The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-12-28

upon, examine the conditions in the
coal industry, and if the commissioners
decided that they lived in manner be-
fitting Americans, the miners would
go back to work, providing the oper-
ators would yield If the committee de-
cided against them. Nv. Raer thought
he had the men beaten by this time and
ignored the suggestion. Mr.. Mitchell
then modified 1t go that all he asked
was arbitration If the commission de-
cided against the operators, the miners
to so to work If the: commission decided
| against the men.
The Miners Win Again.
BY this time the whole country was
so impressed with the eminent fairness
of John Mitchells position that even
the financial interests were Crying to
Baer to come to- terms. President
Roosevelt graspeda?the opportunity to
intervene in the name Of the public,
which was paying $40 ton for coal
when it could be had at all. In response
to his invitationf Representatives Of the
Miners and operators met in the White
House. But in the PRESIDENTS presence
the operators insslsed Mr.. Mitchell.
This said one M them in substance,
'is not the time R talk of compromise
with anarchy" TSe first White House
conference was HAld on October 5.
Nine days later nbtlic clamor had be-
come so fierce thasSgaer was frightened
into accepting asSAnodfied offer from
President Roosevelt for intervention.
The result was theaAntl1racite Commits
sion. The lniners$had Won again and
the victory was nhn N1itchell's. 1t
was then that MrA Mitchell wrote his
famous lines: IN
"To my mind thH great lesson which
the coal strike han taught lis is that
the individual is Hthing, the good of
society at large iss3vervthing, and that
no man, no conbt taatlon of men. no
matter how manysaor how powerful,
whether they beld9g to capital or to
labor, can sot thSh' own interests or
their own will aEeinsl the common
good. This strike rs Taught both cap
Ii itai and labor' thai they owe. certain
obligations to societA. and that these
obligations must be discharged in good
faith. If both are fair and concilatory
If both recognize the moral restraint OF
the state of society by which they are
surrounded, there need be few strikes
Public Final Judge of All Contests.
"The final Judge Of all social con-
tests, whether wars or strikes, is the
public, though sometimes it takes long
for the verdict to be rendered But
the verdict when rendered is right, and
the contest has usually proved enlight-
ening, evil as 1t is in itself. People will
always, unless human nature changes
reserve the right, in final emergencies
to fight. But, as war is the last resort
of nations, so the strike and the lock-
out should be only the last resort OF
labor and capital
LawIessness Never Won Strike.
} No man has been more positive thar
Mr.. Mitchell in his condemnation OF
violence as an aid to strikes. Before
, the Anthracite Commission in 1903, he
said in speecht Il want to say, too
J as to the matter of lawlessness, that be-
, fore being president of a union / All
} over and above everything else ar
. American. / believe that every minel
should first be an American. There il
} no man connected with the organization
who would condemn lawlessness more
; strongly than ] would. If I did MOI
! do it because l was opposed to lawless'
ness, 1 would do il because 1t militate'
: against the success of strike snt
, against the success and advancement
of the organization. do not believe
laWlessness ever won a strike. l d.
not believe lawlessness to any grea
) extent deters men from working. Al
| have said many times, have an a.bid
J ing faith in the American people.
believe that when they understand I
| cause to be right they will support It
and without the support Of the peopl
. no great movement can succeed. Thi
} is true of a strike. If the people Of tn
country are not in sympathy with 1t,
must fail, and am sure that the sym
pathy Of the people will never be wit
those who violate the law"
. The full measure Of Mr. Mitchell
, triumph as a leader did not come unit
in 1906, when the three year agreement
J based on the award OF the strike com
mission, came to an end. The operator
maintained all along that they hs
never recognized the union and tina
: they would not treat with It, Now the
offered to renew the conditions Of tn
! award, but refused any dealings wit