El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-06-08
JEROME MINERS WIN MUCH
AND DON'T STRAIN PATRIOTISM
HIS

HE striking miners at Jerome, 1900 in number,
concluded wisely to abandon for the present their de-
1nand for the recognition of their union In other
words for the Sosed shop and returned work after
having accepted the concessions offered by the United Verde
Copper company and the other companies operating In the
district
is not to be considered that the strike was lost The
concessions offered by the companies were so important
materially that the principle Of the closed shop could well
be held In allegiance.
These concessions involved payment the miners of the
Miami scale high any wage scale IN the southwest
the appointment of grievance committee to suggest
changes in working conditions cooperation between the
companies and the employees to reduce the of living
and the return of the to work without prejudice be-
Of their having taken part In the strike.
To the ordinary observer, the most important gains
which the strikers could achieve would be the increase In
wages improvement in conditions of labor and reduction
the Of living, for those the things precisely for
which most people striving every day. matter what
their occupation.
The strikers must have realized the truth of what The
Herald and other newspapers of the southwest said when
The strike declared that the time inopportune for
tying up copper production when the nation in
and copper greatly needed merely for the sake Of set
ting whether the mine operators should have the right TO
employ both union and non union union only
II looked too much like holdup, though doubtless the
miners were sincere in their belief that they striking
for high principle of labor They have done well to meet
the mine managers half way and make this concession
when the mine managers have made so many
The prompt settlement Of this strike which certainly
vas serious enough In itself and many times serious
the likelihood that might spread to other camps
Of large production due to several factors Gov
Thomas z Campbell took leading part IN arranging the
settlement and none was better qualified than he to I'LL
lust the part where he found himself cast for in the past
he had lived In Jerome for years postmaster and as man
ager of mine he knew every local condition better
than almost any other third party who could have been
brought the negotiations There advantage IN
he presence and helpful counsel Of officer Of the
lar army Lieut.. Col J. ]. Hornbrook 18TH cavalry.
Important Also the service rendered by John Nc
Bride Of Phoenix appointed by the department OF labor as
cancellation commissioner, who went to Jerome union
nan to carry to his fellow workers official message
which declared against any attempt to force union organZa
ton UPON employers in time of He had been union
official and organizer and the knew they could rely
implicitly upon his personal sympathy and upon the sound
ness of any official advice to which ne gave his support
So this strike ends Popular sympathy with the work
saan In most industrial disputes The majority of pub
lie opinion nearly be guessed is always with the
worngman when his requests Of his employer seem reason
abIe But sympathy ends at the boundary line between the
reasonable and the unreasonable Public sentiment IN the
southwest not with the Jerome miners IN their demand
for the closed shop at this critical time The hope exists
at organized labor in Arizona drop at sny plans
which it may organize strikes for this principle In
sther great mining camps of the state