Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-02
BOTH SIDES VIOLATING LAW
Mitchell Calls Attention TO Numerous
0Fenses Of Goal Operators.
LABOR LEADER ANSWERS OPEN LETTER
Troops HavinE. Nothing TO DO ~
Shenandoah Are settling Down
TO Enjoy Camp Life and
Target Practice.

mitchell started to work early today upon
a reply to the open letter addressed to him
yesterday by the Citizens alliance Of
Wilkesbarre, an organization made up o.
business and professional men and others
In an address at the convention Of miners
OF the First district Of the United Mine
workers, held at Nantlcoke SOM week.
ago, Mr.. Mitchell criticised the alliance be-
cause, he claimed, 1t was not consistent. II
wanted to prosecute all miners who vic.
lated the law, be claimed, but overlooked
the many violationsl Of the law committed
every day by the coal combination.
The alliance replied in an open letter In
which IL enumerated many outrages said
to have been committed by strikers and
others In the coal region since the strike
began. Mr.. Mitchell was called upon to de-
fine his position and to issue a proclamation
to his followers warning them TO keep on
the side Of law and order. He made no re-
ply to the letter.
Yesterday the alliance issued another open
letter to the labor chief and after consult
Ing with his advisors Mr.. Mitchell decided
to answer It. In his reply he takes the
ground that he has always been a staunch
defender Of law and order and that his fol-
lowers know II.
Mr.. Mitchell had nothing to say with ref.
erence to the suit in equity brought against
him and other national officers Of the United
Min Workers by a coal company in West
Virginia.
Text of Mitchen's Reply.
President Mitchell, in the course Of his
reply to the Citizens alliance, which COM
munication he made public this afternoon,
says:
Permit me IN sav that 7 AZ No. racor-
nize your rights to make demands upon
me to specifically. declare myself opposed
citizen of the United States and the chief
executive, of the miners organization, l
and in 1eiG angT On lnn9mera9is occasions
construction that l am opposed to law
lessness of every character and 1 do not
the tenets Of the Citizehs alliance, namely.
wink at capital crimes, while inveighing
against minor onenBes.
l have never in my life sought TO con-
Done an unlawful act. 1 have thrown the
Iul weight Of my. personality and iniu-
ence on the side OF law and order and l
can say without egotism that the miners
union and its officers have done more for
eidzc,s' Alliances that have been or or co S9s
be 1oimeC by, men like yourselves, Nhote
like unto the friendship Brutus enter
tanned for Caesar.
did not assume to say that there have
members of the miners union, but / 90
say, and defy you to successfully CONTRA
much less lawlessnes on the part of the
miners-and that which has occurred has
Deen less tbs seri ON tbn PTOPOTtiqR to their
with authority and are specifically COM
whom, you have made no protest and your
association taken. no action whatsoever.
courts viii demonstrate that a smsiieF
number of miners have beer. convicted OF
crimes In the anthracite mining towns dur
like period preceding IL.
Again, 1 have no hesitanoy in saying
Inst there never was a great upheavaL
which there was as little real lawiessness
as has existed In the anthracite region
said in my speech at N~anticoke-to which
you took exception-the miners are as law
abiding, as patriotic, as ~liberty-loving as
and l shall not permit you to malign them
or defame the residents of this community
either by direct charge or i~nsinuation with
out registering an Emphatic protest.
Guard Expense IL Heavy.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. T.--No men have
been sent to- the anthracite coal regions
from this city TO. act as mine guards for
more than two weeks past. The reason as
signed is that the big operators by whom
these were employed have found the ex-
pense too heavy and that, moreover, they
came to the conclusion that the large force
which had been engaged in this city, New
York, Baltimore and the south was not re-
quired. 1t was, therefore, determined to
drop at least 80 per cent OF the total num-
Der engaged. estimated to be about 5000.
and after that reduction occurred to I'LL the
places with men who could be secured for
the work at lower wages.
All of those who were hired in .Philadel-
phia received $3.50 per day. About 10. 900
were thus CONTRACTED for. OF these il is be-
lieved that 800 to- 100 have returned home,
Their places were iIlled with men who could
be got in the coal country itself for $500 a
day.
Bo~iIermakers on a Strike.
CHICAGO. Aug. I.-Boilernakers and
shipbuilders and their helpers to the num-
Der of $500 men. employed in the contract
and Job shops in this city, struck today
because the master boilermakers' ~associa-
tion refused to conceds demands made
upon them.
The principal demand is an increase in
the wage scale Of the boilermakers from
so cents an hour to IS cents for inside
work and so cents for outside work. Help.
ers and heaters want an increase from Is
to 10 cents for inside work and from rs To
so cents for outside work. Other demands
are: Recognition, nine hour day inside
and eight-hour day outside, double time
for holiday work and time and one-haIf
for overtime.
The boilermakers and helpers declare
they are determined to secure the advance
and are prepared to continue the strike in
definitely II necessary. The master boiler
makers have offered to eoncede an advance
Of Z per cent. but say It is impossible to
grant all the demands Of the union. II Is
feared the strike will tie up all work n |
the branches affected.
Before noon today It Was reported By
union oflcials that hundreds Of boilermak-
ers were leaving Chicago to seek work In
adjacent cities. Practically all work az
boiler shops has ceased and hardly any re-
pairing or work On smokestacks is in oper-
alton. Employees predict that the strike
will kin the boilermaking business in this
city. Already, they declare, other cities
can secure workmen at much cheaper
wages than are now paid here, and, as a
consequences, work Is being diverted in their
favor.
HARRISBURG. Pa. Aug. L-Governor
Stones general order placing troops on
duty at Shenandoah was made public today
BY Adjutant General Stewart. Orders
were also issued by Major General Miller
formally placing General Goblin in COM
mand OF the troops In the -deld. |