The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-05-23
ID. x. HARRING.

Miners Refused their Request.
The conference between the miners
and operators took place at Queen
City Hotel, Cumberland, Saturday
last, resulting in the refusal of the
companies to accede to the request of
their employees. The operators pres
ent We're MeSsrs. S. S. Lee, Charles
f. Mayer, Hon. Lloyd Lowndes and
Andrew Spier. There were twenty
six miners present, including the
diggers and drivers. S. S. Lee,
chairman Of the operators commit
tee, opened the meeting. Hector
Cochrane, secretary and spokesman
of the miners, said SIN past years
difficulties have arisen, and the i'm
preston prevailed that the compa-
MES were trying to Cypress the men.
We are glad, therefore, to meet face
to face. We have laid before you
propositions which would be of ben
eft to the employees of your cOmpa-
nies.
First, advance from forty to fifty
cents per ton. There has been trou
bic and turmoil over this, and the
employees have been trying to prevent
further trouble. The miners ac-
guessed in December with the man
iiesto of the companies. Some, per-
haps, grumbled, but many thought it
best to 90 to work without resistance
and accepted the companies PROPOSE
ton. What we desire is to receive a
living, and forty cents does not pro
vide this. | hope it will he looked
upon calmly and CONSIDERABLY, and
that the meeting will adjourn in the
same good faith as commenced. No
doubt, competition of regions will be
urged as argument. We thought it
wise to ask the conference to see if
the matter could not be adjusted.
We do not want you to understand
that a strike is threatened, for such Is
not the case. We wish the past 80 he
lost sight of, and for capital and la
Dor to go hand in hand together
We want Il fair remuneration if you
can give it," COchrane then discuss.
ed the ten hours per day, the reduc-
ton in Smithing from one cent to
one half cent per ton, and closed by
referring 10 the Semi-mOnthIy pay
ments. Quite number of the dele
gates discussed each proposition as ii
came up. Joseph Thomas said :
The price of the coal in market does
lOt bring 10 here to-day, but the
poverty among ourselves. Our wa
gps will not average thirty-fve or
forty dollars per mOnth. We are
compelled to work too long"
Charles F. Mayer replied on the
part Of the operators, and said 4: "We
haye listened with great zeal of in
tere-t to everything that has been
said. We agree fully with Mr.
Cochran that it is desirable the men
and the companies come face to face
to discuss matters Of interest to them
| don't propose to discuss the adj
vance at any length, because l have
too much respect for the good sense
and intelligence of the majority o.
our men to suppose for a moment
they believe it is possible for us t.
make it, nor do | believe they eX
pect it. They cannot fail to be in
formed as to the present extreme de
pressed condition of our trade In
common with almost every other in'
dustry in the country. They know
well the severe competition we have
had witt the Clearfied region fol
some years past, and that while we
are now paying the same rates o.
wages aS they 30 in Clarified, the
Clearfipld operator has from severa
auSes a lower cost of production thar
we have" They cannot fail to know
that in addition to this old cOmpeti
ton we have this year two new anC
active competitors, viz: Bpacf
Creek Goals, in Pennsylvania, and
the POcahontas GOALS. of Virginia
and that thaIy hova takpn from on
region already some very valuable
trade, notably the contract of thu
! New York Central Railroad, which