The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-01-19
MINERS URGED
TO Be MODERATE
Annual Address of John Mitch
ell to the Federation.
SITUATION is FAIRLY GOOD
COLORADO TROUBLE A HEAVY
DRAIN ON THE UNION.

Indianapolis. Ind, Jan. 1s-The fif-
teenth annual convention Of the United
Nina Workers Of America opened "a
Tomiinson han <oday with l000 delegates
from various parts Of the country and
Canada represented. Mayor Hoffman
welcomed the delegates and President
Mitchell responder Late TINS afternoon
the work OF the credentials committee
was concluded
In his alnuaI report President Mitchell
ts1rges that the convention be moderate in
sItseeh and conservative in action, add
we Ashould keep IN mind that the enc
Ills o- p dbor ana the opponents OF ffaoe'
isre - ren,Eesented By tns ti n}alglf f
dustrial -Ail45 lnce are. ever ready 10 make
capital ouL4 II the smallest indiscreuon
and to nlaglt fy out of all reasonable pro
portion the 4 ightest mistake that trade
uaionists ma4 make"
rid ing Situation.
The report ays Of the situation in the
Since the eds of the anthracite strike
have grown stessdiiy more cordial, With
very few excepk ions the award of the
commission has q rigidly observed and
an era Of compare tive peace and content
OF central PenAsylvania the report
During the montfS.of March the miners
aud operators OF thes central district OF
Pennsylvania report approximately 40o9o
men IN Joint conference M the CITY OF Al
q toona and consummatedR an agreement
j which secured to our members q suDStan-
tial increase in wages and for the first
time in the history of that fieid estab-
1ished the eight-hOur work day The i'm
portance of this achievement cannot be
zIr. Mitchell refers to the Extension Of
p the conference method Of adjusting wage
differences into West Virginia, Kansas,
Missouri Arkansas and the Indian Terri
tory. which, ne says, prOmiSest q long pc
riod Of industrial peace 20 E4iners and
operators.
Satisfactory Condition.
Mr.. Mitchell says: I'm all other dis
). tricts in which the mining pFoces have
Y heretofore been regulated by agreement
increased wages were secured tanG other
concessions obtaind and While in many
instances kages have not advanced in pro-
portion to the increases secured in the
EentraI competitive coal fields.t on the
whole we have every reason to feel fairly
well satisfied with the gains dETing the
sear 1a8i'
The extensions of organization into Can
ada Montana and Washington are men
toned and the report says the 4rganiza-
tiOu has increased ia membership from
q 000 in 1899 TO 2S7-545 in 1903 which does
= not include members idle or on strike.
IF says Mr.. Mitchell, every local
union would report in is full member
ship, there would not be less than 10000
members"
The report recommends that the con-
stitudon committee investigated the aG-
Instability Of disseminating the( present
method Of collecting dues and adopting
the stamp system.
Colorado Trouble.
OF the Colorado strike Mr. Mitchell
= SAYS:
3 5Tue strike in district Is has been and
Il IS 4 source of heavy expense to our or
Fanization, but our people are standing
firm. and much as We desire an amicable
and honorable settlement. the uncompro-
missing attitude of the companies gives
Ns ae choice but 10 continue the contest
untiI fair terms Of settlement are reached
or cur people go down IN defeat
President Mitchell advises that the de-
mands OF the previous conventions be re-
pcated and that the scale committee De
instructed to make an effort 10 have the
Interstate agreement formulated upon a
run-of-mine basis
The increase III machine mining is
known 10 have been from "a per cent OF
che total production in 1896 to - Per cent
IN 1902 the report asserting that in dis
iricts ia which the differentiat IS widest
machine mining has increased dispropor-
tiouately He urges that a readjustment
UI the differential be insisted upon.
Delegates to Paris.
lie suggests thai not more than two
delegates he sent 10 the internationa
- mining congress- at Paris. May >; urges
support of the union label and recon-
raends that each local devote ten min
UJcs of each meeting 10 a discussion Oh
Inc question OF unICn-maQe S5ot,s' , ~
orous support Of the anu-lnJunctlon oil
and the eight-hour bill now in congress
IS urged.
President Mitchell voices his earnest
= support OF legislation prohibiting BOYS
under I6 years OF agc rom ocillS al
lowed to work In the mines, ana asks ths
convention % endorse If Ia closing, con
cratulsttory reference IS made TO the
cordial business relationship that has *
1sted between our organization and th'
onerators ia al states and districts if
which the wages and conditions OF EN-
poymeut are regulated ami determine
IS mutual agreeA.7nt,