The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-16

American Industries-we call the fol-
lowing for the purpose of showing to
the members Of organized labor what
is being done to defeat the purpose of
the poor, underpaid and prosecuted
miners of Pennsylvania:
President John Mitchell of the Un-
tied Mine Workers declares that there
will be no strike in the anthracite coal
regions next spring; yet he is preparing
for one as busily as possible. The coal
operators insist that they expect no
trouble; yet their pockets at all the
great terminals were never so full, and
| there are perhaps other reasons for ex-
pecting that they could not be blamed
for another paralyzing contest. by
which the public would be inconveni-
enced and endangered more than in any
other way. Mr.. Roosevelt. who enjoys
the distinction of being, with Mr.. Nit
chell. the other Of the two presidents,
visits the coal regions. He is the guest
OF a temperance union, but the miners
make everything Of him, as they have
reason to do; and his presence cannot
help but strengthen the hands of their
union leader.
There is a reason why Mr.. Mitchell
cannot help but look forward to an
other strike in the anthracite regions.
His organization Of mine workers Is
not old enough or well-organized or
powerful enough to prevail morally on
its merits. It must argue with the
strike weapon, and with strike violence,
rather than by words. OF course, no
one knows this SO, we'll as President
Mitchell himself. While he tells us fire.
quently that he is about to quit. the
the leadership of the mine workers, he
does not do this; therefore (since this
means that he must continue to lead
them), he must lead them as they
would be led. They could not hang
together forever if they were not sue
cessful in some of their attempts now
and then; or, at least, they could not
continue to be successful very long If
they did not make demonstrations,
strength of their organization. So while
it might possibly be Mr.. Mitchells
wish not to have another strike (pro-
vided, Of course, he could keep his
organization together respectfully with
out the compelling force Of a long and
bitter struggle) it is none. the less true
thet e ngst pEsgazs hinsslf
coal strike of s02-harder because this
time it may safely be predicted that
the President of the United States will
not interfere. It might be true also
that that the Governor of Pennsylvania
would interfere-if there were strike
violence, dynamiting and murders to be
put down or punished. Thus, with a
man Of Mr.. Mitchell's intelligence. while
the outlook is for a harder fight than
before. if he brings it on (and evidently
he must), there is the necessity. more
pressing than ever before. for a large
and coherent organization among the
mine workers themselves. That Is why
he is working upon all this; and his
influence in securing the attendance of
President Roosevelt at temperance
meeting in Wilkes-Barre recently, and
the transmutation of that meeting into
demonstration of mine workers. was
not intended by Mr.. Mitchell to weak
en- the cause Of his followers, and it
cannot be said that it had that result.
It Is a fit place here to quote the
letter from a Catholic priest, whom the
President knows to be "as stanch a
friend of the laboring man as there Is
to be found in this country? This the
President himself read at the Wilkes
Barre meeting:
There is one discouraging feature
connected with the upward tendency OF
the wage scale among the workmen OF
this country. The higher the wages,
the more money they spend in saloons.
The shorter the hours, the more they
are inclined to absent themselves from
home. An apparent disregard for fam
lily ties is growing among the poorer
classes which will eventually lead to a
! disregard for the blessings our country
affords them. Hence. with an increase
better manhood, nobler citizenship and
truer Christianity should be set on foot.
The dignity of labor should be MAIN
tained, which can be done only through
the intelligence which he puts into 1t.
A steady hand and sober mind are ne
cessary for this. Hence the necessity OF
the temperance cause and Of the efforts
which organized abstainers are putting
| into the movement
The love Of a man for his work! That
sounds like DR.. Eliot, and all will OBJ
ject to it who disagree with the Presi-
dent Of Harvard that the Independent
workman is, or may be- hero. Not
only the love of the work itself. but
the sober mind and the steady hand
are required. No successful workman,
high or low, can get along without
these; nor can he do himself any sood
in the long run, nor help along the
business itself and so benefit himself
personally, except by having this same
love of the work itself. Yet there is a
strange incongruity in preaching,
whether by means of this letter or
through the utterances of President
Roosevelt himself doctrine so at
variance WITH the underlying PAAlOSOpAy
of the United Mine Workers (and of
unionism generally, for that matter),
as Mr.. John Mitchell expounds 1t. His
gospel of degradation, and despair has
It that the mine worker must always
be a mine worker. The mine worker
is- never to be ambitious to rise, be-
cause he, never can rise. It may be
true, as Mr.. Mitchelrs apologists would
doubtless contend. that such a phil
osophy is required to keep the miners
obedient to their leadership and suf-
ficiently degraded and discontended for
the purposes of the up-to-date' de-
magogue. It is nevertheless just as
true. in spite Of all this. that the mine nine
| do shis work better and better and
either be promoted. or else have con-
fdence that his own efforts In some
other direction will gladly be rewarded
better than ever before. It Is a little
anomalous for priest and President 70
propousd q buoyant and Improving gos-
pel of efficiency and happiness anons