The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-11-21
APPEAL BY DECEPTION.

l L ue hTpuUilcdH i uUllciIy ASSOCid-
tion, through its President, Hon.
jonathan Bourne, Jr.. gave out the
following statement from its Wash
ington headquarters:
There never has been any doubt
in discerning minds that the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor was giving
the coal strike its morel support. 1t
is now admitted and proclaimed by
The Federation itself In a statement
prepared with great care during an
all day session of it's executive coun-
Gil "By all the facts in :he case,
reads the document, the miners strike
is justified. We endorse it. We are
convinced of the justice Of the min
ers. cause. We pledge the miners the
full support of the American Fedora
tion Of Labor #.'
From start to finish the statement
of the Federation is full of mislead-
ing assertions, repete with mitsate-
ments Of fact, and glaring in It's omis
sionS of other facts-all for the very
apparent purpose of checking the tide
of public opinion that has so strong
ly set against the striking miners.
After setting forth the hardships and
Iprivations Of the life OF miner and
the need of better pay TO meet those
conditions, the statement undertakes
TO give the history of the events that
led up to the strike. In order to
catch the public ear the assertion is
made that the officers of the United
Mine Workers have had the power
since the September convention 10
Cleveland TO negotiate an agreement
With the operators, but that the EN-.
ployers refused to enter into negotia
tions. The simple truth is that the
Cleveland convention adopted set of
Demands that it's officers were instruc
ted to present to the operators, offer
ing as an alternative to their accept
ance strike on November lst Such
Aproposal of unconditional surrender
c0ald not be negotiated" and for the
american Federation TO suggest that
the miners offered, bona ide negotia-
tions lisa piece of deliberate deception.
The Federation then pays It's re-
spects to the Federal Judge who issued
the injunction and mandamus against
the officials Of the miners. 1.-THE
autocratic action of our government
in these proceedings. IL declares, ''is
of such nature that 1t staggers the
human mind" or course nothing is
said about the action of one-half OF
one per cent of our people, one-third
of them foreigners, who would bring
death and suffering upon the other
ninety-nine and one half per cent In
order that their demands may be
enforced. The will of the majority is
never autocracy. The real autocrats
in this situation are the miners them.
selves-an almost infnitesimal min.
ority who are attempting to coerce
the rest Of the country.
"The courts inhibition against the
use Of the miners benefit fund "for
the purpose Of procuring food for
women and children that might be
starving" i scathingly denounced by
the council Of the Federation. No
mention is made Of the millions of
women and children imperiled by the
sudden shutting off Of their fuel
supply. The country has heard a
great deal In the last few years about
starving women and children. That
was the constant appeal Of all pro
Germans who were crying against the
continued blockade OF the Central
Empires. They we're utterly Blind to
the treatment accorded the women
and children of the countries overun
by the Huns. But the people of the
world discerned the German hypocrisy
and the people of this country are
aware of the true condition today.
The court had in mind the welfare of
the vast majority OF our citizens, and
it and the Government will be sup
ported by them. The American Fed
Grafton of Labor and others who at
tack that court and through 1t the
Government will receive the merited
condemnation of that same proper
tion Of our citizenship"