Arizona republican., 1919-11-10

Mine Delegate Not Present.
The action was taken without the
participation of William Green, gen.
eral secretary of the mine workers,
who is a member, but all the remain
ing principal officers of the Amer
lean Federation Of Labor were present.
The council began its sessions at 3
o'clock after its members had been
hastily summoned together, and the
statement which formulated its action
was carefully revised and rewritten by
Samuel Gompers and Frank Morrison,
president and secretary, respectively,
of the federation.
The council in its statement pre-
sented at length the history of the
negotiations which led up to and pre-
| cipitated the coal strike, declaring al
most in the first sentence that the
Officers of the United Mine Workers
did everything in their power to avert
| this great industrial struggle"
1t reserved it's bitterest words for
comment of governmental actions.
Delegates Called Strike.
There were 1900 delegates, repre-
| senting 100000 miners seated in the
/ convention which called the strike, the
statement said after briefly sketching
| in complaints of working conditions
! in the industry, which, it is asserted,
the miners seek to remedy by striking
/ The instructions Of the convention
were taken through the usual COM
mittees into conference with the oper-
| ators, and then the statement puts it:
"Our government interjected itself
and applied for an injunction"
The statement characterized the ac-
ton as an Invasion of the rights OF
/ the miners" intended to starve the
1 miners into submission by cutting of
their strike benefits and demanded the
withdrawal of the injunction secured
Saturday at Indianapolis to restore
confidence in the institutions of oul
Il country and respect to courts.
i miners Cause Just"
"By all the facts in the case, the
miners strike is Justified" II con-
cluded. 1--WE endorse it. We are
Il. convinced of the justice of the
miners cause. We pledge to the
miners the full support of the
American Federation of Labor and
appeal to the workers and citizen
: ship of our country to give like
endorsement and aid to the men
enqaaed in this momentuous
struggle"
The statement of the executive coun
ell. which members refused to inter
pret or discuss in any manner an
which is addressed to "Our Fellow
Citizens and to Our Fellow Workers,
follows:
The Statement.
'The executive council is of tn
opinion that the officers of the Unite
Mine Workers of America did every
, thting in their power TO avert thi
great industrial controversy. or a
the great industries in our countr!
there is none so dangerous to huma
life as the coal industry. The me
who GO down under the ground to di
coal are engaged in work more hazard
Gus than any other employment. Du
o consideration has never been given
: the danger surrounding the coal mir
- ers.
y There is no other class OF employ
e ment where each individual worker
Y: 50 isolated and in whose districi
u there is such lack of opportunity Il
social intercourse and enjoyment.
/ "The condition of the miner and h
family is such that he is practical
"a deprived. not only Of sunshine al
e fresh air, but to a certain extent he
81 depr1ved of the association and con
N panionship of all other human belni
10 outside Of his own class who are then
y selves engaged in the dangerous al
unhealthy occupation Of coal minln
! The miners suffer more than any 9th
III workers from periods of compulso
/ urenployment Authentic statistl
70 show that the miners have less thi
ro two hundred days of employment du
r ing each year. The wages of the mi
at ers. consequently, having to be spre'
over the entire year, are greatly t
~ duced as a result of the non -emplo
as ment existing in that industry.
IN Miners Pay High Prices
,h 'sThe high cost of living has presef
u ed itself in perhaps more serlo
en- form in isolated mining camps than
at large Industrial centers. There is US
as ally not the same opportunity for
ck miners in the mining camps to ma
al their purchases to. such advantage
elk is presented in other localities. Tn
ey isolation prevents this.
he "The United Mine Workers, in tn
n convention, held during the month
September in the city Of Clevelal