The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-12
SOUND REASON Of
DELEGATE D.0LAN.
Celebrated Miner Gives
Out Statement for
His Attitude.
--
KISSED AND iOOTED
FOR DECLARATION
District Miners President Says
He Tried to Prevent An OBJ
scure Town From Bring
ing Strife, Woe and
Hunger On
Miners.

tBy Associated Press.)

(By Associated Press.)
PlTTsBuRCi. PA, February IT,. Presi-
dent Patrick Dolan, OF the local district.
United Mine Workers OF America, whose
resignation vas demanded last week ns
the convention OF delegates from the
local union in the district, because he
voted with the operators at Indianapolis
10 maintain the present wage scaie, to-
night Issued II statement In which he
ttS.ss his reasons for SO voting. In the
Abatement, President Dolan says:
lin the joint scale committee. before
the matter WAS submitted 10 tho Joint
convention. the Illinois miners and opera
ters got into deadlock oyer the sho;
firnr's bill. The operators of Illino!s
stated positively that they would never
Sign any agreement which did not coul-
pei the miners TO pay the wages of the
shot flrcrs.
president Perry, Of the Illinois miners.
Immediately replied that there would not
be any agreement Il that were the case.
~ the Illinois miners would never agree
10 allow siIch a 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 Com
nitsec. and VIC were forced to report to
the convention without an agreement.
Kissed and Hooted Down.
f'-ss soon as the miners officials of the
:jutEe OF Illinois saw that they could not
get an agreement on local issues in their
own State. Secretary Treasurer w. d.
Ryan, OF the Illinois miners. presented a
resolution In the miners convention, de-
clh,-ing that no district in the United
States would be permitted to make a
settlement unless they all settled at one
rI,..f, S,,us- Il
voted. against it and tried to talk agains,
IL. but was Kissed and booted down.
This resolution puts the miners Of this
Country IN % ridiculous position. One
little district In Michigan. BEiushs Coltna-
bia OR some other obscure place can
bring strife and Voc and hunger ON.
500 900 miners, just becatse these little
districts have some local differences they
cannot adjust
''Iohn Mitchell is going down to Ne"
York 10 ask the anthracite operators
for n contract, which he has not the
power to enter into as the national con
vention has tied him hand and foot
with these facts In mind. when the
1oint convention rcassembled and the
operators offered To rcaffirnl the present
scale ] voted for II openly and honestly.
and SO convinced was of the Justice OF
my opinion, that l refused to retract In
of bodily harm. l know in the face of the
resolution to tie all districts until they
have settled. that nothing but a miracle
or a complete back-dowp upon the part
of the miners. would avert a tremendous
strike. the end of which none can fore
see but which threatens us and the coun-
try with terrible loss.
Alone in Vote; Not in Opinion.
II, was alone in my vote, but was
not alone in my opinion. AT the, conven-
tiGn of American Federation of Labor IN
rittsburg in November. l consulted Presi-
dent Mitchell and VI. ID. Ryan. and they
both told me they. would be satisfied with
a renewal of the present agreement, but
that VIC ought TO demand advance ms n
matter OF policy,
Later | consulted President Haskins.
of tho Ohio miners. He told me the same
thing. After Haskins had been defeated
for rn-election and was relisyed OF all
responsibility. he advocated a demand of
ten per cent increase in wages insf his
annual address. but the convention aIof
Ohio miners refused to endorse his posi-
tinn. Is this fact not significant? gs4
LET us be honest about these things.
Our wages have been Increased more than
100 per cent, and our hours of labor have
been 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 miners Of this
country have never won prominent
soft coal strike under the direction of
president MITCHELL
AT the present timn We have a strike
Of 5000 miners in Alabama, which has
heen on for nineteen months. They are
striking against-a-ten per cent. reduction.
Under tho Ryan resolution, which says
al districts must get twelve and q half
HDr cent advance over the present scale,
the Alabama operators will have to with
draw their demand for a ten per cent.
reduction and give the twelve and n halt
per cent. or a total difference of twenty
two and a half per cent. before any other
district in the country can settle. How
Is this to be brought about?
Mitchell Refuses to Help.
The Pittsburg district has been criti-
clsed because it. las not more than
5000 mernbe1s. President Mitchell is
as much at fault MS any living man. He
refuses to help us.
IT have been In the trades union move.
nlant for thlrty-flye years In Scotland anG
America. / have sat at tho feet Of the
greatest labor leaders the world has evel
known. Including the great Alexander Nc
Donald From boyhool I learned that Il
is a leaders, duty to tell his people, not
what they would like 70 near, but whnl
they should know. They must be told
when they are in the wrong, as we'll as
enplnuded when they are in the right.
This Is my platform, and | am willing to
rise and fall with 1t before the miners
and tho public of this country,
{ Il ------------ AZ s38
rEa.,,,,o,-+l, Much Trr1nrnved. .6