The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-02-15
MINER DOLAN TALKS
PLAINLY OF HIS ACT
Refused to Vote as Instructed
to Avoid Ridiculous
Situation.
HANDFUL G CONTROL
1reposterous to Permit Small District
Determine What 900, Q Miners
Should Do-Present Con-
ditions Outlined.

Wilkesbare, Pa, Feb. members
pr the anthracite miners scale COM.
mittee were hurriedly called together
today, but for What purpose is not
given out
On Saturday it was stated he COM
mittee had finished it's business and
would not meet again prior to the con-
ference betweenthe miners officials and
the coal operators in New York on
Thursday. Today'S secret session, how
ever, leads to the belief some import
pnt question arose which required the
Immediate attention of the committee.
| None of the officers would discuss the
Meeting.
Pittsburg, Pa, Feb. 14.-President
Patrick Dolan. of the local district OF
the 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, last night issued a state
ment in which he gives his reasons for
so voting. In the statement President
DOlan says:
AS soon as the miners officials of the
state of Illinois saw that they could
not get an agreement on local issues
in their own state, Secretary Treas
urar w. D. Ryan, of the Illinois min
iners, presented a resolution in the min
ers' convention declaring that no dis
trict in the United States would be
permitted to make q settlement unless
they all settled at n time. Then this
resolution was passed, l voted against
it and tried to talk against 1t, but was
Kissed and hooted down.
This resolution puts the miners of
this country in q ridiculous position.
One littin district in Michigan, Brush
Columbia or some other obscure place,
can bring a strife and hunger on 800, 200
miners, Just because these little dis
tricts have some local differences they
cannot adjust. JON Mitchell is going
down to New York to ask the anthra-
cite operators for a contract, Which
he has not the power to enter into, as
the national convention has tied him
hand and foot. With these facts in
mind, when the joint convention as
semhled and the operators offered to re-
affirm the present scale, l voted for
it openly and honestly, and so con-
WINGED WAS l of the Justice of my opin-
ion that l refused to retract in the
face of ieers and revilings and threats
of bodily harm. I knew in the face Of
the resolution to tie all districts until
all have settled, nothing but a miracle
or Il complete backdoWn upon the part
of the miners woul avert a tremen-
dous strike, the end of which none can
f~oresee, but which threatens us II
Me country with terrible loss.
Others Of Same View.
I was alone in my vote, but I wa
not alone in my opinion. At the con-
vention of the American Federation Of
Labor in Pittsburg in November, l con-
suited President Mitchell and w. D.
Ryan. and they both told me they
would be satisfied with a renewal Of
the present agreement, but that we
fought to demand ar advance as a
matter of policy.
LATER consulted President Has
kins Of the Ohio miners; he told me
the same thing. After Haskins had
relieved of all responsibility, he advo-
Gated a deman of 10 per cent. increase
in wages in his annual address. but
the convention of Ohio miners refused
to irdorse his position. Is this fact
not significant?
Let us be honest about these things.
Our wages have been increased more
than 100 per cent, and our hours of
labor have decreased from ten to eight
hours since 1897. Is it right under
this Ryan resolution to jeopardize all
these things? And let me tell you, the
l1llTSFS OIL lllS country nLFG never won
q prominent soft coal strike under the
direction of President Mitchell. Mark
Hanna settled the first strike for US
and President Roosevelt settled the
second. Nobody' has settled our big
soft coal strikes, because we have lost
them. President Mitchelrs big soft
coal strike was in the southwest. 1t
lasted eighteen months and ended in
utter failure. Hundreds OF good men
were victimized. The second big soft
coal strike vas in Maryland. where
our people Of the entire state were ut
terly defeated. His other disastrous
soft coal strike was in Kentucky, where
,ur people We're beaten.
Union Wiped Out.
In Colorado, where the organization.
spent over $500. 900, our union was
wiped OFF the face of the earth; in
West Virginia central district we were
defeated; in the Cabin Creek district
in West Virginia, where the organiza-
ton spent 5000. 900, we lost; in the
Meyersdale region we spent $500, 900
and were defeated.
At the present time we have q strike
Of 5000 miners in Alabama, which has
been on for nineteen months They are
striking against a 10 per cent. reduc-
ton. Under the Ryan resolution, which
says all districts must get 1917 per
cent. advance over the present scale
the Alabama operators viii have to
withdraw their deman for a 10 per
cent. reduction give the 1919 per
cent. advance, or a total difference of
22;. per cent. before any other dis
trict in the country can settle. How is
this TO be brought about?
The Pittsburg district has been crit
icised because it has not more thar
9S, 900 members. President Mitchell is
as much at fault as any living man. He
refuses to help us. He came into the
non-Inion Irwin district at the very
height of his popularity and widely adj
v~crtiscd two meetings. At one he had
fifteen men, and ut the other we ad-
journcd because there was not any
body there. When Mitchell cant get
a meeting, what can a fellow like me
do?
[ have been in the trades union
movement for thirty-five years in
Scotland and America. I have sat AT
the feet OF the greatest labor leaders
the world has yer known, including
the great Alexander Mcdonald. From
boyhuod l earned hat it is a leaders
duty to tell his people, not what they
would like to hear, but what they
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