The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-10-25

man nature have been his strongest
weapons. Men have wondered at his
generalship, for of the so called STRAIT
egy represented by crooked tactics he
knows nothing. The shortsighted have
not realized that this thing which seem
ed Il weakness was Mitchell's chief
strength.
Speaker Of Acknowledged Ability.
John Mitchell is only thirty-six years
of ge. He first became president of
the United Mine Workers Of America
at twenty-ei.ht. This achievement was
reached without any of the helps usu-
ally believed to be necessary to young
neil 10 get on In the world. His father.
was Il poor miner before him. John
Mitchelfs mother died when he was
two years old, and his father went
four years later. A stepmother raised
the boy. who ran away from home at
eight. What little schooling he had
was received prior to that time. To-
day he Is considered a we'll educated
man, Il writer Of books, magazine and
newspaper articles and u speaker of
acknowledged ability. But what he
has learned has bee2 by night study
and 10y reading the book Of human life.
Early he went into the mines. Per
haps it was in his blood. He began as
door tender. He decided to see the
world. He went from state to state,
picking up jobs In the mines to pay his
way. At one time he drove mules IN Il
mine in Co,orado: then he went to
Mexico. Eventually he drifted back to
his home ut Spring Valley, ILL.,, where
he still lives.
AT IN early age he went into a labor
organization. the old veteran body
known dis the Knights Of Labor. After
a time he became secretary Of a local,
then of Il district organization. Later
he was on 4 Legislative committee to
secure the passage of Il law demanded
By the w%orkingmen. He succeeded,
and his success started him in his ca
rear. About this time he married, his
wife having the good Hibernian name
OF tatharine O'Itourke. Mitchell is
Irish himself. though his speech scarce
ly bctrays the fact. More than ever lie
buckled down to study. When a man
works ten or twelve hours In a mine
he has not much heart in him to i'm
prove his mind, but John Mitchell had
too much will power to be deferred by
a little obstacle such as this.
National Organizer.
AS Il result Of his legislative venture
he WIS made a member of the state
executive board of the knights of La.
Dor and shortly afterward a national
organizer. The succeeding year. in
1898, he was elected vice president of
the United Mine Workers. In a short
time the president. NJ. d. Ratchford, |
resigned to accept another place. ana
Mitchell succeeded to the presidency,
where lie has since remained. When |
he became president the mine workers
only had about 1 $1,000 members all told. |
BY his organizing ability and by the |
national growth of the order it now has |
over ten times that number. The or
ganization of the anthracite field has
practically taken place entirely under
his supervision.
In appearance Mr.. Mitchell Is of me-
dunn size, being about FIVE feet eight
inches III height and weighing perhaps
$50 pounds. He always dresses in
black. wearing uniformly Il Prince Al.
bert coat, straight narrow band Of q
standing collar and black tie. \ soft
black hat Invariably covers his head.
lie smokes cheap cigars and has one in
his mouth necessarily. He is clean
shaven, with sharp features and a high
but receding forehead. His hair is
black and not worn as that of other
men. but is cut of square across the
back. The most remarkable feature of
the man is his eye. This Is large and
luminous and, though gray in color, is
so intense that it gives the impression
at times Of being black.
Has No Recreations Except Work.
John Mitchell has remarkable self
control and the power Of concentration
In an unusual degree. He never seems
possessed OF nerves. lie Is usually re-
but can unDend OH occasion.
He is Il good story teller. He has no
except work. He is demo
and is called John by all who
him ut all we'll. He is ut home
alike with presidents. millionaires or
miners-perhaps most with the miners.
He sleeps little and thinks much. Late
Mt night, after others have left him, he
plans his campaign for the next day.
Last summer a bank failure ut Spring
Valley took his deposit Of $4,000, said
he all he had in the world.
He has won two strikes for the an
thracite miners, one in 1900, the other
IN 1902. 1t was In the latter that Pres
dent Roosevelt interviewed. At this
time John Mitchell was hailed as the
man Of the hour and was greeted as
the foremost labor leader of the world.
He wrote II book on that strike and
afterward took a trip through Eu-
rope and sent back labor letters for the
American press. AS a result of that
strike Nitphpl1 1ov woS oStohlisboI ;o