Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-12
DOLAN ANSWERS CRITICS
Tells Why he Voted as He Did in the
Mine Workers Convention.
HOPED TO AVOID DISASTROUS STRIKE
of Illinois Miners, lie says,
WouId Involve six Hundred Thou
sand Men in n Needless and
Expensive struggle.

PITTsBURG. Feb. 11.-President Patrick
Dolan Of the local district United Mine
Workers of America, whose resignation was
demanded last week at the convention of
delegates from the local union in the dis
trct because he voted with the operators at
indianapolis to maintain the present wage
scale, tonight issued statement in which
he gives his reasons for so voting. In the
statement President Dolan says:
In the joint scale committee before the
matter was submitted to the Joint couven-
ton, Illinois miners and operators got into
a deadlock over the shotnrcrs bill Tho
operators of Illinois stated positively that
they would never sign any agreement which
dld not compel the miners to pay the wages
of shotfirers. President Perry of the lli-
nols miners Immediately replied that there
would not he any agreement If that were
the case, as the Illinois miners would never
agree to allow such a provision to go into
OF illinois, therefore, prevented further
progress on the scale in the scale commit
tee and we were forced to report TO the con
Nention without an agreement.
As soon as the miners officials Of the
state OF Illinois saw that they could not get
state Secretary-Treasurer w. u. Ryan OF
the Illinois miners presented a resolution
IN the miners convention declaring that no
district in the United States would be per-
mitted to make a settlement unless they all
settled at one time Then this resolution
was passed voted against it and tried to
Z
down.
situation is Peculiar.
This resolution puts the miners of this
country in a ridiculous position ono little
district in Michigan, British Columbia or
some other obscure place, can bring strife
and woe and hunger on 5000 miners just
because these little districts have some
local difference they cannot adjust. John
Mitchell is going down to New York to
ask the anthracite operators for con-
tract which he has not the power to cnter
! into. as the national convention has tieu
| him hand aud foot. With these facts M
mind, when the joint convention reassom-
! bled and tho operators offered to reafilrm
| the present scale, | voted for ii openly
! and honestly and so convinced was / Of
| the justice of my opinion that | refused 10
rctract in tho face of ieers and rcviings
! and threats Of bodily harm. l knew in tho
| face of the resolution to tic all dis
tricts until all have settled, that nothing
1 but a miracle or complete hackdowu
! upon the part Of the miners would avert
a tremendous strike, the end of which none
can forcsec, but which threatens us and
the country with terrible loss.
Results of Strikes.
| Let us be honest about these things. Our
wages have been increased more rhan 100
| per cent and our hours Ot labor nave been
| decreased from ten to eight hours since
! 1891. is it right under TINS resolution TO
| tell you the miners OF tnis country have
never won a prominent soft coal strike
under the direction of President Mitcnell
strike for us and President Roosevelt set
! tied the second. Nobody has settled our
| big soft coal strikes, because we have lost
| them. President Mitchell's first big soft
coal strike was in the southwest. 1t lasted
| eighteen months and ended in utter failure.
/ Hundreds of good men were Vtctimized.
| Tho second big soft coal strike was IN
Maryland. MheTe- our people ot-thf entire
state were utterly defeated. His other dis
| astrous soft coal strike was in Kentucky,
where our people were beaten.
| In Colorado. where the organization spent
! over $500 coo, 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
organization spent $4,000, we lost; in the
| Meyersdale region we spent 100000 and
| were defeated.
AT the present time we have strike
| of 5000 miners in Alabama, which has
| been on for nineteen months. They are
| striking against 10 per cent reduction.
Under the Ryan resolution which says
| over the present scale the Alabama ope-
| rators will have to withdraw their demand
! for a 10 per cent reduction and give the
| 12h per cent advance, or total difference
| OF 221a per cent, before any other district
i'm the country can settle. How is this to
! The Pittsburg district has been criti-
cised because II has not more than 2S,OC
| members. President Mitchell is much
at fault as any living man. He refuses
to help us. He came into the nonunion
Irwin district at the very height Of his
/ popularity and widely advertised two meet
ings At one he had fifteen men and at
the other adjourned because there was
J not anybody there. When Mitchell cannot
get a meeting, what can a fellow like me
| do?
I have been in the trades union move
| ment for thirty-fve years in Scotland and
| America; | have sat at the feet of the
greatest labor leaders the world has ever
known. including the great Alexander
Mcdonald. From boyhood I learned that
II is a leaders duty 10 tell his people, not
what the.- would like TO hear, but what
they should know. They must be told
when thev are i'm the wrong well an
plauded when they are in the right. This
Is nv platform and | am willing to rise
and fall with II before the miners and the
public os this country.
NEW YORK, Feb. 1i.-John Mitchell
president of the Mine Workers OF America
arrived in this city tonight having come
direct from indianapolis, Af,-r register
ing at the Ashland house Mr.. Mitchell re
tired. He refused to say anything regard
|