The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-01-23
FAREWELL,
MESSAGE
BY President Mitchell to the Miners
Contained in His Annual Report
Presented Loving Cup.

Indianapolis, Ind, Jan. %
Though possibly tritie wobblv in
the legs it was the same John
Mitchell of old, in broad smile
good hnmor, round face, and full
pleasing voice that raped the
nineteenth annual convention of
the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea to order yesterday. AS he sat
on the stage he seemed possessed
OF all his wonderful faculties for
presiding over men, and there
were, as long as he remained seat
ed, little evidences of his long i'll.
ness, He was warmly cheered
and presented with magnificent
loving cup by the BelleviIle IlD
local union. After presiding an
hour Mr.. Mitchell called to the
chair William Green, president of
the Ohio miners. He went tn the
rear of the hall and sat down with
the delegates and smoked. He
was i'll excellent spirits.
congressman w. b. Wilson. tho
national secretary treasurer, was at
his usual table on the stage. and
Vice President r l.. Lewis tool
ms usual seat toward the rear of
the hall as a member of the Ohio
delegation.
The delegates, about l, 900 strong
began to gather at Tomlinson Hail
as early as O'Clock, although the
convention was not to open until
10 O'Clock. The crowd for m
hour took on the earmarks of n
great, good natured family re-
union.
AS the various well-known lead
ers arrived they were surrounded
by groups of friends. Besides
Mitchell, Lewis and Wilson, w.
u. Ryan, secretary treasurer of the
Limos miners, and probably elect
ed national secretary treasurer at
the December election, was the
center of big crowd. John p.
White, president of the Iowa min
ers, who has been elected national
vice. president, also attracted a
crowd,
Among the other old well known
wheel-horses gathering under the
elaborate decorations of the hall
were Father Green" of Illinois.
with his well known little bunch
of white whiskers; w. r, Fairley
the "sly old fox,'' from Alabama:
"Pop" Lampert, who buys the
coal the men down in the Pittsburg
district dig while he covers labor
news for the Pittsburg Dispatch,
and John Fallon, the anthracite
heavyweight.
Farewell Message.
''Inasmuch as this is the last
convention to which it will be nv
privilege to submita report, trust
that you will pardon me if 1 de
part somewhat from former practi
ces and refer briefly to my personal
relationship with you and with the
organization over which 1 have felt
SO honored to preside.O
Thus in closing his last annual
address to the miners this after
noon in their national convention
in Tomlinson Hall, did John
Mitchell mark his passing as the
general of the coal miners of the
country.
upon the expiration of nv
'eiiii vi ONCE, he continued, II
shall have spent nine years and
seven months as president of the
United Mine Workers. When |
assumed the responsibility of that
position in 1898, there were fewer
than 10000 members in the union.
and only S12, 32O.72 id our treas.
ury; the miners of those states con-
shutting the central comnat;t;ro
district were but partially and i'm
perfectly organized; there was lit
tie organization west OF the Missis
slppl river, south of the Ohio river
and only few scattering locals in
all the central bituminous and the
anthracite fields of Pennsylvania.
Today, as indicated by this
report, we have more than 5000
members paying capitation tax to
the international Office, and this by
no means represents the full nu.
merical strength of our union. We
NJ