The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-10-29
MINERS PRESENT
PLkN:T0 SETTLE
v IVA. TROUBLE
Put Proposition Squale|y Up to
Mine. Owners, Senate Com
nittee 10 Mediate.
CONTINUED from page one.)

on IueAF own terms, WHICH 1AcdAS
that they win insist upon the contin-
uance. Of the policy that has caused
all the trouble. Their manageme nt
Of the coal industry in this State has
resulted in q breakdown, but never
:heless they purpose to make no change
in their methods.
Not Against Owners.
'SGhe United Mine Workers Of
America have no desire to injure the
operators, for they realize that funda-
mentally the interests of the operators
and Of the: mine workers are identical.
They respect the right Of the operators
to organize. but on the other hand
they insist that the operators must re-
spect the right of the mine workers
to organize: without being subjected
10 discrimination.
1--WE say to the operators, Come.
let us reason together!' There is no.
thing radical or revolutionary about
that. We know that this controversy
will never be settled until it is ap-
preached in spirit of common coun-
sell cooperation and good faith, and
we are now, and always have been,
willing to meet them half way in that
spirit.
progress in industrial relations is
defined in terms of betterment-to
change from a given condition to q
better condition. That has been The
keynote Of the union labor moveme nt
from its very beginning. We have
progressed in the coal mining industry
until outside this West Virginia dis
trict it is 80 per cent organized.
1T our cause were not just, If our
purpose were not honorable, If what
we do were not consistent with the
public welfare. we would never have
been permitted to make the progress
We have made.
>. Do Seek Control.
1--WE do not seek control the coal
industry but we do demand a voice
in its control. Advocates of the Gary
lied open shop movement have taken
az their slogan. Those who pay should
have the say That means gonig back
to, the dark ages when might made
right. Today the whole world knows
that might does not make right, but
that. right makes might, and we be-
ieve- that we arc fundamentally aud
eternally right.
1--WE say that the men who go down
into the bowels Of the earth, hazard
their lives and endure the hardships
Of the miner pay just as much to
make tho coal industry what 1t is as
do, the, operators who sit in comforta-
blea offices and risk nothing but
their dollars. and therefore we in
stst. upon our right to have a. part OF
the say as to the conditions under
which tho industry shall be operated.
Not to Tear Down.
We come here. not to tear down,
but to- build up: we are not destruc-
tive. II our proposal. our plan is
not: good. we have no ultimatum to
serve on the President of the United
States, on this Committee or on any
one else' put We challenge the opera
tory to submit a better plan!
Our organization stands for indus
trial peace, the judicial settlement of
industrial disputes, the stabilizine of
conditions Of employment, and for the
coAhnuity and acceleration Of produc-
ton.
The operators have nothing to Of
Ter except arbitrary action and indus.
trial autocracy. They constitute an
autocratic. industrial oligarchy. The
fruits Of their policy are Industrial
and civil warfare. If their policies
were applied on a more general scale,
they would be followed by industrial
and political chaos.
The Miners Position.
turning now from constructive
proposals for the settlement of this
dePlorabls condition of affairs and
feEsrring to conditions which nave
actually developed as to which YOU,
Comm1ttee is seeking concrete infor.
nation, our position Is as follows:
r. It Is our contention at the out
set that the problem in West Virginia
10 not q question of unionism versus
non-hnionism. but Is a question of The
estebhshment. acceptance and obser.
vance Of certain fundamental prin.
e1ples and pratices which are essential
to peace and orderly progress in al
industry:
e.. We shall show that the miner.
OF West Virginia have been denied
tho rfeht of collective bargaining, thu
right to organize in lawful trade
unions the right to engage in legiti.
mate trade union activities, the right
OF free speech. the right of free rs
semblege and the right to travel upor
public highways when and where the,
please.
Miners Shot Down.
y. We shall show that thew rav,
been. intimidated, coerced. maltreate{
and shot down by armed guards ani
private detectives employed by tn,
mino operators.
-: We shall show that deput,
sl1tfiffs, presumed to be public Off
ciah. employed in the interest Of til,
whole public, have in fact drawn thei
pay from mine operators, a single
association Of operators having ex
pended for this purpose a sum In ex
cees Of: $4,000 in one year.
"6.y. We shall show that the relar,o,
Of thu miners to their EMPLOYERS ha
BY. judicial decision or interpreta;io,
been, established as that of servan
to master, and that under such deei
sion miners and their families hav
been eyicted from their homes withou