The daily sentinel., 1907-04-24
WAS A PECULIAR STRIKE.
While Having No Grievance the
Miners of Goldfield Had to
Strike Out of Sym
pathy.

The settlement OF the trouble in
Goldfield between the Miners and
their employees a few days ago, was
a most destructive blow to that or
ganization known as the Industrial
Workers of the World. The miners
though members of the Western
Federation of Miners were allied with
the Industrial Workers of the World.
The strike was a peculiar one in
that at no time has there been re-
fusal of the mine owners to treat
with the men, to accede to them
ANYTHING they might ask: but the
men had never asked for anything.
They have at no time had COM
plant against the mine owners.
The trouble originated with n
strike of clerks in the Goldfield
stores. The clerks were also allied
with the Industrial Workers of the
World. The employers refused to
settle with the clerks and a general
meeting of the /. W. of w, was called,
at which a majority voted for a gem
eral strike of all trades allied with
the body.
Members of other trades outnum-
bered the miners in the general body.
When the strike motion was carried
they were compelled to go out with
all other trades, though, as has been
said before they had no grievance.
The strike has been a losing one
from the start. The clerks and town
strikers, instead of gaining have lost
standing. 1t was so from the start.
The miners as a body wanted to re-
turn to work; and numerous efforts
were made by the owners to get them
to return, but they could not without
violating rules of the I. w. of W, be
cause at every meeting at which the
motion for them to return to work
was brought up members of the other
trades outnumbered them and the
motion was always lost.
Motion put before the general
body for the miners to be permitted
to withdraw and handle their griev-
ances, and to treat with the owners
as a body of miners alone, were lost
for like reasons.
A shoe clerk, a restaurant waiter.
clerk in a grocery store, clerk in
hadware sotre, a driver of an express
wagon. each had one vote, just as
did each miner. and the result was
that the shoe clerk. the grocery clerk,
the hardware clerk, the teamster,
and his fellows, having more in COM
mon and thereby voting together
against the miners, had 1t in their
power. DeCduSe OI superior nuIDDeTSs
to say what the miners should do.
Under the last settlement, this
state of affairs is materially changed
The miners will settle their own
grievances. The clerks must keep
out of the way of the miners bust
ness and attend strictly to their own
The Industrial Workers of the
World are said to be a creation of the
brain of William Haywood, who, with
other Western Federation officials,
is held in Idaho on a charge of muir
der.
1t was organized for the purpose of
succeeding the American Federation
of Labor. The two bodies have been
figh ting continuously.
The term of settlement are as fol-
lows:
First-The wage scale in effect in
the district March l, 1907. shall re-
main in force and eight hours shall
constitute days work.
Second-The Miners union shall
have jurisdiction over all regularly
employed men in and around the
mines. mills and smelters.
Third-No strike shall be declared
until all efforts have been made to
settle peacefully.
Fourth-No town labor contro-
versy shall interfere with the opera
tion of the mines or the employment
of the miners.
Fifth-These terms shall remain in
force for period of two years from
| date.