You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Sunday February 14, 1904
From The Indianapolis News: Negotiations on Wage Scale to Continue in Indianapolis
A wage conference will reconvene in Indianapolis on Monday to negotiate wages for the big central competitive field witch covers Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Western Pennsylvania.
The News reports:
Secretary-Treasurer W. B. Wilson, of the mine workers, who, also is secretary of the special conference committee, said today that it had practically been decided already not to bring the 557 miners' delegates from the locals in the four States nor the 350 accredited delegates on the operators s' side of the house, back to Indianapolis for the extra conference.
The call will likely be limited to the sixteen scale committeemen on each side. This is agreeable to the operators and the miners' officers have decided that it is not necessary for the miners' delegates to be brought to Indianapolis for the purpose of ratifying a settlement. By some this may be taken to mean that the miners' scale committeemen and officers will stand on their previous instructions and will refuse to make any concessions beyond those already made. The miners demand that the present contract be re-signed. The tone of conversations around the miners' national headquarters indicates that the miners have made their last concession and are ready for a general tie-up of the mines in the four districts on April 1. unless the operators come to their demands. The miners officers, however, refuse to talk about their attitude in the extra conference.
SOURCE
The Indianapolis News
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-of Feb 13, 1904
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Saturday February 14, 1914
From The Indianapolis Star: "Effort To Show Red Flag Behind Strike is Jeered"
Finnish Miner Asked If He Reads Tyomies
Lawyer for Michigan Companies, Asking Miner if He Is Member of Socialist Party, Is Howled Down By Audience at Congressional Hearing.
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Operators' Attorney Causes Hot Session, but Fails to Force Answer From Witness About Politics in Union.
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Hancock, Mich., Feb 13-Socialism was mentioned for the first time as a factor in the Michigan copper miners' strike situation today at the congressional hearing. In asking a witness if he was a member the Socialist society Allen F. Rees of Counsel for the mining companies encountered violent objection from the union attorneys, who asserted it was an effort to connect a political party with the present strike.
Chairman Taylor asked Mr. Rees his object in putting such a question, and the latter replied that the attitudes of the strikers would be shown later to have an important bearing on the refusal of the companies to recognize the Western Federation of Miners.
The witness, Gust Strenger, a Finn, refused to answer, and the committee decided that it would not compel him to do so.
"Do you understand that this committee is here for the purpose of the government taking over the mines?" Mr. Rees then asked.
Question Met by Howl.
A howl of derision from the audience, which was composed largely of strikers, caused Mr. Rees to exclaim above the din: "We expect to show that these miners went on strike with the understanding that if they remained out for three months they would be promised that the government would take over the mines."
"That statement is unqualifiedly wrong." shouted O. N. Hilton, counsel for the miners.
The committee decided that the witness need not answer the question if he insisted on standing on his constitutional rights. Mr. Rees then asked Strenger if he had not been told in the union, or if he had not read in the Finnish newspapers, that the government soon would take over mines. The witness replied in the negative.
Believes In Constitution
"Do you believe in constitutional government as we have it in this country?" asked Representative Switzer of Ohio, who joined the committee today.
"Of course," replied Strenger, "I have taken the oath of allegiance to it."
SOURCE
The Indianapolis Star
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-of Feb 14, 1914
See also:
Conditions in the Copper Mines of Michigan: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Mines and Mining, House of Representatives, Sixty-third Congress, Second Session, Pursuant to H. Res. 387, a Resolution Authorizing and Directing the Committee on Mines and Mining to Make an Investigation of the Conditions in the Copper Mines of Michigan.
-United States. Congress. House. Committee on Mines and Mining
U.S. Government Printing Office, 1914
Part I, p.1-520
http://books.google.com/...
Testimony for Feb 13 begins on page 342.
Strenger's testimony begins on page 384.
Strenger recalled on page 394.
These page numbers are of the actual investigation, not for the scroll bar.
Photo: Työmies Headline Dec 26, 1913
http://lawcha.org/...
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Friday February 14, 2014
My notes on House Investigation of Michigan Copper Mines
These are my own notes for the Feb 13th session where Rees and the other attorneys
for the mine operators attempted to "switch" (Hilton's word) the investigation from
mines and mining (as stated in the House Resolution) to the miners' political affiliations:
P.342
9 am Friday February 13, 1914
City Hall, Hancock, Michigan
Present:
Reps: Chairman Taylor, Casey, Howell, Switzer
Atts f/ Miners: Hilton, Kerr, LeGendre
Atts f/ Mine Ops: Rees, Robinson, Peterman, Hanchette, Lawton
Discussion regarding whether or not, and how much, other reports should be entered
into record of these hearings. Reports from: Commission on Industrial Relations,
Governor's report thru his rep (Murphy), Sec of Labor Wilson.
Hilton states that if WFM is to be investigated by the subcom, then so too should these be investigated: C&H along with all of its subsidiaries, the Citizens' Alliance, Truth, the Gazette.
Chairman will consult with other Reps and they will decide just how far investigation will go.
Hilton introduces more pay checks into record. Debate on peonage. Miners forced to
aid fund.
P.357
Testimony of Joseph Milelich of Mass City
working in mines 11 years, began as drill boy, then trammer, now miner,
one-man drill, men got canned for asking for full dinner hour, bad air, Croatian,
President of his local, men blacklisted
P.372
Testimony of Philip Marks of Greenland
family man, one-man drill, fired and blacklisted for asking for lunch hour,
4 step-children and 4 of his own,
P.384
Testimony of Gust Strenger (thru interpreter)
trammer, stemmer, miner, threatened with being fired if he kicked any more
about the one-man drill, house on leased land, Finnish, member of WFM,
prevented from voting by company,
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P.394
Afternoon Session
2 pm Friday 13, 1914
Rees introduces Mr. McCormick who has been employed by Houghton County Board of
Supervisors to represent the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Office.
Kerr raises "manner in which the board of supervisors speak.."
[Note: Neither the Board of Supervisors nor Sheriff Cruz were neutral in the
conflict, per Lehto and others.]
Testimony continued of Gust Strenger (thru interpreter)
after strike a fence was place across the road barring him from post office and
the school where his little boy goes, all the land around his farm is owned by the
mine company,
Rees want to know if he is a Socialist, & Chairman Taylor wonders
why Rees would ask this question. Rees claims that their "affiliations" shows
their attitude toward the companies.
Some argument between the attorneys & Reps about whether or not
the witness should be compelled to answer questions about his political
beliefs. Chair rules that he can answer if he wishes but will not be compelled to
answer. Rees continues badgering witness about "private property," and
"government taking over the mines," and Kerr objects. Rees claims that the WFM
has told the miners that if they strike, then the Government will take over the
mines. Hilton denies that statement.
Rees wants to know what the witness reads:
the Bulletin? Tyomies?
Rees asks if he is a member of the Finnish Socialist Society.
Chair instructs interpreter to tell him that he doesn't have to answer that question.
Rees badgers witness that he can speak English but is pretending not to.
P.409
Testimony of Ivar Rynanen, 18
miner, Hilton hands him a bundle of his pay checks, forced to shop at company
store, WFM member since age 16,
P.415
Testimony of Paul Waisanen (thru interpreter)
Rees complains that witness can "talk English" but Chair states his English is
broken English and testimony proceeds thru interpreter, too many men to a
skip, witnessed man killed in skip, when complaints are made told to go home if
don't like it, headaches from gassy mines,
P.422
Testimony of Harry Perryman
forced to buy Masonic pin, fired for refusing give the boss some of his ducks
P.432
Testimony of Jalmer Huhta (thru interpreter)
trammer: "It was impossible for a man to describe in words how hard that work is."
lives in company house, married with family
P.437
Testimony of Nick Polagyi (thru interpreter Morabbman) of Calumet
family man, trammer, hot in the mine and falling rock, mud and water a foot high,
developed cough and chest trouble, owns his home but on lease land,
[emphasis added]
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Fire in the Hole-Hazel Dickens
Stand up boys, let the bosses know
Turn your buckets over, turn your lanterns low
There's fire in our hearts and fire in our soul
but there ain't gonna be no fire in the hole
There ain't gonna be no fire in the hole.
-Hazel Dickens