to Colorado. He had hoped
that mining conditions would be much better in Colorado, but found
them even worse than they had been in Illinois. Unable to earn enough
to supply the bare necessities of life, the miners were suffering
hardship and want.

Thus surrounded by misery, John, though but a lad, found himself
trying to think out ways of helping these unfortunate men and their
families, for he could not believe that it was right for them to
suffer as they did.

Finally conditions in Colorado became so bad that John, then twenty
years of age, decided to return to Spring Valley, Illinois. Here, for
the first time in his life, he saw a labor union so conducted that it
was a force. The members of this union, all working men, met each week
and discussed matters that were of interest to all. After discussing
the topics they passed resolutions which they presented to the mine
owners. In this way they were able to secure better wages, shorter
hours of work, and safer mines in which to work.

In these labor meetings young Mitchell took an active part and soon
developed ability as a public speaker. From the first his advancement
in the ranks of organized labor was rapid, so rapid in fact that at
thirty we find Mitchell president of the United Mine Workers of
America. At the time he became president the organization had but
about forty thousand members, but under his skillful leadership it
grew until in 1908 its membership numbered over three hundred thousand
men. Mr. Mitchell is still in the prime of life and is one of our most
skillful and trusted labor leaders.

Better to appreciate the worth of the man, let us consider the
following tribute to him: "He chose to use this unusual ability for
the many rather than for himself alone. It seemed better to him that
many thousands should eat more and better bread each day than that he
should have for himself ease and luxury.

"Andrew Carnegie, beginning as John Mitchell did, in poverty and
ignorance, made himself one of the foremost men of his time in the
finance of the world. Behind him lies, as the result of his life work,
a better system of refining steel, innumerable libraries--his gifts,
and bearing his name,--a hundred millionaires and more--his one-time
lieutenants--and personal wealth so great as to tax his gigantic
intellect to find means for its expenditure.

"John Mitchell, in a life much shorter, leaves behind him not a better
system of refining steel, not a hundr