The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 30, 1917, Page 9

The Patriotism of John D. Ryan Miss Rankin, Congresswoman From Montana, Demands Government Take Over the Mines ISS JEANETTE RANKIN, Montana's representative in -d congress, elected on the Re- (K554} publican ticket by an enorm- ———? ous vote last year, although the state otherwise went Democratie, is out with a demand that the govern- ment take over and operate for the benefit of the nation the holdings of the Anaconda Copper Mining company, commonly known as the Amalgamated or the Copper Trust. Miss Rankin has introduced in congress a resolution to give President Wilson the same powers ' to take' over metalliferous mines that he has already been given in the food control bill to take over coal mines. Miss Rankin, in a recent speech in congress, pointed out that the Copper Trust through its refusal to treat with working men who were on strike and _through its refusal to abolish its “rustling card” system, which operates as a blacklist against any working man who asks for better conditions, was cutting down its production of copper more than one-haif and was endanger- ing the safety of the nation, which needs the copper to prosecute the war. She placed the blame for this condition squarely upon the shoulders of John D. Ryan,, president of the trust, who has been honored with appointment as head of ‘the soldiers’ relief bureau of the Ameri¢an Red Cross. Ryan should have been patriotic, but he was not even courteous enough to reply to Miss Rankin. Sinee Miss Rankin made this speech the daily newspapers of Montana, nearly all controlled by .the _Copper trust, have made her the subject of at- tack and have been distorting her statements. When~ Miss Rankin ap- peared in Butte recently to investigate conditions, she was met by. thousands at the depot, but the mayor of Butte refused to allow a parade to be held in her honor. To show what g fair- minded, progressive investigator really thinks about the Montana situation, the speech of Miss Rankin, taken ver- batim from the Congressional Record, is presented herewith: HERE [S THE SPEECH AS RECORD SHOWS IT Mis Rankin's resolution was read by the clerk. Miss RANKIN. Mr. Speaker, I find in studying the powers that have been granted to the president to enable him to carry on the war, he has been given power to commandeer and operate prac- tically every industry that is engaged in supplying materials necessary for the conduct of the war. Among other things, he is given the power to take over and operate the coal mines, but nowhere has he been given the power to take over metalliferous mines. At this time copper, a metal essen;ial to the every-day life of people in every part of the civilized world, is a neces- sity in war, a basic necessity. Itis a necessity that we can not overlook at this time. You have been informed by the daily press that the copper mines i{n the West, in Arizona and Montana, have not been operating to their fullest capacity.” This is due to the fact that the mine owners and the mine workers have been unable to agree. The result has been an alarming decrease in'-the production of copper. According to the estimates of the Council of Nation- al Defense, theé production in Butte in July was only 12,000,000 pounds, while the normal output is 80,000,000 pounds & month. This disagreement has also meant a greal lawlessness. In Bisbee hundreds of men were deported'in com- plete contempt of law and order. In Butte a man was lynched by masked men. NOT A QUESTION OF WHOM WAS HANGED Mr. JOHNSON of Washington. Mr. Speaker, will the lady yield for & ques- tion? Miss RANKIN. Yes, Mr, JOHNSON of Washington, Did this man who was hanged belong to an organization which declares that it owes allegiance to no government? Miss RANKIN. I understand that he belonged to the organization known as the Industrial Workers of the World, if that is what the gentleman has in mind. ; Mr. JOHNSON of Washington. Is the lady familiar with the preamble and the basic law of that outfit? Miss RANKIN. Yes; but this is a question of lawlessness. It is not a question of whom they hanged. (Ap- plause.) i _ As our laws read today, there is no means for handling the situation. I While Montana farmers have increased their erop acreage to help this government the production of copper, which the government needs desperately, is being held down. ; because John D. Ryan, head of the Copper Trust, refuses to abolish an infamous “rustling card” system whereby he blacklists workers who seek to better their own conditions. . Rankin, Montana’s woman representative in congress, had courage enought to tell the b s i truth about conditions in Montana. Read what she says here. morning, when I received word that a man had been lynched. g “RUSTLING CARD” SYSTEM EXPOSED Then came more appeals for protec- tion. I tried to see the president, the department of labor, the department of justice, and, finally, the war depart- ment.. The only satisfaction I received- was in the war department, when I convinced them that the troops guard- ing the mines had been federalized, and therefore were under federal control. Then it was agreed that some investi- gation of the situation would be made. In a crisis of this kind, coming as it Miss Jeannette Rankin, congresswoman from Montana, who had the courage to tell congress that John D. Ryan, head of the Amalgamated and pretended patriot, was the man responsible for Montana conditions that threaten the safety of the entire nation. am advised that the president has no real power by which to act.’ ' There- fore I am introducing this resolution, Wwhich'I hope the committee will-have lrea.d}'7 to report to congress when the absent members return. ! I have tried by every means that'I ‘kiow of to get governmental machin- ery.in action to handle this deplorable situdtion in my state. I haye been kept in’ close touch with the situation in Butte. After the deportation occtirred in Bisbee I received telegrams from Butte asking for federal profection. I reported this to the department - of labor and was informed that the de- partment was doing all in its power to handle the situation through its repre- sentative, Mr. Rogefs. A week ago last night I received a telegram atmidnight saying that Mr. Rogers had left Butte, that no satisfactory settlement had been made, and that the people feared violence, and urged me to ask Secre- tary Wilson . for protection, I tele- phoned this message to the secretary at once. He asked me to see him the next day. I tried all the next day, until late in the evening, and was still trying see the secretary on Wednesday - be called a “white list.” does in time of ‘war, when all our at- tention should: be centered upon: the enemy and notion local difficulties, there should'be some effective means by which the'government would. be able to protect'itself against a decrease in necessary productiveness, and by which the people of each state would be guaranteed the protection by the ‘constitution; of the -United States. (Ap- plause.) Some explanation of the situation in Butte may be helpful at this time. Just before the outbreak of the Euro- pean war difficulties in - the Butte Miners’ Union resulted in the disrup- tion of the union, so that for the past three years the men have been work- ing in Butte mines practically. unor- ganized. For some years the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. has been using what'is called in Butte the “rustling- card system.” This rustling-card sys- tem is practically a blacklist on a na- tional scale, or perhaps it had better It works in this way: The Anaconda Copper Min- ing Co. has an employment bureau to which every miner must apply if he wishes a job. Here his record is in- vestigated, and if it is found that he PAGE NINE It is being held down Miss Jeanette has never complained of his working conditions, if he has a clean record as to unions—that is, if he is not what they call an agitator—or if he has” voted the right political ticket, he is given a rustling card. This card is in effect a permit, as we say in the West, “to rustle” for a job. The man who applies for work at any mine is first asked to show his rustling card. If he can not produce one, he is not hired. This rustling-card system has effec- tively discouraged the men from or= ganizing. It has pgevented them from demanding the enforcement. of laws .-requiring safety devices in the mines. It has caused them to hesitate to dis- cuss their grievances on the outside. The conditions of the mines have grown more and more unsafe. I have had heartbreaking letters from the wives of the miners saying that when their husbands went to work they never knew whether or not they would ever return, and that they lived in con- stant anxiety. On June 8, 160 men were burned to death in a fire in one mine. This was the climax, The men stopped work. JOHN D. RYAN IS MAN RESPONSIBLE The workers knew- that they would never be safé as long as the rustling- card system existed, For under that system every man who complained of conditions or reporl_d dangers or en- deavored to form an organization was laid off for one reason'or another, and it would be impossible for him to ob- tain work again in any mine in Mon- wana or elsewhere. This rustling-card system is opposed by every legitimate laber organization in my state and it is easy 0 see the necessity of abolish- “ing it. Mr. John D. Ryan, of New York, the president of the Anaconda Copper Min- ing Co., is the man responsible for this situation. You are probably all familiar with Mr. Ryan’s name in con- nection with his recent affiliation with the activities of the American Red Cross. If Mr. Ryan says the rustling- card system must be abolished, it will be. I have tried in vain to draw this fact to his attention, however. My telegrams have‘reached Mr. Ryan, but as yet I have received ne response. The question I wished to ask Mr. Ryan, whether at this time, considering the great needs of the country in war, he would agree to abolish the rustling- card system, to meet grievance commit- tées, and to recognize a union, a bona fide union, if it was organized. Telegrams today say that the condi- tions in Butte are as bad as ever. And on my own responsibility I am urging a measure which I hope may relieve the situation. : It was with regard to these same mines _that the newspapers some months ago were filled with the news of large government purchases of cop- per for the war. Through the patriotic efforts of some prominent men the government was able to secure copper for 16.67 cents a pound when the market price was 32 cents. At this price the government, purchased 50,- 000,000 pounds of copper, and later purchased 50,000,000 more, However, the companies refused to accept this same price, and they are now waiting for the committee on war purc es to say what they will pay. This inci- dent has received no publicity. But it is interesting to the American peopie to know that if the committee sets the price at the present market price of 28 cents, this one purchase will cost the government $6,600,000 more than the advertised price. Added to this, the copper ' interests have the advantage of not being'on the embargo list. Under these circumstances I believe it is imperative that the president of the United States, the commander in chief of the army, be given the power to take over the metalliferous mines and operate them for the benefit of the Nation, (Applause.) b