Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-26


the labor question. And when you touch some phase
~ this question you do find immediate and expert re-
Spouse Ask your questions what you will bout sta.
tiscs, history, present day conditions hun an facts
all have answers and complete, carefully ught out
answers in that spendidly furnished ment al store
house, the mind OF tho head OF the Mine workers
union.
Has Forgotten Himself
For the personal history--and It u at which
really the quarry-tho questions must he more
carefully framed, for courteous and kindly as he is
the president. apparently, is absorbed his work
chat he has forgotten himself and is quite comfort
able when talking about himself
There's little woman home" he SUI led she
would tell YOU all about that"
Home, be II known, is Bridgeport, o. President
Lewis headquarters are Indianapolis ana his field
of work the United States butand he says it cheer
fully and unConsciousyhs always tries t. arrange
it that he home when starting out II return
ing from these trips"
His family includes. beside the little wol an" Two
daughters of whom the miners head is We proud
and also young sister-in-lsw who ia real mem
Der Of the family The elder of the ghters is
16 years of age and Just year Of being sweet
girl graduate" from the high school
But there really much so very much to be
said about the mine workers that only Gin use could
be given of the family life of this busy man
That he is busy man, the day in Ona ia would
show. Asked If this typical of all his days he
smiled To-day? OH This has not been ,usy day
have had more time today, than often"
Thine to yoursef?"
He smiled again and shook his head Well no.
Not to myself. I've been talking with people all the
time of course. But since my talk this morning I've
had nothing that had to give all my thought to-"
Problems Of the Mine Workers.
Just then the inquisitor did not vagu " rea-
lie what the myriad problems whose ,ution
made the other days more strenuous. The me e out
slider had not even begun realize what it IN, ans to
be the president of the United Mine Workers OF
America. DO you realize? Do you know in ia, t. any
thing about what it really is these are CHUNG
for? Have you ever stopped to question you own
ideas the matter?
The president it seems, is of little lther'
to the 10000 members-there that many laid-up
membershipsand when there is trouble in any of the
family groups, he goes to stralghen things ou. But
that isn't ALL All the time there the fight bring
the things the union stands for the miners OF the
country. Already the United Mine Workers
for 100000 of the miners but there are 100000 mine
workers in this country and they sometime all
to be included in the great family.
Succnctly, the president stated the objecC and
method of the union work 1t characterize that
he did this slowly carefully and with the look of
who is surveying great field of experience and select
ing what the listener will understand and whf & also.
will make true picture The instruments of work he
gave in this order, Agitation organization,
tom" to be used to obtain results"hgher stand
ard of less hours of labor increased efficiency
of the worker, American standard OF living, ideal
homes and a higher standard of citizenship"
"And obtaining these results witt these
means" His voice made the sentence mean also This
isn't theory; it's what we doing nd get
ting results"
when you realize that the people whom work
include those of many nations-twenty different
languages are spoken among them-you see tlat one
of difficulties is to harmonic these differ mt ee
ments of human nature. Also have to ha, monte
different religious elements But this is . much
of factor of opposition it several yes ago.
Then we have to contend with the prejudice Of en-
ployers who fear that miners want take
charge of their business. -
zone of greatest obstacles to the SUI cess Of
miners organization is the lack of knowl dye Of
the American people to the character and dangers
Of occupation. Many years when first
to take active part in the labor movement, miners
were not looked with that degree of respect that
they able to compel the American pet pie to
accord them. This is the result of organization
Why the Union is Dangerous"
The president admits that labor unions are anger
ous-'Dangerous because they are educatiyg the
worker to claim his rights worker Danger Gus to
the employer who is not willing to recognize the
human rights of his workers" He also charac er,zes
the whole problem of adjustment, the diust-
ment of rewards to work. the just apportionn Of
profits among the profit winners" and in doing his he
emphasizes the word just and himself exempl.des it
in his illustrations.
For twenty-one years. the president has Teen
member of the United Mine Workers of America He
was a charter member. For three years he has been
their president and for the preceding ya rs he
was their vice president For twenty years worked
in the coal mines, and it is when his memory is di-
rected to the incidents twenty years thet you
see his fighting expression. of these memories
responsible too for the vigor of his advocacy OF
child-abor laws.
One of those memories has affected his public
ssreer in another The story belongs ne de-
batting society at which the young miners of sha vance,
o. sharpened their forensic abilities-subrosa since
all such meetings had to be then. Sxteenyear-old
Tom Lewis was much interested in the debates and
talks. Furthermore he fired with an ambition to
carry off the honOrs the clubs public meeting con-