The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-19
DEMANDS Of Miners
JUST, SAYS RANKIN
Representative Addresses
Butte Strikers at Great
Mass Meeting.
CALLS CARD WRONG
Men, However, Say They
Won't Go to Work if Sys-
TEN Is Changed.
CALLS CARD WRONG
CONTINUED From Page Onc.)


the foul and cowardly murder OF Frank
Little.
TT makes no difference to me who
Frank Little was.
Il believe no one is safe where
lynching is sanctioned x-Senator
Joseph NJ. Dixon OF Montana, WI
managed Theodore Roosevelts presi-
dental campaign in 1912. said the fol-
lowing: Little was not killed because
Of his reasonable utterances against
the government. That was made the
excuse for the deed
"Lawlessness has no place in or
ganized society.
Let us review for moment the
situation in Butte:
The Situation in Butte.
Just before the outbreak of the Eu-
ropean war. difficulties in the Butte
Miners union resulted in the disrlp-
ton Of the union. so that for the past
three years the men have been work
ing In Butte mines practically unor-
ganized. For some years the Anaconda
Copper Mining company has been
using what is called in Butte the
'rnstling card system This rustlns
card system Is practically a blacklist
on national scale, or perhaps it had
better be called n white list II
works in this way: The Anaconda
Copper Mining company has an en-
ployment bureau to which every miner
must apply IL he wishes n job. Here
his record is investigated and If il is
found that he has never complained
OF his working conditions: if he has
al To ,,pt.N fl,.t 10
he is not what they call an agitator-
or il he has not opposed the company
politically. he is given a rustling card.
This card is in effect a permit. as we
say here in the west, to rustic for a
Job. The man who applies for work
at a mine is first asked TO show his
rustling card. II he cannot produce
one. he Is not hired. This rustlinG
card system has effectively dscour-
aged the men from organizing. II has
prevented them from demanding the
enforcement Of laws requiring safety
devices in the mines. II has caused
them to hesitate to discuss their
grievances on the outside. The con-
ditions of some Of the mines have
grown more and more unsafe. l have
had heartbreaking letters from the
wives of the miners saying that when
their husbands went to work they
never knew whether they would ever
return, and that they lived in constant
anxiety.
Miners Resent System.
The workers in the mine resent this
rustling card system, not only because
il prevents them getting a job, but be
cause ii surrounds them with an all
OF crminality, therefore the miners are
asking for a federal investigation OF
the conditions under which the miners
in Butte have been working. Tn,
miners believe that if they have been
guilty of acts such as would warrant
them to be denied the privilege o1
serving their country at this time BY
working in the mines that they them.
selves should be prosecuted in TIA,
courts.
1T is unpatriotic for labor to strik'
without just cause, but it is equally
Nnpatriotic for capital to take adVan-
tage of men whose patriotism causes
them to continue to work under con.
ditions that mean that they are daily
unnecessarily risking their lives anC
the support of their families. Labo
has no right to take advantage of ui
settled conditions to enforce uniuS
utlflailuS anu cdpltii HAS HD IlSHt u
take advantage of labor to compel III
Dor to make all the sacrifice simpl,
because we are in war.
Let it be known that it is unpa
triotic for capital to refuse the just de
mands Of labor, and that it is unpa
triotic for labor to refuse the just dc
mands Of capital. Capital canno
shift the burden upon labor, and labo
cannot shift the burden upon capita
Demands Of Labor Just
81 am convinced that the demand
of labor in this struggle arc just an
should be granted.
IF the rustling card can be def"ndo
in theory. its abuses in Butte hay
been reprehcnsiblc and cannot be d,
Tended. ] am convinced that You al
entitled to the wages that you dcman
and | hope that YOU can Sccur" then
But | implorc you to always be;
in mind that this, the greatest, mo-
liberty loving nation in the world,
engaged in warm the most trcmcl
dous conflict recorded in history, a,
we must all put our shoulders TO Il
wheel and strive to make Il great
and fuller democracy.
War spells sacrifice. No on" c;
escape its far-reaching effects. ri
effort of all right thinking people
to sacrifice as little as possible of Il
constructive principle, and to be mo
generous with all those things viii,
will protect life and reduce suffcriI
1T is easy to estimate the casualti
OF the battlefield. but the casualties
the home in war time remain Il
counted and unreported. We knt
that the war abroad has resulted in
heavily increased mortality of the We
old and the very young. Life is swe
even to the oldest man and woma
and that the hardships of war co
ditions may shorten their days is
prospect ineffably sad.
But no nation is SO rich that it &
afford to sacrifice the children.
must remember that the cost in CHI
life is still not fully paid by the a
palling number of babies who peri
in war time. Those who survive IN,
continue to pay with their unfulfill
and uncomplcted lives.