The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-19
cRrrIclsEs MITCHELL.
Di.trIct President Says He Does Not
 NsTeasure Up to Hts JOb.S

l ~MeM@uEG up NO bk@ So@s Pfttsburg. Pa, Feb. 1S.-In state
 ment he made public tonight, President Dolan of the local district United Mine Markers of America. scores the meth | ods of John Mitchell. National Presl- l dent of the Mine Workers, and charges | him with trying to shirk the responsi- bility for the position In which the
 mine workers are at present
 The statement says;
 'President Mitchell is trying 10 shirk the responsibility of the mess no | has gotten the miners of this country
 into by saying that l am evidently try l ing to divide the miners forces. l am not I am trying to save the miners | from the dangers which threaten them because of Mitchell's lack of courage. | Mitchell got started wrong in the joint convention and did not have the cour- age and common sense to make a tenn porary retreat when he saw he was
 worsted and should take up tho nght ! along other lines.
 "IJe led the argument for the miners by demanding an advance In wages on | the claim that prices of coal were | higher at that time than they were two years ago. The operators imme- | dlateiy took him at his word and off, | fered to bring In the books of all the companies In the country. large tnd l small and have them examined if the
 miners would agree to take reduction | if the price was shown to be lower; the ! operatods to pay an advance # the price were shown to be higher.
 When Robbins asked Mitchell to ac- cent that offer. Mitchell never let on he heard the question. Robbins re-
 peated the question a half dozen times and Mitchell sat staring into space. | Robbins appealed to the chair ana the chair ruled that Mitchell ought 10 |
 arose and said: T decline to answer
 the question" From that time on our
 cake was dough. The operators had
 us whipped from that moment
 When Mitchell saw what mess nc was fin he thought he would scare tnS operators by the threat or q ,Ias haSiOnS. a',. strike, but the operators called CUT bluff. After this blunder Of Mltcheli
 wa were in nice shape to ask the pup" lilo 10 allow us to shut on their coal shut down the railroads ana stop the
 mills and factories and then nave the
 newspapers make puollc sen htlulenI ioI
 us by telling everybody how just our
 @Erom the time Mitchell made that first thunder he went from bad to
 worse until the Ryan resolution made our situation hopeless and wo came ! off without an agreement.
 Mitchell has always lacked courage. | He Is more careful or his own repu- i tation as a successful leader than he i is of the intei ests of his people. Two
 years ago, when the operators whip | ned him Into line for reduction. he | disappeared from the convention with an attack of what he called nervous ] prostratIon And after he got out of ! the Turkish bath he made all the min
 CTS leaders fight to have the delegates
 accept the reduction before he would l do so
 Mitchell says I have always been
 unfriendly to his administration.
 have not, although he has always fought me. had the galr to be e
 candidate for national vice president against him in 1898 and he never for gave me. l have leters in my desk to lprove that he sent organizers into his