Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-20


Gus as he talks. and jaw which shows de-
termination. He is young man. We call
President Roosevelt young JOHN Mitchell
is ten years younger. He is only thirty
four, and with his splendid physique is a
good type of the best of the working men
he represents.
AS we chatted together he gave me a
word or so about his early life. He is the
son of a. miner, and at thirteen went into
the mines and worked there until he was
so that only two presidential terms have
elapsed since the John Mitchell of today
was actually handling coal
Mitchell, the Miner.
I asked him what he did in the mines.
He replied:
Everything I began my work in coal
mine at the age of thirteen. 1 started at
the bottom at 70 cents day. Then I be-
came driver at s1.1O day, and from that
went on through the various gradations
of mining work until. think I can truly
say, / have done about everything con-
nected with mining"
.sWhen did you first join trades union?"
when / was sixteen, was the reply.
"And l have been connected with organized
labor from that time until now.
but how about your education, Mr.
MITCHELL"
'rhat came from short course in the
in my life All that L got afterward came
from night study and reading.
when did you become president of the
United Mine Workers."
en- 1898. and l have been its president
ever since"
Trusts and the Working Man.
The conversation turned to the influence
of trusts upon the labor unions, and I
asked Mr. Mitchell whether the great syn
dicates had strengthened organized labor.
He replied:
81 think they have. They have shown the
men the necessity for organization. The
rnions have grown rapidly since the begin
ming of the great trust era, and they are
growing rapidly today"
sDo you think they will some time reach
all branches of labor?'
II have no doubt of it, replied Mr..
Mitchell
.'TIow about the store clerlSs?"
1.-THE retail clerks are already well Or
ganized, was the reply. 'They have unions
in nearly all of the cities, and their mem
bership numbers about 10000"
What do you propose to do, increase
their wages?" | asked.
mo" replied Mr. Mitchell cat present
the clerks are working for better arrange
ment of time They want shorter hours
The union includes women clerks as well
as the men,"
The American Woman as Union Man.
How about the women and organized
labor, Mr.. Mitchell? DO many of them be-
long to the trade unions?'
.'Yes" replied the president of the mine
workers Most of our unions admit wo-
men as members. Many women belong to
them, and we hope to have more think
the men should induce them to come in
There are also unions composed entirely
of women. In England about one twentieth
of the members of the trades unions are
women
What kind of union man does a wo-
man maker
''She makes very good one, said Mr..
Mitchell .She will endure more and suffer
more for what she believes to be right than
the man."
What class of men belong to the
unions?.'
"The very best workmen in the United
States,'' was the reply, 'sand men of ali
classes. In the United Mine Workers we
admit men of all nationalitias and races.
We have men of twenty different nations
and twenty different languages. We have
colored men as w=ll as whites and every
cla IS of mining labor from the boy who
picks slate to the best of the skilled work.
men,
the foreign or the Americana?
1.-THE American element always controls y
said Mr.. Mitchell 1T Is the most fntelli-
gent element. and intelligence rules"
How to Have Industrial Peace
"What do you think of the employers
forming associations to deal with organ
lied labor?'
i think it is only through the concerted