The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1911-07-21
WESTERN MINERS AGREE TO AS.
sEss MEMBERS TO MEET
COST OF DEFENSE.
STRIKE IDEA IS OPPOSED
Plan Of Some Of the Delegates to Call
for General Strike on Day of Trial
and to Force the Government to
Free Alleged Dynamiters Beaten by
Close Vote.

Butte, July Gothic session of the
convention of the Western Federation
of Miners at the Auditorium today
proved to he warm one as regards |
heated discussions. 1t was probably |
as interesting session as will be |
held by the convention. The proposal |
to declare general strike i'm this
country and Canada on the day of the
trial of the Mcnamara brothers opens
in Los Angeles was voted down, .l72
To 12i. after n number of spirited
speeches on both sides or the question
and the discussion Of the question Of
the assessment for the Mcnamara
defense fund was almost as spirited.
1t was finally voted to levy an as
sessmcnt Of % cents on each member
monthly, the assessments to continue
as long as the executive board of the
union deemed the money was neces-
sary for the purpose OF the defense
fund.
Would Call Strike.
The special committee to which the
Mcnamara matter was referred con-
sisting of Thomas NJ. Dee Anaconda;
j. G. Drscol1, Butte; Mike Hennessy,
Butte: William Goggins, Wallace;
Berry Knutson, Pony; NJ. and Lew
Bartels. Ouray, reported this morning
I'm favor of calling a general strike
throughout the United States and
Canada on the day the trial of the
officials of the structural steel work.
ers Is called in Los Angeles II the
American Federation of Labor should
see fit to call such strike. There
was also an expression by the com
mittec In favor of levying an ASSESS
ment Of 25 cents a member as a de-
fense fund for the McNamaras. 1t
was also recommended that protest
ing mass meetings be called through
out this country and Canada.
Thomas Campbell of Millers. New,
moved as an amendment to the
recommendation of the committee that
reference to the American Federation
be eliminated and that the Western
Federation declare for u general strike
and urge that other organizations take
similar action in the matter. This
motion was favored by John Peura of
the Butte Miners union.
The Debate.
Frank Curran of Butte declared that
he did not believe President Samuel
Gompers of the American Federation
would do anything in the matter un-
less 1t was put right up to him"
and the speaker believed the radical
step proposed should be taken by the
Western Federation for that reason.
william Wilkinson of Cooper union
No. 30, spoke very forcibly on the
question several times He urged that
no prejudice against Mr.. Gompers or
the American Federation should in
fluence any delegate. IT was declared
that any man who would attempt
TO cast odlum upon any labor organ
ization did not have good heart
humping against his ribs. Delegate
Williamson declared that there must
not be dissenslon, but union of ef-
fort on the part OF all labor organ
ization to break up "a solidly-organ-
ized power that he declared was con-
stantly plotting to perseeute labor
leaders.
"If general strike is declared
7 declared Delegate Wilkinson, I'VE VIII
be scaIbbed on from the Atlantic tf
the Pacific and the government and
military will soon compel us to Ri
out the lumber for our cofflns. Lee
that trial go on on its merits ant
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