Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-02
TO MINERS
Housing Mass Meeting at
 Scranton Addressed.
STRIKERS URGED TO HOLD OUT.
President of Mine Workers Union Says if This Struggle Is Won TIcere Will Be an End
 to Strikes.

President of Mine Workers Union
 says if This Struggle Is Won
 TIsere win Be an End
 to Strikes.
 SCRANTON, Pa, Aug 2.-The first of the series of strikers mass meetings planned to take place Ut the various strike centers was held yesterday in the Round woods. There were 1000 strikers present from all parts of the city and the adjoining towns, some To- calls having marched four miles to the meeting, headed by a band or drum corps and carrying flags and banners. National President John Mitchell, Dis trict President T. D. Nichols, District Vice President Adam Ryscavage, Dis trict Secretary John T. Dempsey, Or ganizer Mortini Meinolo and subdis- trict President Theophilus Phillips de- liveRed addresses. Vice President Rvs cavage spoke in Polish and Organizer Memolo iD Italian.
 MT. MitchelIs speech was brief and dealt only with the live issues of the fight. He said i'll part:
 Tt has been said by some who are not your friends ehat the miners of the Scranton region are getting tired of the strike and are about to return to work. 1 come to find out if this is so. want to know if you are going to re- turn to work. dishonoring your organi- zation and dishonoring yourselves. If the strike is lost, may God Almighty help the men, women and children who depend for their subsistence on the mining of anthracite coal. If the strike is lost, you will pay the cost of the strike.
 II want to say that the anthracite miners went on strike themselves. They themselves voted for the strike. It was not the officers of the United Mine Workers who called the strike. It will never end until you vote it ended.
 From the offices of the coal presi- dents in New York comes the decIara- ton that the strike will be settled only in their own way of settling it. would direct your attention to similar declarations made in the 1900 strike. The coal trust may be powerful and strong, but the American people, whose hearts throb in sympathy with the miners cause, are stronger than the coal trust.
 1T understand there Is some dissatis- faction and misunderstanding about the distributions of the relief fund. The operators have sent men among you to urge you to be dissatisfied. Through the newspapers they have. told you that you were dissatisfied. We have sent a circular to all the To- calls which will explain in detail the plans for distributing relief, and I trust when you hear it read there will be an end to dissatisfaction and mis- understanding While we haven't got millions, we have enough to see to it that no miner will starve during the continuance of the strike.
 sI want to appeal to men with means to refrain from applying for relief. Let the fund be used by those who are in absolute need of help Be patient with your committees. Put your shoul- der to the wheel and do your share of the work. Don't depend altogether on your officers to win your fight. If we are to win, we must all help.
 1.-The one among you who violates the law is the worst enemy you have. No one is more pleased than the op- orators in New York to hear of dis order in the coal regions. I want our men to exercise their rights that inure to them under the laws, but want that no man shall transgress the laws.
 "The strike will be won. I have no more doubt about it than I have that am standing here addressing you
 "The operators are trying to make it appear that the strike is beginning to break up. There is a saying that those who come from afar can lie with impunity. At Shamokin the operators tell the strikers that the men at Wilkes barre are returning to work, at Wilkesbarre they tell them the men at Shanokin are returning, and at other places they tell them the men at Scran- ton are weakening. I fail to see any signs of weakening here.
 If you lose the strike, the operators will make you pay for their strike losses by reducing your wages, and if you lose the strike you lose your or ganization. I trust and hope and con- stantly pray you will stand as you did in 19O0.''
 Before the handshaking episode be- gan Chairman Phillips asked all who favored fight to a finish to raise their hands. Every hand went up.
 Twenty-Five years ago, Aug. 1, 1877, 10000 striking miners who had been opt for six months met at this same Round woods in almost the identical spot where yesterdays meeting was held and with uplifted hands avowed that they would not return to work until their demands were granted. That afternoon occurred the memora- ble riot on Lackawanna avenue, when company of hastily formed vigil lantes killed two men and fired upon procession made up of strikers from this and another mass meeting who were bent on burning breakers and who had nearly killed Mayor McKune when he tried to halt them. A week later the miners went back to work without gaining any concessions.
 Quiet at Shenandoah.
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