The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-10-07
JOHN MITCHELL TELLS
MINERS TO PREPARE.
.. FOR HARD sTRuGGLE
Continued from Page !.


Continued from Page /.
4 burden upon hin friends.
The task we have before us may
. seem stupendous. but II each man win
do his part have no fear as to tho
final result It IL. Of course. unreason-
able to suppose that at times we shall
not meet with repulses; there have
been and there viii ever be victories
and defeats, recessions and progres-
stons; but we must see to It that every
forward movement carries US further
on than the preceding or succeeding
step may carry us back. We should
ever keep in mind those two WELL
known -Americanisms, Eternal vigil
lance is the price of liberty and An
injury to one is the concern Of ALL
The trade union movement, has
proved itself to be the greatest institu-
, ton ever founded among men. 1t has
raised wages, reduced hours Of labor,
taken the child from the mill and tho
factory and sent it to school. It has
elevated the manhood and the woman
hood Of the working people of the
world; it has raised tho standard of
citizenship. sobriety and integrity Of
the workingmen Of our own country.
Now, my fellow-workers, It has been
a good many years since first had the
pleasure Of coming to meet you. Dur
ing the interim we have passed
through many great crisis. have been
called upon many times to give you
advice and to point the way. ask
you now II there was ever time when
I gave you bad advice. Has there ever
been a time when have not given you
advice that it profited you to follow7
II this Is true, then, my fellow work.
men; ought to feel at liberty to adj
wise you now. I want you to be ad-
vised by me once again. My advice.
gentlemen, is that you join the union.
Ny friendly. I have defended the an
,hracite miners against their enemies:
I have taken their part when they
were being traduced by those who had
no regard for them. I have spoken on
platforms all over this country; not
alone before worlSingmen, but before
associations of employers, and have
never failed cnce to held up the hands
If the mesh of the mines.
But now, good friends, it is not
enot1gh for you to cheer for me; it Is
not enough for you to wear my like
ness on your coats. I should rather
see you drive me from this region than
tc see you leave the union. It is more
important to you that you belong to
the union than it is that any officer.
either high or low, should continue in
office.
Gentlemen, this is your fight. IL Is
the fight of the men who work in the
mines; 1t is the fight of your wives
and Children The United Mine Work.
ers of America would live and prosper
il every man In the anthracite fields
were to leave it. The UNION can do
without you; you cannot do without
the slnion You confer no favor upon
the union when you pay dues to 1t; 1t
is you who are favored by being per-.
mitted to pay to the union. Some men
think that when the officers Of the
union come along and appeal to them
to pay their dues, they want the money
for their own salaries. Does any man
here think the salary you pay me
keeps me in this work? If he does.
he is mistaken I felt that it was
duty I owed to the entire TABOR move
with you as possible.
"My friends, the struggle is hard,
the contest Is unequal enough even
when every workman is member OF
the union. The fight IS, hard enough
without fighting you. It is too bad
that. instead Of concentrating our ef-
forts aginst those who would Cypress
you, we must spend nearly the whole
year appealing to the non-union men
to come into line and flght with us. It
is discouraging at times, but IL you
won't fight for yourselves, then we
shall have to fight for you; II you will
not defend your own wives and your
own babies, then we shall defend them
for you, I want to say to the nom
union miners that would not be per-
mitted to drive your children back to
the mines; we shall force you to send
them to school. We shall force you,
even aginst your protest, to make
better men Of your boys than you are.
We shall compel you, even aginst
your will, to give your little girls that
life their dear mothers want them to
have. There are bad men, plenty Of
them, but, thank God, there are few
bad women. Women, like their child
rem are the victims of mems indiffer-
ence.
Nov, gentlemen, because it is posi-
BILE that this is the last time shall be
privileged to speak to an audience like
this In Shamokin, wish to take this
occasion to pay my tribute to the 10y
al men who have stood by US. wish
! had the time and the opportunity to
take each member Of the union by tho
hand He is one of my colleagues; one
of my men. am proud Of the anthra-
cite mine workers; I am proud Of the
fight they made; but am especially
proud of the men who wear thir but
tona have found out since coming