The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-06-26
M. Nicholson In Golfers.

Nd. NICHOLSON In Conner B. r
William B. Wilson, after three days
In a Maryland Jail, emerged with a
point Of view that win help to shape
the policies Of the United States dur-
ing the next four years.
You see, William B. Wilson Is secre-
tary OF labor In President Wilson's cab
met. But In 1894 he was a leader of the
striking miners in Maryland. In the
language OF the mine owners he was
something even more reprehensible
than that. He was an y"agitator,"
trouble maker" a fellow sent in from
the outside to manufacture discomfort
and to stir up strife in q body of peace
fui, happy workingmen. As a matter
of fact, Secretary Wilson doesn't mind
being referred to as an "agitator." He
realizes that the outsider has little
chance to stir up discomfort among
workingmen unless there Is something
fundamentally wrong in the conditions
Of their labor.
He Was Abducted Once.
The fate of that Maryland strike, as
the fate Of every strike, depended up
on the quality of its leader. Always
get your able leader out Of the way and
his discouraged followers will beg peace
on any terms" The Maryland mine
O"n GTD a Ildu playNO IhC 6otAAO SlNSAA
enough to know this rule. So one fine
May morning Mr.. Wilson was invited
into the coach of a railroad train a. the
train stood waiting at the station OF
Homecoming. When the train got under
way, the future secretary of labor was
placed under arrest and later thrown
into jail at Cumberland. He was
charged with the conveniently indefl-
mite crime of conspiracy, and 1t was
several days before his friends learned
what had become of him. In the ear
time a report was circulated among the
miners that he had sold out and left
the state.
. OF course, Secretary of Labor Wilson
understands why Strike Leader Wilson
was thrown into jail. For the same rea-
son, he understands why his old com
as q military prisoner In West Virgin
ia. And he takes great pains 10 see
that President Wilson and the mem
bers Of his cabinet understand, too, so
that, In official Washington, "conspi-
racy," "inciting to riot" and "unlaw-
full assemblage" are no longer the red
rags they once were. s.l.
This means that at last American
labor has it's official spokesman at the
council table Of the president. That
was Just what Mr.. Wilson intended
when, as congressman from the Fiji
teenth, Pennsylvania district, he drew
the bill creating the office Of secretary
of labor. - ",.
AS I walked into Secretary Wilson's
office, the full meaning Of this }revolu-
ton burst upon me. 1t was as though
a skiIful c%artoonist had Visualized the
story for me. 1 had come to Washing.
ton fresh from the Paint Creek coal
field Of West Virginia, where / had
stayed with n of the miners families.
Now I looked at the serious, gray-eyed
man who sat behind the big mahogany
desk. His jaw was strong: his face at
once delicate and determined. The black
string tie and the white expanse of
shirt front showed the simple taste OF
the workingman rather than the breezy
affectation of the Washington politi-
cian..
And when MI. Wilson went to con-
gress from Blossburg he was recog-
nized as one man who never took n
floor in debate unless he was well for
titled with facts and could not be
The great strike at Arnot, lss9-19Oo.
started Mr.. Wilson upon his political
career.
at was the final contest to put me
out, of the labor movement" said Mr.;
Wilson. IF IL had succeeded 1t would
have dlscredited me forever with the
miners. -
"And 1t had a mighty good chance to
succeed, too. We we're not strong as a
union. We had very little outside help.
In fact, our chief source of supply was
the farmers who used to send us In
what produce they could spare.
1--WE won by peaceful methods. l sent
for Mother Jones to help me. She or
ganized the women and did wonderful
work in keeping up the spirit Of the
men.
Secretary Wilson does not tell all the
story. Instinctively he shrinks from
Standardization. But others have given
me the story. and 1 have set 1t down
here. =.
Mr.. Wilson was offered a bride OF
81. 300 to desert the miners u The
proposition was not thus bluntly put TO
him. He was told that 1t would be an
act OF human Kindness to terminate b
long, bitter struggle. All he had to do
was to leave the state on urgent busi-
ness; let events take their own course