Kentucky Irish American., 1914-08-22
Summary of Events Leading to
Disagreeable Situation at
See City.
Revelations at Hearings of Com
mission on Industrial
Relations.
SUBTERFUGE OF The COMPANY

The situation in Lead, S. D., re-
vealed by the recent hearings of the
United States Commission on In
dustrial Relations and by the investi-
cations of the special representative
of the Central Bureau Of the Central
Verein in that place, and the reasons
for the company's refusal of the re-
quest of Bishop Busch for Sunday
observance can not be properly un-
derstood without reference to the
events which led up to the trouble
between the Bishop and the Home
stake Company. The Bishop came
to Lead to take possession of his see
in 1910, toward the end of the lock-
out which had been enforced against
the members of the Western Fedora
ton of Miners since the fall of 1909.
For number of years prior to this
lockout the Western Federation had
maintained more or less prosperous
local among the workers of the
Homestake Company, known as the
Lead City Miners Union" The mine
had been IAN open shop" union and
non-union men working in it.
Through their organization the union
workers obtained the eight-hour day,
which was applied to the whole
force. Thinking that those who had
received these benefits should assist
in paying for them, the union men
began an agitation for the union
shop and in October, 1909, inserted
notice in the Lead papers that
after a certain date they would re-
fuse to work with non-union men.
The company retorted by closing
down the mine until January, 1910,
when it was reopened with only non
union men in its employ.
On the first Labor day following
the arrival of the Bishop in Lead he
delivered an address on the local
situation, outlining the Catholic at
titude and suggesting programme.
He felt that many of the principles
and practices of the Western Fedora
ton of Miners could not be coun-
tenanced, that the determined steps
taken against the closed shop by the
company might be assented to as a
temporary war measure, but he did
believe that men should not sur
render their rights to organize, and
III luC COuIoc vi Ills Sdlu dS
much. These expressions, while not
entirely satisfactory to the union
people, highly displeased the repre-
sentatives of the company, and when
Bishop Busch later on requested that
an effort be made to close down the
mine on Sunday he received but
little consideration. While Sunday
work was supposedly made optional,
the word was sent to the workers
through the shift bosses that "Sun-
day observance would not be OBJ
ligatory," which signified that the
one who chose to regularly take his
Sunday off would be Disseminated
against and such, as a matter of fact,
happened in the course of time
When at another time the Bishop
asked the superintendent If Cath
olic workingmen's guild would be
form of organization acceptable to
the company he was told that there
were organizations enough already"
The fear of the rise of some mem
ace to its absolute rule is at the
basis of the company's action in all
these matters. 1t is that which ex-
plains the diligence of it's detective
force. 1t is that which causes such
an exact description of the workers
to be kept on record In the COM
pany's ofiice-"for purposes of identi-
fication In case of accidents" as Mr..
Irwin, chief of the employment de-
partment, said, "and to secure better
men according to the company's
view" That is the reason that
English-speaking workers are ia
vored, only a certain percentage of
foreigners being allowed in the
mine. In case all of the workers
were off every Sunday II is feared
that these regular intervals of rest
would allow opportunity for agita-
tion and organization among them.
To keep them continually at work.
thus directing their attention away
from thoughts of independence, is
the policy which the company has
thought wise to adopt, even though
such policy conflicts with the higher
interests of the working people.
The Superintendent. in his final
testimony, endeavored to establish
by implication the idea that the
Bishop had endeavored to secure a
dominating position In Lead by intro
ducing the rules OF the guild at
Chicoutimi, Can. which Bishop
Busch had given TO him. and the
company's organ piped a similar
tune in its regard. saying that It
! showed "the cause of the animus the
Bishop has displayed toward the
Homestake management and toward
his own people here who have been
a In little or no accord with him. Z"
This as a matter of fact was a mis-
representation OF the Bishops at
titude and is but one instance OF
the nature of the attacks made upon
him since he dared TO defy the COM
pany. The paper has scathingly de-
nounced him, saying that there would
never be peace until he had been re-
moved from the diocese Of Lead. In
: the indignation meeting held after
the Milwaukee convention and on