Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-17
T HE careers of labor leaders

have, as a usual thing, been
short and full of trouble.
Many captains have climbed by the
pathways of. agitation to the sum-
mits of power, only to find that the
pathways on the other side of the
mountain lead down to the valleys
of oblivion. Fiercer than the light
that bears upon a throne is that
which spots the man in whose
hands labor has placed it cause, de-
manding action and results. If his
counsels be radical, the third party
public opinion-comes in and de-
nounces him as a revolutionary. If
he tries to steer a conservative
course, he becomes a target for the
abuse. of the radicals among his
own organization and he soon van
ishes in clouds of suspicion. If he
stages one big strike and wins, he
walks from that time on with a
Damocles sword over his head, a
center of greater expectations. If
he loses, he walks the plank and is
either engulfed in the waves of for
getfulness or swims ashore and
finds a haven in some political port.
So, many have come and gone and
few have remained to the end.
And among the few stands out
the figure of John Mitchell, in
unique relief, "a true and tried
of labor's cause, leader who held
until his death the other day the
confidence of his own and who won,
at the same time, the respect and
confidence of the men who were
opposed to him.
A Leader at 80.
No greater test was ever put up
to a leader than that Of the anthra-
cite coal miners strike of 1902. A
young man, just rounding his thirty
second year. Mitchell found HIM
self at the head of an organization
of $4,000 men, grim and deter
mined toilers of the dark and under
ground world, with heart burning
humor to have poulticed with soft
speeches and specious promises. 1t
was storm time of bitter emotions.
of violent denunciation and abuse,
of passion and prejudice on both
sides of the controversy. The at
mosphere was surcharged with all
the elements of a social cataclysm
that threatened to involve the en-
tire industrial fabric of the nation.
Yet, in that time of storm and
stress, abating no jot of the prin-
ciples for which he was fighting,
yielding no point of the fundamen-
tai rights of the organization he
| represented, calm and silent amidst
alike. he steered his course with a
clear head and a steady hand and
emerged from the conflict with a
victory which, IL it did not involve
all the points at issue, established a
new epoch in the relations of capi-
! tai and labor-that of conference
and arbitration-and won for its
cause and it's leadership a new and
unwonted respect and dignity. 1t
was in that fight that the American
people became acquainted with
new type of labor leader. When, un-
moved by the attacks of his adver-
saries and the threats of his radical
| supporters, Mitchell calmly offered
to submit the cause of the miners
to a commission to be appointed by
President Roosevelt and to abide
| by it's decision, he accomplished a
master stroke Of policy that was as
+, disconcerting to the representatives
of the eight great corporations op-
posing as it was unexpected by the
public. BY his action he brought to
his side the American spirit of fair
play, won the advocacy of the last
| ing friendship of President Roose-
Welt and of other big public men
and did more to advance the cause
of labor in the public confidence
than all the battles it had ever
fought before.
Refused Political Honor
Mitchell came forth from thai
great struggle a national personal
ity. and a man in whose pathway
all sorts of allurements and temp
tations were thrown. The doors o1
political preferment were opened tc
/ him. He was led to the top of the
mountain and shown the promised
Hand of political honors--governor-
ships, congressional nominations
even a vice presidency were dangiet
temptingly before him. Big busi'
ness was willing to enlist his ser
vices. But he refused all offers
political and otherwise and stuck tt
his post of eadership-though thu
salary never exceeded $4,000 yea