Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-02-12
DO[AN EXPLAINS VOTE
President of the Pennsylvania
Mine Workers Makes a Pub
lie Statement
MINERS IN A BAD LIGHT
Claims the Action of the Convention
Is Simply Spite Work and Figures
Are Cited to Sustain His Contention
Right of One District to Hold Up
Agreement Criticised.

Pittshurg, Pa. Feb. 12.-President
Patrick Dolan of the local district
United Mine Workers of America
whose resignation was demanded last
week at the convention of delegates
from the local union In the district be-
cause he voted with the operators at
indianapolis to maintain the present
wage scale, Sunday issued a state
ment in which he gives his reasons for
so voting. In the statement President
Dolan says:
the matter was submitted to the joint
convention, the Illinois miners and OPP
orators got into a deadlock over the
shot firers' bill. The operators of Hill
nois stated positively that they would
never sign any agreement which did
not compel the miners to pay the
wages of the shot firers'. President
Perry of the Illinois miners immedi-
ately replied that there would not be
any agreement If that were the case as
the Illinois miners would never agree
to allow such provision to go into the
scale. This one local issue in the
state OF Illinois, therefore, prevented
further progress on the scale in the
scale committee and we were forced
to report to the convention without an
agreement.
las soon as the miners officials OF
the state of Illinois saw that they
could not get an agreement on local
In, &1,n{s N1
Treasurer w. d. Ryan, of the Illinois
miners presented a resolution in the
miners convention declaring that no
district In the United States would be
permitted to make settlement unless
they all settled at one time This reso-
luton was passed. l voted against it
and tried to talk against 1t, but was
Kissed and hooted down."
In Ridiculous Position.
This resolution puts the miners Of
this country in ridiculous position.
One little district in Michigan. British
Columbia, or some other obscure place
can bring strife. and woe. and hunger
on 100000. miners just because these
little districts have some local diff
ference they cannot adjust. John
is going down to New York
to ask the anthracite operators for a
contract which he has not the power
to enter into, as the national conven-
ton has tied him hand and foot.
With these facts in mind. when the
Joint convention re-assembled, and
the operators offered to re-affirm the
present scale. voted for it openly and
honestly and so convinced was I of the |
so int J.
retract in the face of ,jeers, and revil-
ngs, and threats of bodily harm.
Knew, in the face of the resolution, to
lie up all the districts until all have
,ettled, that nothing but miracle, or a |
complete backdown upon the part of
he miners would avert a tremendous
strike, the end of which none can for
zee, but which threatens us and the
country with terrible loss.
Not Alone in Opinion.
Il was alone in my vote, but I was
lot alone in my opinion At the con-
,ention of the American Federation of
labor in Pittsburg in November con-
ulted President Mitchell and w. d.
Ryan, and they both told me they
would be satisfied with renewal Of
he present agreement, but that we
,ught to demand an advance as
natter of policy.
Later consulted President Has
,ins, of the Ohio miners; he told me
he same thing.
Let us be honest about these things
)ur wages have been increased more
han 100 per cent and our hours of la
or have been decreased from ten to
light hours since 1897. Is it right UNI
er this Ryan resolution to jeopardize
II these things? The miners of this
ountry have never won a big coal
trike under the direction of President
fitchell. In Maryland, in Colorado,
nd at the present time all have failed.
nd hundreds have been victimized
Il have been in the trades union
Movement for thirty-fiv years in
cotland and America. From boyhood
learned that 1t is leaders duty to
I'll his people not what they would !,
Ike to hear, but what they should
now. This is my platform, and am
filling to rise and fall with it before
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