into a publicly recognized agency in the management
of industry and declared by implication that the role of unionism ended
with a presentation of grievances and complaints.

For ten years after the strike of 1902 the union failed to develop the
strength in the anthracite field which many believed would follow.
Certain proof of the weakness of the union is furnished by the fact that
the wage-scale in that field remained stationary until 1912 despite a
rising cost of living. The wages of the anthracite miners in 1912 were
slightly higher than in 1902, because coal prices had increased and the
Anthracite Coal Strike Commission had reestablished a sliding scale
system of tonnage rates.

A great weakness, while the union still struggled for existence, was the
lack of the "check-off." Membership would swell immediately before the
expiration of the agreement but diminish with restoration of quiet. With
no immediate outlook for a strike the Slav and Italian miners refused to
pay union dues. The original award was to be in force until April 1,
1906. In June, 1905, the union membership was less than 39,000. But by
April 1, 1906, one-half of the miners were in the union. A month's
suspension of operations followed. Early in May the union and the
operators reached an agreement to leave the award of the Anthracite Coal
Strike Commission in force for another three years.

The following three years brought a duplication of the developments of
1903-1906. Again membership fell off only to return in the spring of
1909. Again the union demanded formal recognition, and again it was
refused. Again the original award was extended for three more years.

In the winter of 1912, when the time for renewing the agreement again
drew near, the entire membership in the three anthracite districts was
slightly above 29,000. Nevertheless, the union demanded a twenty percent
raise, a complete recognition of the union, the check-off, and yearly
agreements, in addition to a more expeditious system of settling local
grievances to replace the slow and cumbersome joint arbitration boards
provided by the award of the Commission. A strike of 180,000 anthracite
miners followed on April 1, 1912, during which the operators made no
attempt to run their mines. The strike ended within a month on the basis
of the abolition of the sliding scale, a wage increase of approximately
10 percent, and a revision of the arbitration machinery in local
disputes. This was coup