Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-05
KEYSTONE STRIKERS
NO MATERIAL CHANGE IN THE SITUATION ON THE READING.

OHttStN OtN iUVC nCfAOIlNOs The Miners Full of Fight and Confident
 of vIctory-The Company to Pursue 8
 Waiting Policy-Powderly Too III to
 Take an Active Part.
 PoTTSvILLE, Pa., Jan. 5.-In the SchuyI kill region there are twenty-eight lndl- vidual and forty four Philadelphia and Reading collieries in working order, besides a number of Lehigh collieries. Four of the company and eighteen of the individual concerns worked yesterday, the individuals paying the advance and the company con- tinuing the old scale. Most of the remaining eight individuals will grant the advance and start work in day or two. This will leave the Coal and Iron company to fight the labor battle alone. They accept the issue, and at meeting of the six coal and iron superin- tendents yesterday afternoon with Manager Whiting and Superintendent Veith it was decided to wait the return to work of their employees, and to give en- couragement and guarantee safety to all who want to be employed. Most of the individual collieries working con- tinue to ship over the Reading road. The company expects to start several other of its mines this week, and claims that there is no strike. At the office of the railroaders' committee it is said that the miners out in sympathy with them. At the miners headquarters it is declared that the strike is simply one of the wage question.
 "But will the miners cut coal to be handled by scab railroaders?" asked the reporter of prominent AmaIgamated man.
 That question will be considered when we have got this out of the way. I don't think that there is any disposition to com plicate matters" 7.
 The Schuylkill men fear that the Lehigh men will become disheartened and go back to work and bring ruin on the plans of the leaders. There is no doubt, also, that in the Lehigh region this strike has been used as a powerful lever. It has been pointed out to the more infential strikers there that, with supplies from the Schuylkill region cut off, the Lehigh men have no hope of sustaining the strike, and that if they will go to work they wil be treated with. A Lehigh official boasted that a few days would settle the strike there. Q
 At an informal meeting of business men of Pottsville last evening, it was suggested that a committee of prominent men of the county be appointed to meet MT. Corbin iD person at an early day, and endeavor to reach some conclusion to avoid the dire disaster of long strike in the Schuylkill region.
 SCRANTON, Jan. 5-John L. Lee and c. J. Farne, of the executive committee of the Reading strikers came to Scranton yester- day to put their case before General Master Workman Powderly, but he was not well enough to consifi,r the matter and it was referred to the general executive board at Philadelphia. MT. Powderly denied with strong emphasis that he had at any time ex- pressed an opinion adverse to the action of the strikers.
 PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 5.-The situation in the Reading railroad strike here is practi- caly unchanged, and the freight traffic, the various officials declare, is regular and un- impeded. All vacancies caused by the strike have been filled, and the company receives hundreds of applications every day from men desiring employment.
 Work is going on as usual at Port Rich mond, and no signs of strike are apparent. The office of General Freight and Shipping Agent Keim was besieged yesterday by throngs of idle men. They wanted work, and seemed eager and willing to do anything the general agent wished. The applications were received, but the men were told that the places of the strikers had been filled, and that no additional help was needed.
 President Corbin to-day issues an address to the miners ordering them back to work If they refuse he says their places will be filled by new men, who can be obtained in great numbers from other parts of the country.
 ELIzABETHPoRT, Jan 5.-The situation at the Reading coal docks here is practically unchanged. The company has a full com plement of new men, and several applicants for work have been refused.