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information, but this must not be made public
until the results are published by the geological
survey.
7. Everyone interested in any particular test
or in the general operation of the plant is invited
to be present at any time, but the official
record of the test will not be given out except as
indicated in the preceding paragraph.
MITCHELL OPENS THE CAMPAIGN.
President John Mitchell, of the United Mine
Workers, has begun his campaign of strengthening
the anthracite miners' organization. The first
of 11 speeches to be delivered in the region was
made at Moosic on Sunday, June 4. Mitchell intimated
that the eight-hour day and a signed agreement
with the organization would be insisted
upon by the miners when the present agreement
expires on March 31, 1906. He said in part:
"The present agreement is the best you have
-ever had, but it is not good enough. We should
have the generally established short working day
of eight hours. Whether these things will come
next April or not is not for me to say; it is for
you. In the bituminous coal fields there are 350,-
000 miners working under an agreement between
the operators and the union, and enjoying the
eight-hour day. In nearly all the working crafts
the eight-hour day prevails. It is only fair to
expect that the anthracite miners should enjoy
the same beneficent conditions as tne bituminous
miners. What you get or fail to get depends
on yourselves. The anthracite coal operators are
no better or no worse than they were three years
ago. They don't like the union better or hate it
worse than they did three years ago. We will
be recognized if we deserve to be; we will be
fought if we deserve to be fought. If we have
only 60,000 members in the anthracite field, where
there are 150,000 mine workers, don't blame the
operators if they refuse to recognize us. I would
not do it myself."
Mitchell went into a declared recital of what the
United Mine Workers had done for the anthracite
miners and urged upon them too, that the only
way they could maintain their present condition
and hope to gain further betterments was in remaining
loyal to the United Mine Workers.
"I repeat," he said, "that the present agreement
is the best we ever had, but it is not good enough.
It Is unsatisfactory because it is not an agreement
with our union. There will never be peace in the
anthracite coal fields until regulated by an agreement.
I say in the interest of peace, in the interest
of ourselves and the operators, that it
would be better to meet every year or every two
years and make an agreement. There will be no
THE TEAM OWNERS REVIEW. 29
lasting peace in the anthracite region, as far as
I am concerned, until we have an eight-hour day.
We will insist on an eight-hour day in April. In
the bituminous fields we have the eight-hour day.
It is the recognized work day through the world
and it is only fair to ask that the miners of the
anthracite region get it. Whether we will get it
next April, when the award of the commission expires,
or whether it will take longer, I don't know,
but no matter how long it takes we will keep at
it until we get it.
"I want to ask the miners here who believe in
me, the men who beneve I have tried to do something
for them, and I want to also ask the women
who believe that I have tried to help ...eir hus
bands, brothers and other relatively working in the
mines, if they won't do something to better their
own conditions. I don't know how long I w...
be with you. It may be only a short time. However,
I want you to make your conditions better
and the only way to do it is to keep up your organization.
You can build it up to the highest by
putting forth your best efforts with that end in
view. The union will not grow by men staying
away and failing to pay their dues. Wages will
go up or they will go down, they won't remain
stationary. If you are not thoroughly organized
they will go down, if you have a perfect organiza
tion they will go up. What greater incentive is
there than to keep the organization up to the very
highest point? It behooves everyone of you,
therefore, to do your part for the success of the
union. The women also, can do much towards
keeping up the union and I appeal to them to use
their best endeavors to keep the men faithful to
the organization."
ILLINOIS MINERS ANSWER.
The United Mine Workers of Illinois, through
their state officers, filed a reply to the Illinois Coal
Operators' Association regarding the shot firers'
bill, the miners denying that their efforts, through
which the bill became a law, were a violation of
their contract and declining to bear or share the
increased cost of coal production. The reply
stated that if it could be shown after a fair trial
of the law that the enforcement of its provisions
either increased or failed to diminish the loss of
life in mines, or inflicted a hardship on mine
owners, the miners' representatives would meet
those of the operators for the purpose of settling
disputes. Further consideration will be given
the matter by the operators' association and it is
not improbable that a number of mines will be
closed on July 1, at which time the new law becomes
effective, until it can be ascertained what
its effect will be.