The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-11-28
He is Unswerving in His Belief and Has Kept
Free from Politics Since He Became
a Labor Leader.
He Will Not Accept Political Office While
He Remains the Leader of Labor
Organization.

lie worked IN the mines not only
in his own state, but also in Colorado
and in Mexico, and he was familiar
with the conditions in every bitumin-
GUS district long before he became a
leader.
II held Office as president of the
board of education in my home town
for two terms, 1895 and 1885," said
Mitchell, "and in general way can
state my principles as being for non
partisanship in municipal matters.
Labor unions must, however, be kept
strictly apart from politics, and just
as soon as they become political ma
chimes they must die. The mere sus-
picion Of graft is fatal. have tried
hard to keep the Mine Workers as far
from politics as possible.
Gwen when our men are running
for Office the local unions do not in
dorse them. The men may favor a fell
low trades unionist when they cast
their votes, but they are prohibited
from any declaration in behalf of the
union. You can see what would hap
pen if we indorsed one of our men.
1ndorsing one we would have to in
dorse others, perhaps less worthy of
support, and so it would continue un-
til an Endorsement would stand for
nothing but graft
"But your organization must do
some political work in the shape of
framing proposed legislation and then
trying to have it passed?" 1 suggested.
Certainly" was the reply. "We
have regular legislative committees in
every state where coal is mined. We
have had laws passed in about half
the states providing for semi-monthly
payments. Incidentally this law has
recently been pronounced unconstitu-
tional. Then we have had laws
passed almost everywhere providing
for payment of coal by the weight as
it comes out Of the mine and before
screening; then we have obtained
laws regulating sanitary arrange
ments, providing for the guarding of
machinery and for proper ventilation
of mines and also defining the duties
of mine inspectors.
eve have been specially interested
in pushing legislation to prevent child
labor and in Pennsylvania we now
have law prohibiting boys of less
than sixteen years from working in
mines. In the South we have found
great difficulty in obtaining similar
legislation. In several southern states
there are boys Of twelve working in
the mines. We will continue to give
that matter attention, and we will
press child labor laws in the South,
as we feel keenly that an injustice is
done to the boys.
I'm national legislation we are press
ing two bills, proposed by the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. One of
these is the 'anti-injunction' bill, to
prevent having labor men thrown in
to prison without trial by jury; the
other is an amendment to the eight
hour law. AS the law now stands men
who work directly for the government
are under an eight hour rule, but those
who work for. men with government
contracts are not benefited. We wish
to see that if contract is given for
the building of new war ship, for
instance, the contractor is bound by
the eight hour law. Both of these
bills have been put through the
House Of Representatives, and have
then failed in the Senate, but we are
not through with our work to pass
them.
THE mine workers have suffered
more than any other organization
from injunction. We have been en-
joined from feeding our people during
strike in Kentucky and from walk
ing on public highways in West vir-
ginia. Judge Jackson granted an in
junction which prevented us from hold
ing meeting on our own ground. We
violated this injunction technically.
because we had not fully understood
it. BY the terms of the injunction we
We're restrained from meeting within