The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-08-10
Newspaper Statements of Ending
of the Strike on the Mesaba
Range Are Not Borne Out BY
the Facts-Thousands Are Idle.
A Number of Miners Are Arrested
at Hibbing on One Charge and
Are Being Tried. on Another
Peace Officers Still Intimidate.
They Are Making Socialists Every
Day on the Range by Over Zeal
Gus Peace Officers Aiding Steel
Trust to Break Strike.

From newspaper reports one Is led
to believe that the strike on the iron
ranges is about over. One OF our
dailies intimates in closing the matter
that the strikers are poor losers.
A talk with officials Of the Western
Federation of Miners would indicate
that the men are as determined today
as when they first went ou:. Deputy
Sheriff Magic in an interview with the
Labor World, says that there are from
1000 to 5000 idle men about Hibbing
alone. Petriella says that the mines
are being worked with less than 10
per cent. Of their usual crews.
The papers haven't much to write
about the strike, because there is no
violence, and the only good news" for
sensational newspapers is when they
can elaborate on violation Of law or
supposed disorder. They did keep It
warm in Duluth for two weeks with
fire eating" stories Of crime on the
ranges. but the goods weren't deliv-
cred, and their news bureaus petered
out.
Strike leaders say that there are
just as many idle men on the range
now as there were during, what the
papers called the hottest days Of the
strike. Men who can draw their pay,
holds Petriella, are leaving the range
in great numbers, and are finding en-
ployment elsewhere.
A number of strikers wer. arrested
this week at Hibbing, charged with
intimidation. When the men were
hrNnohf IN ri al y,f
sprung on them, charging the men
with attempting to provoke riot. They
may be guilty. Our judgment as to
this will be held until we shall have
heard the evidence. However, the
manner Of their arrest, the bitterness
of the peace officers against the strike,
and the manifestly biased attitude Of
the court, would lead one to believe
thata q peculiar brand OF unSavory Jsfs-;
tice is to be dealt out. FSr <-
We talked with one Of the deputy
sheriff's this week, and We argued with
him on some phases Of the strike. He
was most bitter against the miners,
although when driven to a corner he
was forced to admit that they were
much better behaved than he had at
first expected. When he was asked to
specify violations Of law on the part
Of the strikers, the only one he could
mention was that of intimidation.
When asked what he meant by intimi-
dation, he said, marching in great
badies to show their strength"
So this Is the awful crime with
Ihick'' the miners are charged, and
Ais is the kind of law which is being
violated? The employers definition of
intimidation Is. coaxing, imploring, ap-
pealing or asking one workingman by
another workingman to Join with him
in a cause for the betterment Of their
mutual working conditions.
We didn't hear our deputy sheriff
say one word in criticism Of the action
of the Steel corporation during the
strike. The burden of his argument
was against the miners, and after we
left him we could not help but think
that there was some truth in the
charge Of the strikers that the peace
officers were in league with the prop
erty interests on the range.
When a workingman acts within his
rights, and keeps within the law in an
attempt to improve his working condi-
tions, and when he observes that the
officers of the law are used to coerce