The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-09-03

Some time ago the federal indus
trial commission. which has been in
vestigating labor conditions in var-
Gus parts Of the west, stopped at
Butte to look into the situation in that
great mining camp. After the labor
agitators, socialists and other friends
of the working man had told OF the
deplorable conditions due to the dis
regard of the welfare of employees by
the mining companies and told what
should be done to remedy the situa-
ton, the commission called c. F. KEEL
ley. vice president and managing d.
rector Of the Anaconda Copper COM
pany, to hear what he had to say on
the subject
According to Mining & Engineering
World, some MINER labor agitators
and socialists, backed up by some an
Incorporation experts" who seemed
to be in the employ Of the government
or at least were with and in advance
of the United States commission on
industrial relations when the latter
conducted very brief investigation In
Butte, blamed the big mining corpora
tons of Butte for all the ills and dis
content that Is known to that portion
Of the laborers who make the most
noise and do the least work. They
wanted shorter work days and more
pay with less work. and they want i'm
proved mining conditions and seem to
prefer to have the ore brought to the
surface for mining, or, perhaps. better
still, have the mines transferred to
the saloons, which inference seems
justified by the fight the labor unions
Of Butte have made against a propos-
ed moral movement to have the sa-
looms of Butte closed for few hours
after l o'clock at night. After the fed
eral commission had listened to the
testimony of the witnesses against the
mining companies, c. F. Kelley, vice
president and managing director of
the Anaconda company, was asked II
he wished to reply to the witnesses,
and he took the opportunity to read
labor agitators, socialists and careless
citizens one of the most timely and
important lessons they have ever lis.
tened to. He showed by an array OF
facts that labor conditions in Butte
are better than anywhere else In the
world, and that mining conditions are
cfo n
the commission makes good reading
everywhere.
Mr.. Kelley's Statement.
"For many years there has existed
means peculiar to this community"
he said "for it can be found in every
industrial community. Wherever or
ganized labor has asserted itself 1t Is
conceded that the principal line of d.
vision of its membership comes be-
tween two classes. First are those
who are possessed Of radical tenden-
cies, whose policy is to wage an eter.
nal warfare against the employer, who
will be satisfied with no concession,
but who believes 1t Is principle OF
organized labor to engage constantly
in fight for something that in many
instances can not be granted. On the
other hand there is division which
believes in fairness as between the
employer and the employe in endeav-
oring to carry on the controversies
which arise in such way as to amel-
iorate as far as possible the condition
Of the worker, while at the same time
recognizing that the employer has
some rights. That was the primary
division in the Butte Miners Union
That is the primary division in
great many labor organizations.
IT deny that the Anaconda company
has ever, directly or indirectly at
tempted to assert any dominion over
the Butte Miners Union In its inter-
nal affairs. The sole interest which
the company has, at least during the
period covered by my knowledge OF Its
affairs, manifested in the doings Of the
miners union was to endeavor al
times to get as large proportion Of
the membership as possible to attend
the meetings, so that the action which
would be taken would not voice the
sentiment of few radical agitators,
but would more nearly represent the
voice Of the great body of the union
who were affected by the action
taken. In that the employer did not
step out Of his way or out Of his func-
ton. II we have body Of 5000 men
working for US here, and II we are to
live up to and follow what the union
dictates, II we are obliged to meet the
action of the union, i seems to me
that an effort on the part Of the en-
ployer to get as many employees In
terested in the union as possible Is
entirely commendable. That Is as far
as this domination, ownership and
control Of men is concerned. / deny
that 1t exists. You will hear that
charge wherever conditions, such as
in Butte, obtain. where there Is one
large corporation that is the dominat-
ing factor in the Industrial life.
"As to the relative cost of the pro-
duction of copper, to which reference
has been made, between now and the
early DAYS of Butte. It must be known