The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-06-18
BUTTE MINES QUIT
WESTERN FEDERATION
WILL ORGANIZE INDEPENDENT
UNION FOR BENEFIT OF
OWN MEMBERS.

The revolt in the Butte miners
movement than was realized when the
news first reached the district. Ii is
not merely a disturbance fomented by
the |. w. W., but rather it appears [ ;
be the outgrowth of a wall conceived
plan to throw off the yoke # the
J Western Federation of Miners and
create a local organization simia., to
the Industrial uEtn at War liner Kel.
| lCgg. One has /" rub his eyes and
| look twice when reading of such a
plan to make sure that it refers to
Butte. The following from the Butte
| Miner, which has not appeared in the
daily press outside of Butte, shows
that there are some cool heads lead
ing the insurgents and that the main
purpose is to free themselves from
the Western Federation Of Miners:
Form Inde pendent Union.
Indicative of the attitude of the in
surgent miners regarding the labor
siteation lin Butte are statements Of
members of the executive committee
to the police and other authorities to
the effect that they do not favor vio-
lence and will do all in their power to
prevent it.
| In this regard the Miner was au-
f, thorized by officials of the newly or
ganized miners union to issue the
following statement:
Every unmarried miner in sympa-
thy with or belonging to the new min
ers organization has been pledged to
fight If necessary to protect the life
and property of all residents Of Butte
and to protect and enforce respect for
the Stars and Stripes
The persons who made the state
ment asked that their names be not
published, as they did not seek pub
licity. The declaration was supple
mented by the explanation that the
new union was not affiliated with the
l. w. w. or any other national organ
ization. The name itself has not been
selected it is declared, and nothing
will be done without the sanction of
the majority of actual miners who Ia
Dor in the mines of Butte. That it
will be an Independent organization,
however, is known to be the sentiment
of the ma ajority of the. men who arc
interested. In explaining this, one of
the officials said:
Favor Butte Men.
I'VE want men at the head of our
organization who live in Butte and
local conditions and in sympathy with
the best interests of Butte. Why
should we constantly pay assessments
to keep organization officials in luxury
keep the money in Butte, where it is
produced? The Butte organization,
by assessments of not over 80 cents
a month, can keep the union in healthy
have an old miners home, where aged
and disabled mine workers could be
housed when they are no longer able
to work, and the money that they have
been assessed in the past would have
provided all of these benefits and
many others, such as Christmas
fund for the poor widows and chill
dren whose husbands and fathers los.
their lives at work; disability funds
and death and sick benefits. besides
magnificent hall large enough to ac-
commodate all Of the members of the
union. Butte has long sustained or
ganzations and officials in other parts
Of the country for years, and the min
ers are tired of carrying other peo-
pies burdens. With an Independent
organization, we can better our own
conditions, and I think that the ma
jority are in favor Of a Butte local
affiliated with no other organization
whatsoever
Peace and Harmony.
Chairman William OBrien said
there was no sentiment in the new
organization in favor Of rowdyism or
violence. That the miners wanted
peace and harmony not the destruc-
tion Of property and the taking Of
lives. He declared that it was too
early to give definite statement of
what course Of action would be pur-
sued. This is up to the miners them
selves, he said, and every member Of
the new organization should have a
voice in deciding a policy and on all