The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1915-02-01
NIT CHELL RAPS
ROCKEFELLER'S
PLAN FOR PEACE
Former Head of Mine Work.
ers Tells Federal Probers
It's "Absurd"
SAYS OWNERS WOULD
HAVE BIG INFLUENCE;
Compensation for Workmen
Will Mean Saving of Lives,
Is His Belief

New York. Feb. 1.-"Sirnp1y abb
surd," was the manner in which John
Mitchell former president of the Unit
ed Mine Workers Of America and now
a member of the state workmen's
compensation commission, to-day
characterized before the federal in
dustrial relations commission the
Rockefeller plan of settling labor
troubles in Colorado.
mo good can come out of such a
plan,' said Mr.. Mitchell. 'The un-
organized men can be depended upon
to select to represent them only men
the bosses want. They may not be
directly Influenced to do this but
there will be an indirect influence
which they cannot resist
I'VE have gone through such thing
before. The slogan We might as
well starve idle as starve working
will naturally be raised again just as
it was during 1900 in the anthracite
fields"
Mr.. Mitchelrs reference was to the
plan of collecting suggested by Rock
efeller interests by w. L. MacKen-
zie King, former commissioner of La
Dor of Canada, who was recently en-
ployed by the Rockefeller foundation
to conduct an investigation into in
dustriaI relations.
Mr.. Mitchell thought the referen-
dunn and recall was of an advantage
to labor Speaking of compensation
for workmen Mr.. Mitchell satd it was
effective in more ways than one.
when said he, sit costs more to
kill a man than it does to save him
the employers will save their worl
ers''
It generally follows, Mr.. Mitchell
asserted, that where men in the coal
mining industry are unorganized, the
death rate is higher and the wage
to
ganized they are Inclined to take
risks that organized men will not
take. he said.
The concentrations of industry has
worked to retard the development
of labor, Mr.. Mitchell said. 1t ap-
peared, he added. that the financial
institutions were able to control the
situation" He cited as an example
the settlement of the anthracite coal
strike of 1902, when J. P. Morgan &
Co. took part.
| Referring to wage conditions in the
Pennsylvania anthracite region, he
said they were about 40 per cent.
higher now than before the settle
me11te of the strike. There had
also been a decided improveme ent in
the social and living conditions as a
result of settlements by the miners.
| Shacl1s in many instances had been
replaced with comfortable homes and
there was general Improvement all
along the line, particularly in the mat
ser of intellectual and moral condi-
tions.
Commissioner weinstock questioned
Mr.. Mitchell about the charge made
by operators that the United Mine
| Workers of America were law break
ers and contract breakers. Mr.
| Weinstock read to the witness the So
called "Call to arms made to min
ers of Colorado by the officials of the
United Mine Workers of America.
ut has been my opinion, replied
Mr.. Mitchell, that a man who comes
into court must come with clean
| hands. When the Colorado Fuel &c
1 Iron Co. called the United Mine Work
! ers of America law breakers they
| themselves were constant and per
sistent breakers of the law. AS; for
the Call to arms if had been in
Colorado would not have signed that
| order.
i e'However, it was signed two or
three days after Ludlow. What was
kthe condition of the minds of the
| workers at the time? That has to
| be taken into consideration. Re
] member that they believed their wives
and babies had been murdered by the
guards employed by the Colorado
Fuel & Iron CO.
| At this point the hearing was ad-
! journed. 1t was announced that J.
P. Morgan was to be first witness to
be examined this afternoon.