New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-12

II
President Patrick Dolan Of the Pittsburs dis
trict cf the United Mine Workers OF America,
from Pittsbarg yesterday sent the following
statement OF his position to The Tribune:
Because have been severely criticised for
voting in the Indianapolis joint convention
against a strike and for a reafiirmat ton OF the
present wage scale. il is due my constituents, as
well as the miners Of the entire country and the
general public that I should explain fully why
took that position
In the joint scale committee before the matter
was submitted 10 the joint convention, the Hi
nois miners and operators got into deadlock
over the shot hrers' bill The operators of III
nois stated positively that they would never sign
any agreement which did compel the miners
To pay the wages of the shot firers. President
Perry of the Illinois miners Immediately replied
that there would not he any agreement II that
were the case. the HIiuOis miners would never
agree 10 allow such a provision to 90 into the
scale. This one local issue in the State of Illi-
nOts, therefore. prevented further progress on
the scale in the scale committee. and were
forced To report to the convention without al
agreement.
As soon as the miners officials OF The state oe
Illinois saw that they could not get an agree
ment on local issues in their own state. Secre-
tary-TredSUreT ". ID. Ryan. of the Illinois min
ers presented a resolution in the miners cOnven-
ton, declaring that district in the United
states would Be permitted 10 make a settlement
unless they all settled at time. This resolu-
tton was passed. 1 voted against it and tried 20
talk against 1t. but 1 was Kissed and hOoted
down.
\ RIDICULOUS POSITION
This resolution puts the miners of this cOuntry-,
IN IN RIDICULOUS position one little district in
Michigan, British Columbia or some other OH
scure place can bring strife and woe and hunger
on SIX hundred thousand miners lust becaIIsa
that little district has some local difference
it cannot adjust. John Mitchell is going down
10 New York to ask the anthracite ODerat0 for
a contract, which he has not the power To enter,
INTO, as the national convention has tied him
hand and foot.
In
Venton reassembled and the operators offered 10
reaffirm the present scale / voted for i; honestly
ttce of my opinion that I refused to retracr in
the face Of jeers and revlingS aud threats oF
bodily harm. I know that i'm the face of ths
resolution 10 tie all districts until all have set
tied nothing but miracle or a complete back
uoWh upon the part OF the miners would avert
d Ireh-tldouS strike, the end OF which none can
fOresee. but which threatens us and the country
with terrible loss.
L was alone in my vote but was not alone
in my opinion At the convention of the Ataeri-
can Federation of Labor In Pittsburg IN Novcu-
Ryan. and they both told me they would he .4t-
isfied with renewal of the present agreement
but that we ought to demand an advance as a
Later I consulted President EasIfns OF tha
Ohio miners: he told me the same thing After
was relieved of all responsibility he advoaatasl a.
: demand OF 10 cent Increase In wages IN itiss
miners refused to indorse his position Is this
fact not significant
SAYS MITCHELL LOST STRIKES
The miners of this country have never won a
prominent soft coal strike under the direction
of President Mitchell Mark Hanna settled ina
Roosevelt settled the second. Nobody has settled
our big soft coal strikes. because We have lost
them President AIitcheIIs first big soft ccaI
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 was in Maryland, where our peo-
pie OF the entire State utterly defeated.
His other disastrous soft coal strike was in Ken
tueky. where our people were beaten
In Colorado. where the organization spent over
100000, our union wiped OFF the face o.
the earth; in the West Virginia Central District
we were defeated; in The Cabin Greek district. in
West Virginia. where the organization spent
S3O0O00. we lost; in the Meyersdale region
spent S4OOOOO and were defeated
ASKS PERTINENT QUESTION
At the present time we have a strike of eight
thousand miners in Alabama, which has been
ON for nineteen months. They striking
against a ten per cent reduction. Under the
Ryan resolution. which says tf1t all districts
must get a 12l per cent advance over the pres
scale the Alabama operators wiz have 10 with
draw their demand FOR 10 per cent reduction
and give the 12l., per cent aGy1nCe. a total
of 221 per cent. before any other district in
country can settle How is this to be brought
about?
The Pittsburg district has been criticised be-
cause il has not more than trTelty-eisht thou
sand members. President Mitchell Is much at
fault as any living man. lie refuses TO helD us.
He came into the nOn-uniOn Irwin district al
the very height of his popularity md widely adj
VertiSed two meetings. Vt one he had fifteen
men. and the other we aGioJrnad. because there
wasn't anybody there. When Mitchell can't get
a meeting. what a fello'- iilSc do?
have been in the trades union movement for
. thirty-fv years - Scotland ana America. I
have sat at the feet of the sr=atest labor leaders
I the world has known. including the gEsat
Alexander Mcdonald. From bOyhood learned
that il is a leaders duty 10 tell his people not
what they would like 10 hear but what they
should know They must be told when thev ara
in the wrong. as we'll app!auded when they
are in the right. This is my platform. and 7 am
willing TO rise and fall with il before the miners
and the public OF this country.
JOHN MITCHELL. HERE.