The Holly chieftain., 1905-01-20
NINE WORKERS
CONVENTION AT INDIANAPOLIS
President John Mitchell Reports
Many Strikes, Heavy Expenses
and Reduction Of Work.

J Indianapolis Jan. 1S.-The sixteenth
annual national convention of the
| United Mine Workers of America was
opened Monday by President Mitchell.
/ Reports from the districts show q
shortage in work compared with prev
ious years. In Indiana the average has
been less than three days in the week.
II Is said present conditions would
tend toward further reduction In
wages were there scale to be fixed
this year.
In his annual report. President
Mitchell said.
Except for the year of the anthra-
cite strike, this is the first time have
been unable to report any material
growth in the membership OF the or
sanization. Our average membership
for the year ending December 81.
1904, shows an increase of a little less
than 1000 over the preceding year,
while the membership for the month
of December. 1904, based upon the tax
received for that month, shows de-
crease of about $4,000 members.
"The heavy falling off In member
ship for the month of December, 1904,
is accounted for by the fact that from
10000 to $4,000 members were on
strike and exonerated from the pay
ment of dues. The greatest loss sus-
tanned is in the eastern bituminious
and anthracite fields. At no time since
1897 has work been SO irregular and
the coal trade SO demoralized,"
Mr.. Mitchell then took up the
strikes of the year, saying;
In no other year since the forma-
tion of the United Mine Workers of
America have there been so many men
continuously on strike and at no pre-
vious time in the history of the or
ganiZation, with the exception of 1902,
have we been compelled to expend SO
much money in the support and main
tenance of those involved as in the
year just closed"
Mr.. Mitchell told of the district con-
vention at Trinidad, Colorado, March
oath, and said that 1t met to call off the
strike, but on the day preceding the
one on which the convention was to be
held, the governor of Colorado ordered
400 troops to the city of Trinidad, and
Las Animas county was declared to be
under martial law. The convention did
not want to be accused of knuckling to
Peabody and ordered the strike contin-
ued. Financial assistance was not
withdrawn until the strike became
hopeless.
After discussing injunctions and
sharply criticising judges issuing
them, the report says:
another line of attack has been
adopted by hostile corporations
against the organization Of labor-one
which, if successful, will do more to
destroy the usefulness of trade unions
than all the agencies combined, here
tofore resorted to- l refer to an at
tempt to mulct our organization in
damages because of losses sustained
through the refusal of men to work un-
der conditions repubnant to Them
AS instances of these damage suits,
Mr.. Mitchell cited the suit for $4,000
damages brought by the Victor Fuel
Company in Colorado against officials
of the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea, on the charge that said officials
had caused great loss to the plaintiff
company by causing its employees to
quit work and by intimidating others
who tried to take their places. Mr..
Mitchell said that December Z, 1904,
another suit was filed by this company
, against the mine workers for $491 900
for damages to that date and covering
the, period since the first suit was
begun.