The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-10-07
|Labor-Capital
Lion and Lamb
Are Chummy
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Copyright BY The lntelligencer)

Butte. Mont Oct s.-And the lion and
the lamb shalt lie down together. That
is happening in the Butte mining Dis
trict and thereby hangs a tale so sign
fcant and far reaching in its import
snce that it may we'll command attcn-
'ion from coast 20 coast.
Capital and labor have often agreed
after a period OF warfare but what
makes the story here so fun OF mean
ing is the reason which has driven the1i
into each others arms.
For did you ever hear OF capital actu-
ally asking labor 70 organize union
Or did you ever hear ct Union organ
Izing 20 protect itself against those wHo
would squeeze hurdcnsomc monthly
dues out OF working men u support 4
strike thousand miles away WIN
which these same workers have had
nothing IN common?
Well, listen 10 the tale Of Butte. |:
will be interesting alike I" those who
mistakenly believe America Will be
emancipa,cd when the unions ara
crushed and il will be equally an ad-
monition 70 those labor leaders who
think ;he rank and tilc can be manipu-
lated by means o; the sympathetic
strike"
Tho 1914 Revolt
For years Rutte's miners were organ
lied. They were allied with the West
ern Federation OF Miners of which Moy-
er waS the chieftain. Employers here
about were hostile TO the unions aai
We're not displeased when in 1914. dus
20 differences with the aforesaid Meyer.
who was conducting 4 strike in another
mining region and extracting several
thousands OF dollars a month. In fact
assessments high as ten dollars
month per man. from Butte pay enrcl'
opes. The workers looked aSkance AZ
this drain and gradually revolted.
Naturally there was glee when the
miners union went 10 pieces-the COM
panics quietly encouraged Il all Blu:
what has happened since 1914? On he
heels OF the other leaders came SONG
thing worse-the |. W. VS. and ,ner
found this fertile district for their
exploitation. With the l. W. VS. cams
a Socialist mayor and for a time Butte
was in the hands OF the most radsc2l
elements in America. They preyed on
the working men. They called strika
TO suit their whims. Compared to tho
l. ". VS. the old union was Il tame
affair.
Blu, gradually in the last two years
the I. W. VS. have been driven ont.
The miners have developed leaders who
arc conservative and far-scetng. They
have conferred with representatives or
the mining companies and both sides
have agreed that state nf disorSau;Zl-
t!on is fraught with danger not only II
&c employers but more particularly L
the miners who become victimized aud
tcrrorized.
Endorse Organization
Even that is not all rnv companies
are running their mines at only SIXTY
per cent OF capacity. They are oft"~-
ing s+.iS per day but ran get no g
sponse from other parts of the country.
They have heard. however. that many
miners VIII" drit;"d away and took the
families with them when the |. w W.
troubles h"Sam would DC glad I" co'n.
back IL th-y c"iIld he assured ot pro.
lection against the radicals.
What they have learned in Butte IS
that Il you crush al form at urSani:4-
tion or II you attempt 10 c"ntro! a labor
organization YOU open 4 ned tor wo"Hs
trouble with the radical agltators. T.c
new union here is 10 be called the Bu.Jo
District independent Miners Union. The
leaders say they will not affiliate w:'h
Meyers Western Federation OF Miners
beCaus" that means outside dtctation. l,
Is true that there axe various other
crafts We'll organized here and affiliated
directly with the American Federation
rt Labor so the opposition is not aimed
at the American Federation Of I.a5o.
70 much as II * againS, the WeSte-,l
Federation Of Miners. and IL ia because
Of their experience with the latter that
The miners prefer TO function as an in.