The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-20
PLAIN TALK BY
JOHN MITCHELL
Labor Leader Gives His Opin-
ion of Governor Peabody.
EXECUTIVE A LAW BREAKER
REPUBLICANS SHOULD REPUDI-
ATE HIM

Denver, Colo. April 1s.-The seconl
days session Of the executive council
of the American Federation of Labor
was devoted almost entirely to the
consideration Of disputes between afii-
lated organizations over questions of
jurisdiction.
The members Of the council attended
a mass meeting tonight, at which the
principal speakers were President
Gompers- of the American Federation
Of Labor and President Mitchell of the
United Mine Workers of America.
Mr.. Mitchell devoted his entire
speech 20 an arraignment Of Governor
Peabody Of Colorado for h.s acts in
relation 10 the coal stike in the south
ern Colorado coal fields. He repudi-
ated the governor as a Republican. and
challenged the oft repeated assertion
of the governor that he had exhausted
every effort to bring about settle
ment of the strike by bringing the
opposing forces together in conference.
He said:
I want to repudiate as far as I can
the acts OF the governor of this state.
If I have a friend in Colorado, if there
is trade unionist in this state, if
there is a good citizen in Colorado who
say he should repudiate the acts of
Governor Peabody. Governor Peabody
has said in regard to our coal strike,
that he had advised the companies to
treat with the men and the companies
said they would treat with their own
employees and not with a committee
dictated by John Mitchell l say pub
licly that I offered last December TO
allow Governor Peabody to appoint a
committee of coal miners to treat with
the operators. He has had the chance
to nominate "A committee of miners,
and has not done So As an admirer
and friend of President Roosevelt, and
as a member Of the Republican party.
7 say that the Republican party CT
Colorado should repudiate Governor
Peabody. / further say that every Re
publican workman should work
against him. 1 am usually called a
conservative labor leader; in fact. IN
this western country I am said to be
too conservative. Yet, to the most
radical of you I announce myself as
against any man who is against the
people. I stand for the men who IS
the friend Of the people, be he Repub-
lican, Democrat or Socialist. In con-
clusion, I want to repeat with en-
phasis. what / have said about Pea
body He is no friend of yours, no
friend of government, and no friend OF
law and order. I am against him"
Mr.. Gompers said that a new disease
had developed among the business men
of the country which he termed trades
union-phobia. The two persons most Sc
riously afflicted. he said, were Governor
Peal body of Colorado and President Parry
of the National Manufacturers associa-
ton. Mr.. Gompers said that he did not
claim that no labor unionist was ever
guilty Of violence and wrong-doing, but
he emphatically denied that all union men
were criminals. as they have been char
acterized by some of their opponents He
maintain ed that a working man had a
right TO strike whenever he believed that
his employer was mistreating him, and
that while he regretted the necessity for
strikes. labor unions would continue TO
WELD this weapon for their defense. lie
discussed the eight-hOur movement and
said that the fight for this achievement
had only just begun throughout the coun-
try.