Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-02-05
Sound Doctrine.

Sound Doctrine.
John Mitchell said some admirable
things in his speech TO the coal strike
commission, but nothing better than
this:
81 want to say, too. as to the matter
OF lawlessness, that before being prest-
dent of a union. before being a mem
Der OF q union, | am an American over
and above everything else. l believe
every man should be first an American
There is DO man connected with the
organization, there is nc mar ascot
ated with this investigation, who
would condemn l~awlessness stronger
than | would. II did not do it be-
cause | was opposed to lawlessness |
would do it because it initiates against
the success of a strike and against the
success and ad vancemeut Of the organ
ization. | do not believe lawlessness
ever won a strike. do believe law
lessness to a very large degree deters
meu from working. ! believe lawless-
ness under all circumstances will
initiate against men who go on strike.
As | have said many times, | have an
abiding faith 10 the American people.
| believe when they understand a
cause to be right they will support it,
and without the support of the people
no great movement can succeed. That
is true Of a strike. II the people OF
the country are not in sympathy with
1t it must fail, and | am SURE the sym
pathy of the people will never be with
those who violate the law"
This is absolute truth. There have
been more strikes lost by the men be-
coming reckless and lndulging in law
lessness than through my other one
cause, and simply because when they
do so public sentiment turns against
them. And this is the greatest weak
ness of the strike system, for even
when the leaders seek to restrain 1t
there are always some men who are
prone to settle controversies by physi-
cal force, and who will follow their
inclination 10 spite of any counsel that
is given to them. 1t is manifestly i'm
possible that anybody should have
complete control over a large body OF
strikers.
In the anthracite strike there was
unquestionably some violence by union
men, but the remarkable thing is that
there was SO little OF it. The first thing
that attracted attention to John
Mitchell In the affair was the unusual
control he appeared to have over the
striking men, and the wise and con-
servative manner In which it was ex-
ercised. This was the subject OF uni
versal comment, and there can be no
reasonable doubt that Mr.. Mitchell's
course, and his sentiments as expressed
above, have been the most important
factors In the attainment OF what sue
cess has been attained in the anthra-
cite strike. The operators realize
this, and are now making every effort
to fasten some responsibility for law
lessness on the strike leaders.
1t is to be observed that in these
labor controversies the lawleszness OF
the men is of a character that natur-
ally brings it before the public, while
that of the employer is OF a more
secret nature and less easily exposed.
1t is unquestionable that the coal roads
have been lawless from beginning to
end. Their very ownership ana oper'
alton OF mines is in violation OF law.
But this is not the lawlessness of vio-
lence-at least not of open violence
and it is made plain to the public with
much greater difficulty than the usual
forms OF lawlessness by strikers. This
advantage OF the employer alone
ought to be sufficient reason for the
men preferring arbitration as a mode
OF settling labor controversies. 1t
takes them away from dangerous
ground and puts them more nearly on
terms Of equality with employers in
the final desision of the controverted
matters. -Indianapolis State Sentinel.
Sacred Songs and Spanish Dances.