he more humor he would be
better off. He laughs shortly, almost
silently, and rather mirthlessly, as
men do who laugh at another man tel
ling their own stories. Mitchell would
rather smile than laugh. There is a
book of pictures. Varying emotions
are traced upon the borders of his lips
by it, and it may mean many things
He likes good stories, but he never
held his sides to ease the pain Of
laughter in his life. Such laughter is
f0n r,oI1oh tn ,oefo Il,
the same amount of mental and ply
much thinking, much. planning. He
seems to always be weighing himsei;
in his mind, carefully adjusting the
scale to get the exact poise and then
being right.
He is of the worker type of man.
When there is anything to be done he
does it. There is no plunging, no rush
and hurry and furry and excitement
But he steps forward for long, hard
work like a man starting on a
long walk. He has to reach the end
and he does it: Day after day, night
after night, in all the worriments and
struggles, and with the thousands of
details Of the strike to attend to, dis
tressed, harassed, at one time seeing
defeat ready to slap him in the face,
dreading every minute rush back to
work by the strikers, but never show
ing it in his face or manner-that is the
| kind of man John Mitchell is.
During those anxious days care did
| not sit heavily on his brows; instead:
endeavor lifted his eyes and hope
smoothed his forehead, and confidence
! kept his lips straight. Day by day,
like man dragging himself up slip
perry cliff, he climbed, getting firm
er and frmer hold upon the strikers
until he had them where he has held
them since, firmly in his grasp, obe-
dient to his command.
He is accused Of all sorts of things
never was there a man in his position
who was not-and chiefly of melting
and sanctioning the violence which
has occurred. But time and time again
he has counseled the strikers, in strong
forceful speeches, to remain law-abid-
ing and quiet, to stay at their homes
and keep away from the mines. Yet
violence has occurred, as occur rr
would in any body of IA, 1000 idle men;
and despite the charges made against
him. despite the operators attempts
to inveigle him into tangle, he has
remained clear and straight, and true
to the best interests of his organiza-
ton.
Perhaps there is no better indication
| of his character than this, that fair
minded men who oppose him and the
union and his labor interests yet admit
that John Mitchell is the man he is.