The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-24
CAN'T. HELPSTRIKERS,
ISHPEMING MINE OWNERS STOP
THEIR MEN CONTRIBUTING TO.
MAINTENANCE FUND
ORGANIZER SAYS AM zsss
ORDER WAS ISSUED
Sympathy for Anthracite) Workers Is
Tabooed When 1t Takes the Form of
Financial Aid-Penalty for infraetion
of the Mandate Is Dismissal.

Mine operators in the Michigan iron
country have ordered their employees
to cease contributing to- the benefit,
fund for the strikers in the anthracite
region. .rors9
The ukases prohibiting the men from
assisting their fellow miners was is
sued last Mondays when 1T became ap<f
parent that the. strikers. were receiv-
ing considerable aid from the Michigan
district. The penalty for disobeying
the order is immediate discharge.
This is the condition in Upper MiSai-
gan, as described by William Trebil-
cock, who spent three days at Ishpe
ming, Mich, recently, collecting funds
for the anthracite strikers. Mr.. Ire
bilcock lis one of the committee in
charge of the collection of the relief
fund. He passedxth&augh st. Paul yes
terday en- route to uRossland, British
Columbia, where, he will represent the
International Mine Workers union in
the collection ofynoney for the strik-
erS. sas
Contributions Are Stopped.
when I first acame to Ishpeming,"
said Mr.. Trebilcock, "I had no difficulty
in gathering money. The miners there,
most of whom are ACornishmen, gave
freely to the relief fund. The action
of the men soon rbecame known to the
operators and men in charge, and while
no formal notice was posted, the men
were quietly told to desist.
Il laughed when told that the opera
tors had prohibited the men to give
their mites to the fund, for I did not
think 1T was possible that they would
take such action. But I investigated
and found that such an order had not
only been issued, but the men were
commanded not to give under a threat
that if they disobeyed they would be
discharged.
Union Men Are Few.
There are only few members of
the International Mine Workers union
in the Michigan district. but all the
miners without exception were con-
tributors to the fund until the issuance
of that prohibitory ukase. At meetings
of the union 1 heard the question dis
cussed and can say positively that the
men nave been coerced and intimidat-
ed into deserving their fellow en-
ploys.
Will the men stand for it?' They
must. There is no remedy. Marquette
county, where the mines are located,
is owned by the operators. Let the
men d1sobey and every mine in that
locality will be closed and the men
starved into submission.
Men Willing to. Reciprocate.
"Six years ago when the miners In
Michigan struck, they were assisted by
the men in the anthracite region. They
were repaying this kindness, when the
operators interfered.4I advised the men
to give up theirs public contributions,
but told them that IL they wished to
give relief, to send private collections
to the secretary of the international
organization. The operators need
know nothing Of this, and the strikers
will receive the benefit.
I met with nogopposition to the col
lection Of a relief fund in the copper
country of Michigans In fact several
of the captains and superintendent Of
the mines in the vicinity of Houghton
and Calumet gave literally to the
fund. The only waygI can account for
this is that the copper mines are con-
trolled by parties, who have little or
no interest in. the anthracite strike,
while the iron mines are owned by the
steel trust"