The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-10-07
DEN1soN, IOWA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER
PRESENT DAY PROBLEMS.

Wv VI ene uosG llUeFt sting ana uni
que episodes In American history took
place last week. The conference of
nine operators and the miners union
called by President Roosevelt, was the
hrst national recognition of the great
struggle between labor and capital to
which this country seems to be doomed
The President stated that he had not
called upon the parties interested to
listen to discussion of the merits of
the case. that he represented the third
and greatest factor in the. struggle
the public. He said that the time had
come when The patriotism and human
lty of these contestants should dictate
a cessation of the strife, that operators
and workmen alike should sink their
individual interests for the benefit of
the public.
The answer by President Mitchell.
representing the mine workers was all
that President Roosevelt or the public
could ask. He said he was ready to
abide by the decision of any tribunal
the President might select; that the
miners would return to work pending
the decision of such tri ibunal and would
accept as wages whatever the tribunal
might decide to be just.
| The operators represented by hume
rous railroad presidents said they
would have nothing to do with any
arbitration or with any method of set.
ling the strike which would involve a
recognition of the miners union. They
4 were willing to deal with the miners
as Individuals and in case satisfactory
settlements could not be made to leave
the matter to the lower courts of
Pennsylvania. They asserted that there
were MANY men who were ready aud
willing to work and that the coal famine
could be quickly relieved but for the
intimidation and force exercised by
the miners union which they charac-
terized as a lawless an anarchistic in
stitutiou. They demanded that the
power of the Federal government be
used to restore order 80 that those who
wished to work in the mines might be
unmolested
\ The effect upon public opinion of this
remarkable conference and its still
more remarkable utterances is yet te
be guaged. That there has been dis
order and bloodshed is not to be denied
President Mitchell states that the re-
ports have been exaggerated. that the
union, as union has done all it could
to put stop to it, and that the rioting
is as much due to the overt acts of the
} men employed by the operators as
guards as to the striking miners.
i Even in the short report of the con-
ference it would appear that there was
much inaccuracy and contradiction on
the part of the railroad presidents.
One OF them stated that the union was
an illegal organization forgetting that
the combine controlling the anthracite
coal fields is as illegal and unrighteous
an organization as ever existed.
Another railroad president proclaim.
ed that the union represented but a
minority of the men and that they
were forcing their will upon the ma.
'ority of the workmen. Still another
railroad president declared the union
to be terrible monopoly completely
controlling the workmen of the district.
The history of labor in the anthracite
regions of Pennsylvania has been a
: gloomy one. Years ago the operators
found American labor too expensive for
their desires, and with purpose intent
they imported the ignorant and reck.
less people of whom they now complain
They went to the most ignorant and
poorly paid classes of Europe and in.
duced them to come to this country
The reward was to be much larger than
The Europeon wage scale, but still much
: lower than theAmerican born workman
; would accept. The company store, the
system of dockage, the weighing by the
company's weighmaster alone, the over
weight ton, ALL these measures were
adopted in pursuance Of the plan to re.
duce wages to the minimum.
In order further to deceive both EN-.
ployes and public the railroad tariff
over those roads which own or control
the coal beds, were so raised that the
profit was taken out of the mining and
added under the head of transportation
This scheme had the added advantage
of placing the independent operator a,
the mercy of the combine.
Until the coming of the union the
Individual miner, many of them speak
ing no English. nearly all of then
ignorant, if not from choice, from the
necessity of continuous labor from child
hood, had no chance against the orga
} nized oppression of the operators. The
union came and in 1900 won partial
victory. There were still many abuses
to be righted and the strike of this wear