The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-08-21
UNION OFFICIAL
PRAISES TROOPS
Head of Saginaw Federation Says
Attacks Are Undeserved

Branding the statements attacking
TIA. Michigan National Guard as false
for their splendid behavior. president
John Ia Jones uf the Saginaw Fed
Grafton uf Labor emphatically declar-
ed yesterday that the state should be
proud of it's militia, and that even the
strikers themselves welcomed the SOL
diers, saws the Saginaw Courier Her
aid. Mn. Jones is one of the leading
union men of Saginaw and is MEM
Der of the Third Regiment band, which
is union organization, and he re-
turned home from Calumet and the
copper district. where he has been with
the band tor the past month.
The federation. of which Mr.. Jones
- president, recently adopted resolu-
tions condemning the sending of the
militia To the strike country and de-
Jones takes direct issue with the or
ganization, and in a statement To the
Courier Herald said that from person
al investigation and knowledge he
knows that IL was for the best in
terests Cf labor as well az property
that the militia was sent there. He
declares he is willing To tender his
resignation as president if necessary,
but that if the union men % Saginaw
and Michigan knew the truth of the
actual existing conditions they would
not so hastily condemn actions about
which they are ignorant. The Third
Regiment band was not sent Ia the
Upper Peninsula To fight, but to pro-
vide music for the soldiers and the
strikers.
Soldiers Always Gentlemen.
Mr.. Jones said that in his careful
investigations ana his months stay
there he neither saw nor heard of any
insults from soldiers. but if any
thing the girls there ran after the
members of the militia. Walkers at
tack on the militia is based upon hear
say evidence, and do not believe
there - any truth in ii. The soldiers
acted as gentlemen all the time and
were strictly impartial. | was around
personally and was told they were glad
the militia was there. | addressed n
meeting OF 500 miners and was i'm
formed there that the soldiers were
protecting the strikers from the at
lacks of private detectives and depu-
Al.
caused by the Pnkerton and Waddell
men and not by the soldiers.
Protected All Alike.
The soldiers protected alike the
strikers and operators and every citi-
zen. union nr nonunion. should take OF
his hat To the NJ. y q. have always
had il ia for the militia until | saw
them n action and now | ADMIT they
are gentlemen | was on the ground
aud saw for myself, and If the Fedora p
ton vents To Condemh me for being
with the band it may do So. For my
sell | would NOT take thousand dol
,ars nor even a large sum. for the
experience ! have undergone. Saginaw
people know nothing of the conditions
and the idea OF saying the band was
set there L. fight
The soldiers merely acted as police
and cannot be praised too highly. Why,
when the strikers marched past, car
cying only the American banners, the
militia stood and saluted them. The
regiments are well commanded ana the
camps are neat and clean ana were ex-
gellently managed.
Western Federation the Issue.
II believe the miners have good cause
IN some ways to strike, although the
! chief reason seems to be the refusal Of
operators 20 recognize the Western
| Federation of Miners. If the copper
miners had former Il local union and
! then Joined the state organization "a
! the United Mine Workers the stsrikc
would have been settled in As hours
! But it is their first experience and they
! did not know better. The operators arc
willing To meet with their men and
grant practically all Of their demands
except the recognition of the Western
| Federation. The miners are given
many advantages by the company.
such as medical service for dollar