Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-08
WOULD Be U TOP la
SUCH A LAND JOHN MITCHELL
PICTURES TO DO AWAY WITH
STRIKES.
Says Labor Troubles Will Cease When
Men Quit Disagreeine About Any
thine-Ali Unions Must Fight
Makes Example of Engineers.

Chicago, Sept. 8. - Labor strikes
will never cease until men reach the
amiable spirit in which there can be
no dispute about anything"
Such was the declaration last night
of John Mitchell, president of the
United Mine Workers of America.
President Mitchell is in the city for a
few days in the discharge of some of
fiicial business His emphatic state
ment resulted from a perusal of an in
terview published in an eastern paper
in which Judge George Gray, president
OF President Roosevelt's commission,
which settled the great anthracite coal
strike, had sounded arbitration as the
keynote for the satisfactory adjust
ment of all labor difficulties.
Believes in Trade Agreements.
81 believe in the first place that the
majority of disputes between labor and
capital can be settled by what we cali
/ the trades agreement This is, the
agreement between the employer and
the employee They are the parties
deeply interested, and if they are rea-
sonaDle and sensible | cannot see why
they cannot settle their differences.
believe that in nine out of ten cases,
if each party to a dispute as to the
troubles arising from labor matters
would evince a mutual desire to be
fair and seek a reasonable solution OF
the problem presented, there would
be fewer strikes. And even if this rule
was applied to strikes. they would end
of all concerned.
Arbitration Last Resort,
"But when it comes to a point where
there is no hope of a settlement be-
tween the disputants then arbitration
is the only course. believe that Pres
ident Roosevelt acted wisely and fol-
the best interests of all concerned
when he appointed the commission tc
undertake the settlement of the an
thracite coal strike. In such crisis
as that such treatment of the subject
was a necessity. But, as have here
tofore remarked, if my idea of tbs
trades agreement settlement had pre-
vailed at the outset, there would have
been no necessity for arbitration.
Judge Gray says that the solution
OF the struggle between labor and
capital is along the line of humanity,
common sense and arbitration. In a
general way he is right. But in place
of arbitration l should put the words
trades agreement. In measure ar
prevent them.
All Unions Must Fight.
81 notice that Judge Gray refers
| to the late Chief Arthur of the Broth
erhood of Locomotive Engineers as q
most conservative leader, and also
implying that arbitration among rail
road men and their employers avert.
ed many prolonged strikes. Let me
say that the history of the union OF
locomotive engineers is the history OF
nearly all unions. That union became
conservative after it had gone through
the mill. So will the others. All of
them have to fight, They have tt
overcome the opposition to their or
ganization, the ridicule, slurs, and
stumbling blocks that are thrown in
their way.
81 am in hearty accord with the
sentiment Of Judge Gray when he
says that it is his belief that unions
have come to stay. They have. II
is impossible now to disorganize labor
The only problem involving capita
and labor today is the adjustment Of
the wage question and hours of worl
on a basis that will be mutually ad
vantageous and agreeable"
President Mitchell went on to say
that in his opinion the personal con
tact of labor and capital in the settle
ment of whatever disputes came VI
between them served as an educa
tional advantage to both.