The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-30
HOW THE WEST
DEALS WITH UNIONS
Battle Fought at GoIdlieId and
TOnopah by One
Man.
HE WAGED WAR AGAINST
A TYRANNlCAL BODY
American Federation of Labor
Came to Rescue in Fight
Against |. W. W.

IIndlcY {. Branson, young edlUoT,
arrived from Nome when the "union
was in the full flower of its dominion,
feared and deferred TO by all classes,
and started two daily newspapers, the
Touopah Sun and the Gold6eld Sun.
He has successfully edited several min
ing camp dailies in Alaska, says Bar
ton W. Curre in Harper Weekly, lie
is quiet forceful young mau who
does things without any buster. There
are few men today who know so thor
oughly the psychology of mining
camp.
Several weeks after he began TO get
out his papers Joseph Smith, tho walk
ing delegate of the l. W. w, called on
him and told him that his printers
pressmen. devils, and whoever else he
employed would have to JON the
Hunion - Brauson said he would look
into 1T. He did. Smith came back
expecting Il cringing submission to hIS
"polite Command. - He was staggered
when the editor said TO him: My men
will not Join the I. w. ", They do
not believe in the Debs hash of social
members of the American Federation.
! will have something to say about yonr
organization in few days. The
walking delegate retorted that requests
to loin the union were never dlsoDcN-
ed by prudent men. Prudent men were
those who wished TO remain III the
desert and not be buried there. HIS
storm of threats subsidized very sudden
lv when the Young editor drew from his
Jacket pocket two short ,barrelled "A s
and spread them unostcntatiously but
Significantly on the top of his desk Exit
the walking delegate.
The organization had power enough
then 10 persuade every mcrchant, trades
man, broker, wildcatter and even many
minc operators to refuse any adver-
tiSements to his papers. Even the news
brokers clerks, shop clerks, stcnog-
raphers, young and old Of every en-
ployment, were members of the ]. w.
W. then It was commonly said that
they became members through the
fear of God y established by the
''union. - The miners were in the
same plight, though they feebly pro
claimed that they had a union of their
own distinct from the |. ". w. and
local of the Western Federation of Min
erS.
This Clear of God - Branson proved
a miserable superstition that foundereo
utterly when man of initiative and
uncommon pluck challenged it. He
demonstrated that the bad men and des-
perate characters of the "union - were
contemplate cravcns. and he branded
them in his headlines as "Curs,"
"' 'Scoundrels,' - tAssassins, "Chcap
Skates, - - Low .browcd Thugs, ''' Cow
ards, - and "Snealing Murderers. -
That he found men with the courage to
set the type was considered as remark
able as his own dauntcss front.
When IT. came TO the disciplining of
IA man who could shoot with both hands
without taking them out of his pockets
or apparently moving a muscle the |.
w. w. leaders were revealed III their
true light. One attempt was made TO
kill him and only cone. lie sought out
the man who had shot at him from
behind a shed and made him 60 down
on his knees TO him i'll front of the /.
w. w. headquarters and beg for mercy.
Dozens of workers - looked on In sui
len silence.
BY this time Branson had the back
ing of such noted un-fghters as George
Wingfield and Diamond-fcld Jack Da
Wis. These two millionaire mine own
ers had volunteered their services as
his ncwsboys. They distributed his
boycottcd papers III spectacular fash
rels of IA caibre revolvcrs and taking
them from the shottcd files to haud to
purchasers. No "workerp had the TIC.
merity to disturb these newsboys.
Then Branson, Wingtield, Davis aud
United States Senator George 5. Nixon
organized their protective association
and declared q counter-boycott upon the
boycottiug union. The hundreds of
miners who had been bulled into jon-
ing the outlaw union were notified that
the mines woulN thereafter be closed to
|. w. w. men. When the miners re-
fused 10 do this the mines were closed,
and finally they were starved out of the
Debs organization.
Leaders of the American Federation
of Labor were brought to the camp,
who, under the protection of the Mine
Owners and Business Men s Protective
Association, organized the separate
trades out of the l. w. W., until at
last there were no ''workers' left who
had any distinctive calling recognized
by the American Federation.