Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731

Even then he was ill a good deal frequently. He was a man who was laboring under some strong illness, and I think probably a good deal of nervous strain which today would have been analyzed and named. We didn't have any name for it then, except that he showed the burden of his life. He showed the marks of the burden he had borne all his life. He had been through the most bitter, bitter battles of the mine workers. He was reversed by the mine workers as though he were a saint. I never saw anything like the reverence they had for him. It was different from the enthusiastic support of a great leader who had won them high wages and so forth. It was a very deep reverence, based a good deal on his character, on his total unselfishness, his courage and his bravery in great emergencies, personal physical bravery as well as personal moral courage and willingness to stand up, speak his mind and speak for them.

He came into a great deal of national prominence at the time of a coal strike during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. He talked about that frequently. That was his great hour. That was what had made him a national figure. Up until that time he had merely been a leader of mine workers. This coal strike was one of the first times when you have the picture of the intervention of the federal government and of the President in particular in a purely local ruction. Ordinarily those things were just left alone. They went on until somebody gave up. Why Theodore Roosevelt intervened I shall never know, but he did. The coal strike had been long and hard and the men were not giving up - just not giving up. It had been going on and on. I forget how many weeks it had been going on before the President appointed the Commission on which