Arizona republican., 1919-11-10

ADOPTED a positive declaration demand
ing improved conditions Of employ
ment for the miners. They further in
structed the officers to proceed to OBJ
tam by negotiations with the operators
the working conditions that the con-
Vention unanimously adopted.
There were almost 1900 delegates
IN the convention, representing 100000
miners. They further positively and
explicitly instructed their officers that
unless an agreement was reached on or
before the first of November. 1919, that
the resolution of the convention calling
Tor strike on November l. 1919.
should be communicated to the mem
persh1p. There was no alternative ex-
cept for the officers, who are elected bv
the membership, to carry out the di
| rect instructions of the membership or
resign from their positions as officers
| IN which event chaos and confusion
| would result
The officers of the mine workers
with their scale committee. entered
INTO conferences and discussions with
| the operators in the city of Buffalo.
They stated at the conference that they
mad full power to negotiate an agree
ment, in other words, that they had the
| power to give and take in the confer
/
| any offer whatever. Later on the
miners answred the call of the secre-
tary of labor and further endeavored
10 reach an agreement but failed. The
offlcers then proceeded to carry out the
| instructions of their membership and
communicated the results of the failure
| of negotiations and by order of the
convention the strike automatically
TOOK ERECT November l, 1919.
Ready to Negotiate
The machinery which has existed
for years and which has been success
full in bringing about agreements, be-
tween the miners and the operators.
still exists and they as representatives
OF the miners were and are ready and
willing to enter into negotiations with
out reservation to reach an agreement.
AT this time, our government inter
Jected itself and applied for an iniunc-
ton.
"A temporary restraining order was
granted by federal judge which re-
strains the officials of the miners from
IN any way advising their membership
on the situation or contributing any of
the moneys of the mine workers to the
assistance of the men on strike, also
restraining them from discussing, writ
ing or entering into any kind of a, con-
versation with their membership on the
strike situation.
The government then proceeded to
further invade the rights of the miners
not only by restraining the miners.
their officers and members from fur
thering the purposes for which the
men contended but went to further
. length Of demanding from the court an
order commanding the officers of the
| ~
; the strike notification and the court
| complacently complied and issued the
order
, Never in the history of our country
, has any such mandatory or order
, OBTAINED or even applied for by the
government or by any persons, com
pany or corporation.
= Both the restraining order and the
injunction, insofar as its prohibitory
features are concerned, are predicatee
upon the Lever act, law enacted b,
. congress for the purpose of preventins
? speculation and profiteering of fooC
and fuel supplies of the country. Their,
never was in the minds of the con
gress in enacting that law or in tn,
; mind of the president when he signed
y it, that the Lever act would be applie,
q to workers in case of strike or lock
5 outs. The food controller, Mr.. Hoover
: specifically so stated. Members of tn
s committee having the bill in charg
: have in writing declared that it wa
d not in the minds of the committed
:. and the then attorney general, MI
# Gregory, gave assurance that the gov
Y ernment would not apply that law t
IS the workers effort to obtain improve
n working conditions. Every assuranc
: from the highest authority of our gov
i ernment was given that the law woul
d not be so applied.
J. ''In the course of President Wilson
= address to the Buffalo convention c
the American Federation of Labo
November, 1917, among other thing
t. he said:
IS While we are fighting for free
in dom, we must see among other thing
l. that labor is free, and that means
ne number of interesting things.
Se means not only that we must do whs
as We have declared our purpose to d
ir see that the conditions of labor are n,
rendered more onerous by the wa
.ir but also that we shall see to it tn;
of the instrumentalities by which II
ID, conditions Of labor are improved a