Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1919-11-10

The Lever act, under which the gov
ernment acted in the court proceeding
never was enacted to apply to workers
the council asserted, and its use against
the miners was classed as IAN injustice
not only to workers but to all liberty
loving Americans The action was tax
en- without the participation of William
Green, general secretary of the mine
workers, who is a member, but all the
remaining principal officers of the
American Federation of Labor were
present.
The council began its sessions at 3
o'clock after its members had been
hastily summoned and presented the
statement which formulated it's action
and which had been carefully revised
and rewritten by Samuel Gompers and
Frank Morrison, president and secre-
tary respectively of the federation.
History of Strike.
The council in its statement presented
at length the history of the negotiations
which led up to and preeipitated the coal
strike, declaring almost in the first SEN
teuce that the officers of the United
Mine Workers did everything in their
power to avert this great industrial
struggle"
There were 22o0 delegates repre-
seHllug 0UU.obb miners seated III the
convention which called the strike. the
statement said, speaking of the COM
plants of working conditions in the in
dustry which it is asserted the miners
seek to remedy by the strike.
The action of the convention was
taken after the statement puts it. "our
government interjected itself and ap-
piled for an injunction"
The statement characterized the ac-
ton as an invasion of the rights of
miners" intended to starve them into
submission by cutting off their strike
benefits and demanding the withdrawal
of the injunction secured Saturday at
indianapolis, ito restore confidence in
the institutions of our country and re-
spect to courts"
Councils Statement.
The statement of the executive coun-
Gil is in substance as follows:
THE executive council is of the opin-
ion that the officers of the United Mine
Workers of America. did everything in
their power to avert this great industrial
controversy.
Authentic statistics show that the
miners have less than 200 days of en-
ployment during the year. The wages
of the miners, consequently, having to
spread over the entire year, are greatly
reduced as result OF the non employ
ment existing in that industry.
The United Mine Workers, in their
held in September at Cleve-
land, adopted positive declaration de-
improved conditions of employ
ment, for the miners. They further in
structed the officers to proceed to OBJ
tain, by negotiations with the operators,
the working conditions that the conven-
tion unanimously requested.
There were almost 1900 delegates
seated in the convention, representing
500, 900 organized miners. They further
positively and explicitly instructed their
officers that unless an agreement was
reached on or before the first day of
November. 1910, that the resolution of
the convention calling for strike on
November 1, 1919, should be communi-
Gated to the membership.
Employers Refuse to Act.
"The employers refused to make any
offer whatever Later on the miners
answered the call of the secretary of
labor and further endeavored to reach
an agreement, but failed The officers
then proceeded to carry out the instruc-
lions of their membership and communi-
Gated the result of the failure of nego-
tiations. and by order of the convention
The strike automatically took effect No
gember ]. 1919.
iected itself and applied for an injunction.
"A temporary restraining order vas
granted by u federal judge which re-