You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Wednesday August 17, 1904
From The Atlanta Constitution: Report on U. M. W. of A. in Birmingham
From yesterday's Constitution:
"OPEN SHOP" MINE STARTED
----------
Third of the Kind Opened up in the Birmingham District.
Birmingham, Ala., August 15.-The Coalburg coal mines of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Company were opened up this morning after an idleness since July 11, but no statement is made as to the number of men employed there. This is the third "open shop" mine which this company has started since its announcement last week that it would have no further dealings with the miners' union. The same company has also put 400 additional coke ovens into blast. The attitude of the negro members of the United Mine Workers of America is giving both the leaders of the strike and the operators some concern. The membership of colored miners in the union is very large and so far the negroes as a body have been standing firm along with the white strikers. It is now said that the colored miners are advising the negroes to return to work. Officials of the miners' union say that the colored members will not heed this advice. They also declare that the strikers as a body will not yield. It is said that a considerable number of laborers will be brought into the district this week to take the places of strikers.
From The Indianapolis News of August 16th:
MINERS' STRIKE IN THE SOUTH IS THREATENED
----------
MEETING IN THIS CITY WILL DECIDE MATTER.
----------
WILSON'S EFFORTS FUTILE
----------
A meeting of the national executive board of the United Mine Workers of America, called for August 23, to be held at the national offices of the Mine Workers in this city, may decide whether or not 12,000 coal miners in Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky will strike on the 1st September.
Secretary W. B. Wilson, of the Mine Workers, has returned from Knoxville, Tenn., where he attended a joint meeting of miners and operators, called to fix a wage scale to take the place of the present scale, which will expire September 1. Although the convention was in session for a week and a half, no agreement was reached. And the meeting adjourned subject to a call for another session at the solicitation of either side.
If no agreement is reached before September 1 the miners will strike. The locals of the Mine Workers' organization concerned comprise district No.19, and the number of men that would be involved in a strike is about 12,000.
In the hope of averting trouble in the district, by finding a satisfactory solution of the questions at issue before September 1, the meeting of the executive board has been called for August 23. The board consists of the national president, vice-president and secretary, and one representative from each one of the twenty districts comprising the membership of the Mine Workers.
President Mitchell will not be at the meeting, but probably will be on the Atlantic on his return to this country at that time. He has been spending several months in Europe, but will sail for the United states, probably from Cherbourg, France, August 20.
----------
SOURCES
The Atlanta Constitution
(Atlanta, Georgia)
-of Aug 16, 1904
http://www.newspapers.com/...
The Indianapolis News
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-Aug 16, 1904
http://www.newspapers.com/...
IMAGE
African-American Mine Workers
(photo used here to represent the
African-American members of UMW who
were on strike with their white brothers
in Birmingham of 1904.)
http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/...
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Uploaded by:
Hellraisers Journal is on vacation!
Hellraisers will be on a vacation of sorts until September 22nd, and will appear in abbreviated form until that date (JayRaye will be here at DK until the end of August). A complete vacation is not possible since the ruling class never took a vacation from their suppression and oppression of the working class.
There are no limits to which powers of privilege
will not go to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
----------