The story of The United Mine Workers of America in Western Canada
 
The epitaph on Jospeh Mairs' tombstone remains a symbol for all Mineworkers, and the travesty that took his life was just one more injustice perpetrated on an innocent community by those with power, money, and political clout. The title of this book, The Noble Cause, was taken from his epitaph because Joseph Mairs symbolizes the miners' struggle for a meaningful and productive life free from the threat of death. Coal miners throughout Western Canada were enslaved by the mine owners; the struggle from the emancipation has been and continues to be Noble Cause.