The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-19
JOHN MITCHELL
SCORED BY DOLAN
President of the United Mine Work
ers Accused Of Trying to
Shirk Responsibility.
OPERATORS ARE UPHELD
FIRST GLASS ROW AMONG THE
UNION MINERS.

Pittsburg, Pa, Feb. 1S.-In a state
ment he made public tonight, President
Dolan Of the local district, United Mine
Workers Of America, scores the meth
DDS OF John Mitchell, national president
Of the Mine Workers, and charges him
with trying to shirk the responsibility
for the position in which the mine
workers are in at present. Dolan also
accuses Mitchell with playing to the
galleries. by threatening the operators
with national strike, but that the ''op-
orators called the bluff Mitchell is
further charged with sending organ
izers into the local field to defeat Dolan,
and that money belonging to the or
ganization was used
Accused of Sinking.
The statement says:
President Mitchell is trying to shirk
the responsibility Of the mess he has
gotten the miners of this country into
by saying that I am evidently trying to
divide the miners forces. I am not. I
am trying to save the miners from the
dangers which threaten them because
of Mitchelfs lack of courage. Mitchell;
and Mitchell alone, is responsible for
the serious situation which confronts
the miners He got started wrong in
the Joint convention and did not have
the courage and common sense to make
a temporary retreat when he saw he
was worsted and should take up the
fight along otter lines.
He led the argument for the miners
by demanding an advance in wages on
the claim that prices of coal were high
er at that time than they were two
years ago. The operators Immediately
took him at his word and offered to
bring in the books Of all the companies
in the country, large and small, and
have them examined If the miners
would agree to take a reduction If the
price were shown to be lower: the op-
orators TO pay an advance il the price
was shown to be higher.
Pressed to the Wall.
"F. L. Robbins asked Mitchell to ac-
cept that offer. Mitchell never let on
he heard the question. Robbins repeat
ed the question a half dozen times, and
Mitchell sat staring into space. Rob
bins appealed TO the chair and the chair
ruled that Mitchell ought to answer the
question. Mitchell then arose and said:
I decline TO answer
From that time on our cake was
dough. Mitchell may say I am not
statement, but a man does not have to
have a college education to know when
ne is whipped, and the operators had
US whipped from that moment.
when Mitchell saw what mess he
was in he tried to scare the operators
from following up their advantage by
making radical statements and playing
to the galleries. He thought he would
scare the operators by the threat of
national strike. but the operators called
our bluff After this blunder of Mitch
ellis we were in nice shape to ask the
public to allow US to shut off their coal, /
shut down the railroads and stop the
mills and factories, and then have the
newspapers make public sentiment for
US by telling everybody how just our
cause is.
From Bad to Worse.
From the time Mitchell made that
first blunder, he went from bad to worse, |
until the Ryan resolution made our stu
alton hopeless, and we came on without /
an agreement. Mitchell has always |
lacked courage. He is more careful Of |
his own reputation as a successful lead /
er than he is of the interests Of his peO- /
pie. Never in his career has he fought 1
against the popular tide, no matter
whether it was right or wrong. Two 4
years ago, when the operators whipped /
him into line for a reduction, he disap-
peared from the convention with an at /
tack of what he called nervous prOstTa- /
ton and after he got out of the Turk /
ish bath he made all the miners lead /
ers fight to have the delegates accept /
the reduction before he would do So
Mitchell says 1 have always been I'M /
friendly to his administration. / have /
not, although he has always fought me, 1
I had the gall to be a candidate for /
national vice president against him in /
1928, and he never fOTgaye me. l have /
letters in my desk to prove that he sent /
organizers into this field and issued or
ders to spare no expense to have me /
defeated for district president in my
own field, and it was the unions mon
ey and not his own that he was willing /
to be so lavish with to vent a personal /
spite
One-Man Power.
ct has been evident for years past I
to everybody connected with the labor /
movement that Mitchell is suffering from
a common ordinary dose Of big head. /
He Is working all the time toward one
man power. and the truth OF the mat |
ter is that he is not in touch with his
own people or with the mining situation. |
have made him. The tide |
has always been In his favor unit, lately, /
and now he does not measure up to his /
lob. It takes something besides a Prince /
Albert coat and a carnatiOn in the but |
tonhoIe TO make real labor leader. It /
takes common sense and courage, and the /
man who lacks either ought to hire some /
bodv TO tell him of his shortcomings /
and retire from his Job.
(Sgned) p DOLAN.