The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1910-01-21
THE STRIKE
A FAILURE

Indianapolis, Jan. 2O-"The appli-
cation of common sense should be the
basis OF the new method of promoting
Industrial peace in the mining reg
iOns," according to the annual report
of President Thomas l.. Lewis, of the
United Mine Workers of America, at
the convention of The miners organ
ization.
With this as a keynote. the report
continued. Mr.. Lewis saying: The
strike as a method of organizing has
not proven a success. The enormous
expenditure of funds and the tremen-
dous waste of energy incident to in
dustrial strife should be avoided. Our
right To strike can never be surrend-
resource and every other means ex-
hausted before a suspension of work
is ordered or takes place.
a large number of the miners are
anxious and ready to organize, but
lack of confidence in our ability to
succeed causes them to be Indifferent.
Many of the operators are really not
opposed to the organization, but are
skeptical of our object. and fear the
result. Let us appeal to the intelli-
Scnct OF lnG operator anu miner III
the non-union districts. Perfect frank
ness in stating our position and sin
cerity in carrying into effect our de-
clarations, will do much to establish
that confidence necessary to success"
Toucaing the right of NINE workers
to organize President Lewis said:
1t has been stated and rep aated ma
ny times that labor unions are here
to stay. Let US put ourselves on rec
ord in the most positive manner. that
So long as one employer insists on
the right to combine with other EN-
ployers 20 develop industry, accumu-
late wealth and buy labor at the very
cheapest possible rate, just that long
will the mine workers insist ON the
right to organize with his fellow mine
worker, to dictate the terms upon
which We will sell our labor.
Notwithstanding the tremendous
impulse given to every movement
through unity of purpose. there are
some men among employers of labor
and controllers of finance, who would
deny that unity of action among la
boring people, that they. themselves,
exercise in their everyday affairs.
They cry down organized effort among
the laboring people under the false a
larn of encroachment on individual
liberty They arrogate to themselves
to organized capital under the sacred
name of vested rights The time is
at hand to bring forcibly to the atten-
tion of this class of people that in an
area OF concerted effort. such as We
have there is no such thing as indi-
vidual liberty among working people.
if We are denied the right to cooper
ate with each other to better our con
dition and secure brighter future.
Capital and labor should cooperate
and work together: but if there must
pc a struggle between dollars and men
taen men should and must be trium-
phaEt."
President Lewis declared that an
important problem before the organ
ization was how to organize the mine
workers in the non-union mining dis
tricts, He said:
South and east of the Ohio river in
the states of Maryland. West Virgi-
MIA, Kentucky. Tennessee and Alaba-
ma, nearly 10000 mineworkers are
employed. OF this number, but a
small per cent. of the total are organ
lLtu, anu v Aietl IL NhuG vi NhC SNoeSc
named also implies TO a large sec
ton of the bituminous and anthra-
cite districts of Pennsylvania as well
as Colorado. Costly and unsuccessful
efforts have been made to organize
these districts through the medium of
strikes. The amount spent for aid
alone in support of strikes in the
states of Maryland. West Virginia.
Kentucky. Tennessee, Alabama and
Colorado since the year 1900. amounts
to nearly three million dollars, and to
this large sum should be added the
amoun, of money spent to maintain a
number of organizers in those dis
tricts."
In denying a widespread belief that
the mine workers seek to organize in
the states named to curtail the ship
-nent of coal west, President Lewis
said: 1--WE should declare in most
emphatic manner that IL Is not our
purpose to organize the non-union