The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-23
MITCHELL Is ELECTED
A DELEGATE TO PARIS
Convention OF Mine Workers
Votes by Acclamation to Send
Him Abroad.
AGAINST CHILD LABOR
Mine Workers Want the Limit
Placed at Sixteen Years
Days Doings.
AGAINST CHILD LABOR


Workers at the International Mining Con-
gress TO be held in Paris on May %. Sew
eral days ago the convention passed a res
olutiOn that the organization should send
two delegates to this congress. and at the
close of the report of the committee on Of
ficers' reports, late yesterday afternoon,
the convention proceeded to the election of
the delegates. President Mitchelrs election
was by reclamation and involved but few
minutes. However. the convention could
not agree on the other delegate, and after
hour of wrangling adjourned at o'clock
to hold the election first thing this morning.
1t is probable that the election of the other
delegate will require the entire morning,
or even a good part of the day.
After President Mitchell had been elected
and nominations were in order for the
other delegate. confusion prevailed until
the convention adjourned, so anxious were
the delegates to make nominations and
have the vote taken in the safest possible
manner. No fewer than twenty delegates
were nominated, and all but eleven de-
clined. When the nominations closed a
clamor arose as 10 whether the delegates
should be elected by a standing vote or by
ballot. A technicality. pointed out by Del
increased the confusion. 1t was. to the eff
feet that the convention could not take
standing vote, for by so doing 1t
would be DISTINGUISHING certain locals and
delegates, who had more than one vote.
The air Of the convention was becoming
more heated when a motion was made and
carried that the convention suspend bust
ness, and adjourned until 9 o'clock this
morning. The candidates for election as
delegate to the mining congress, who viii
be voted on this morning, are John Fahy,
OF District 9; William Dodd of District %
John Walker, of District u; Charles Il:
Haskins of District 6; John Nugent, OF
| District IL; G.. w. Lackey, OF District IL;
William Farley, of District 20 Thomas
Haggerty, of District 2; T. D. Nichols, of
District /; William Howells. Of District 10,
and William Mardjon, of District a.
After his election President Mitchell
arose and stated to the convention that
his presence at the mining congress de-
pended entirely upon conditions in TINS
country. If at the date of the congress
| his services are not necessarily required
In this country he will attend the confer
ence, otherwise some one else will have TO
take his place. To provide for such emer-
gencles the convention Will elect TINS
morning two altrnates to go to the con-
greSS in the event that the two delegates
elected are called elsewhere.
AGAINST CHILD LABOR.
The convention also took action along an
| other important line yesterday afternoon,
] placing itself clearly against child labor in
| the mines. BY an overwhelming majority
the convention concurred in the report OF
the committee on officers reports, thereby
| adopting a motion embodying the recon-
| mendatiOn of President Mitchell in his an
| nual report that the convention favor the
| enactment of laws prohibiting the employ
/ ment of boys under the age of sixteen in the
| mines. The question of child labor came
| I'm INN ofn1Nr hn n
/ for business and was discussed at
| length by several of the delegates
with the result that the convention
| placed in the hands Of every delegate in
| structions to make every effort possible In
| their respective States TO secure the pass
age of laws which will prohibit boys under
/ sixteen working in the mines. But one dele
| cation was against the measure-thee dele
gates from Pennsylvania, led by Patrick
Doian-Who TOOK thelr STAND on the GROUND
| that in their district the schools were now
| so full that they could accommodate no
| more children and they thought it better
| for the boys to work than to remain idle
During the discussion President Mitchell
came forth and in a five minutes talk,
| forcibly expressed his view of child labor.
| He said: During the six annual cOnven-
| tons that l have been president of this
| organization / have submitted to each,
| certain specific recommendations. This is
the first time that l have ever defended a
recommendation made by myself but have
/ never made recommendation that / am so
DESTROYS of having Endorsed as this one.
am in earnest. when 1 say that the boys
should not be required or allowed to enter
| the mines before they are sixteen years of
| age. Every law to regulate the employment
| of children and women in unhealthy and
| dangerous places has been met with opposi-
| ton from the very people that the law
| sought to benefit. The Pennsylvania miners
are like the miners of every State. The
majority of them are good men but as else
where there is a minority OF heartess and
regardless men, who would rather see the
boys at work.
4 a. 7
| fore 1 wanted to. 1 don't want any human
| being to have the experiences that L had. I
| don't want anybody to have to make the
| sacrifices that made when went into the
mines at ten years of age. The earnings Of
every child come out of the pocket of the
parents.
| go to school. But if they cannot, l had
rather see them doing nothing than to see
| them working In the mines. We know what
| a miners life is. We know that the only
| Joy in it is the joy of boyhood. My desire
| for a higher age limit is not confined to
( the mines. But admit that the cases are
! not parallel. You can ventilate the mills
and protect the lives of the children but
no power on earth can protect the child in
the mines"
| CALLED FORTH SUPPORT.
| President Mitchells speech in favor of the
measure was heartily applauded and went
| far In bringing many of the delegates to it's
| support. An amendment to the motion was
| attempted by Patrick Dolan TO the effect
that the recommendation include the
| phrase around the mines" which would
| prohibit the employment of boys in and
| around the mines. The amendment was
| tabled at the suggestion of President Mitch
| ell who said that it might kill the enact
| ment of the law for the reason that it
| would be too sweeping. 1t was believed that
the amendment was offered for that pur-
pose.
! At the opening of the convention yester-
| day morning the first business transacted
| was the final report of the credentials COM
| mittee, which showed that there has been
| a substantial increase in the number Of
/ locals during the past year. and an equal
| increase in representation on the floor OF
| the convention. The report showed that
the total number of locals at this time is
| 1.54S, ard the total number of votes is :, 464
| The greatest gains were made last year in
| the Pennsylvania and West Virginia fields
| Immediately after the report of the Gre
| dentials committee was concluded another
| attempt was made by the Socialists 10 in
/ troduce measures committing the organiza-
| ton To their doctrines. The resolution was
| met with bitter opposition and was turned
/ down as all previous Socialist resolutions
! had been. The resolutions committee then
/ proceeded to complete its report. About
| preceding day. Most of them dealt with
unimportant matters and were disposed of
/ in a nonchalant manner
| one of the resolutions adopted provided
! that all locals be released from obligations
| TO meet the taxation imposed by local CEN
/ trail trade unions for the support of general
| business agents, who cannot act for the
miners Another resolution asked that the
/ miners present a petition TO the American
| Il 1T ion of oh