Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-03-01
I'm Mitchell

southern IOlOraG eW MEXICO ana
Utah.
You may boast of the amount of
money spent in the Colorado Utah
strike and compare it with the
amount per capita spent in the an
thracite strike, but let it be remem-
bered that the conditions in the an
thracite districts are entirely differ
ent from the conditions in the west
ern coal fields. In the Colorado
Utah coal fields the families were
elected from their homes, making it
necessary to provide tents or rent
other houses; the prices of necessi-
ties range IS per cent higher than in
Pennsylvania; no other work of any
kind was obtainable by the strikers;
besides the strike occurred in the
winter months and coal was there
fore large item of expense.
Let me read a statement issued by
District Secretary Simpson in Feb
ruary, 1904:
Greeting Fellow Members: We
herewith submit to our various local
unions the following financial report,
giving as accurately as possible, the
amount of indebtedness.
1t will be necessary in order to
make it plain to all, to go back to
November 9, 1903, the commence
ment of the struggle in which we are
now engaged. At that time an al
lowance of Sra 900 week was do
mated to district IS for strike pur-
poses. That this amount was in
sufficient to carry on this work is
evidenced by the fact that il became
necessary to call upon the national
executive board for more aid at the
meeting held in Indianapolis, Janu-
airy 4, 1904, when so, 900 additional
was granted. This amount only paid
our Indebtedness existing at that
time in part. and il has been CON
tinual struggle to hold our forces,
even though We have made use of
every means which could be possibly
devised to procure shelter and food
for the strikers.
According to the lists prepared
by local officials and sent in by them
to this Office, we have 10, 900 men,
women and children to care for out
of sI2, 900 per week. making an al
lowance of 6S $40 cents per capita
per week for food were il possible to
apply the full amount to that end.
Other expenses were made nee
essary, such as rents, tents, doctors
fees, attorneys fees, coal, etc, thus
cutting down the small amount of
money allotted each person weekly.
Our local unions in fields where we
have settlements have been very
generous in the way of loaning and
donating sums to help carry on the
work, but the list of our creditors,
and the amount of Indebtedness
shown. will indicate to you that the
resources at our command we're not
sufficient to meet the demands made
upon us. Had we not been able to
secure credit, many would have gone
cold and hungry, and what has
promised from the beginning to be a
winning strike, would have before
now ended in confusion and certain
defeat.
JOf1N olMGSON.
Let me say that the grievance the
miners of Colorado, New Mexico
and Utah have is not because there
was not large enough amount of
money expended. In fact, | am free
to say that part of the enormous
sum-S437, ooo-was practic a ly
thrown away. The gievance that
the miners of the 9Th district have
is the manner in which the strike
was conducted. especially in regard
to forcing the northern miners to re-
turn to work, and because there was
not money enough given in the
months of November, December and
January the critical period. Dis
trict President Howells offered Mr.