Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-24
WAR ON WATCHORN.
John Mcbride Issues an Address to
the Miners of the Country.
THE KNIGHTS ARE OF NO USE.
Each District of the New Union Must
Arrange Matters Itself.
ALL THE NEWS FROM NEARBY TOWNS
ESPECIAL rrLEeRAM 10 THE p1srAroH.,

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l
COLUMBUS, April pa circular was
issued this afternoon by John Mcbride,
President of the Miners Progressive Union,
addressed to the miners of the United
States. 1t sets forth the attitude of that or
ganization as relates to the recent abortive
attempt to secure scale of prices through
joint action with the operators, and the re-
sponsibility for the subsequent steps that
have been taken. Mr.. Mcbride regrets the
failure of the joint conventions to establish
rates, because it threatened to disrupt the
harmonious relations between the employers
ana employees. He then refers to the offer OF
the summer rates of last years scale by the
miners and the offer of cent reduction by
the operators; the subsequent offer by the
operators of 215 cent reduction, and his ad-
wee that it be accepted, and the action at the
PlttsburG meeting.
He says this ended the matter so far as the
National Progressive Union was concerned,
and no interstate agreement has been made
or recognized by it. Mr.. Mcbride reviews the
joint convention held at Pittsburg April TO-
and says shat although the knights OF LABOR
delegates were told by the operators that they
would not recognize their organization, only
one of them had the manhood to insist upon
such recognition, and he was ruled out by the
Chairman.
HITTING The hNlOhlo.
He also SAYS that two of the knights OF
Labor delegates were not miners one of them
being school teacher and the other a lumber
yard employe The knights of Labor dele
gates agreed to accept the reduction proposed
by the operators although they knew that the
miners of the Pittsburg district had decided
TO accept no reduction, and that the Pro
gressive Union delegates from Ohio and Pitts
burg districts had rejected the offer. Mr.. Nc
Bride criticiSeg the EXPRESSED willingness OF
John B. Rea and Robert WatchOrn to accept
summer rates. though they had denounced the
Progressive Union for voting for them.
He denounces as false the statements of those
gentlemen that the officers of the National Pro
gressive Union had advised the acceptance of
a ~ and scent reduction; that delegates came
instructed to accept the former, and that the
Pennsylvania delegates were outvOted. He
saws the operators of the Ohio and Pittsburg
districts had been dealing with the National
Progressive Union, and had submitted the ~
cents reduction to their miners through that
organization, and that had it been accepted the
operators OF both districts, being alike inter
ested in the lake trade, would have received
the same consideration and treatment.
Rea and Watchorn, he says, and their follow
ing should have done as the Ohio delegation
did. refuse to accept the operators proposition
without the consent of the Pittsburg miners.
But, says he they have been playing the part
of demagogues. They consented to ignore
their organization and treat with operators as
individuals or non-union men, which he de-
claIes disgrace to organized labor.
COMPLEX CONDITIONS.
Mr.. Mcbride says that miners officials are
supposed to know concerning the complex con-
dition of the coal trade, and to be better in
formed as to the organized and financial condi-
ton of the miners in the different districts that
compete with each other than are the miners
who work day after day in the mines. 1t is for
this reason they are required to advise and di-
rect and the official who remains silent when
his advice is needed, simply because he fears
criticism, is unworthy the confidence and sup
port Of honest men.
He says that in his circular of April he ad-
vised his organization ito accept the 215cent
reduction, not because more coal would be
mined and sold: not because either you or your
employers would be directly benefited by the
reduction, but because the amount involved
was so small that it was not worth risking the
destruction of the peaceful and harmonious
relations with employers, and the methods of
arbit alton and conciliation which had worked
so successfully and benefciaily during the last
three years. and through which strikes, with
their consequent hardships to miners and their
families, had been avoided"
Mr.. Mcbride gives further reasons for ad-
vlsing the acceptance of that proposition, men,
uoning the fact of miners working at lower
rates in the Pittsburg district aud adds: II
also said when advising you to accept that the
operators proposition was almost equivalent
to the summer rate of 60 cents in Hooking and
"A cents in Pittsburg fields. The evidence in
my possession proves this. There is almost
three-tfths of the entire production of the two
the balance during the winter. The miners
averaged less than 500 tons each last year.
Upon that basis each miner produced 300 tons
in the summer. This at a reduction of 30
cents means a loss OF 81 so.
THE FIGURES FOR IT.
During the winter each miner produced 200
tons. At an advance of - cents over summer
rates this gives gam of S.. The difference in
the years work gives a loss to
each miner of g So or p cent
per ton upon the 500 tons mined. 1 again
say this amount is too small to stand in the |
way of a peaceful settlement, and that it would |
have been better had you allowed your desires |
TO bend to this moderate demand than to risk |
having your will broken and your prices fur |
ther reduced by conflict with your employers. |
May ends the present scale, and unless each /
district now takes such action as is needed to /
enable their miners to understand each other |
and work together, our failure to secure an |
agreed price for the coming year will divide our |
forces, and division of itself means loss.
The district Presidents should either have |
their executive board map out a course to pur-
sue, or call district conventions to decide No l
dependence can be put in the pledges and |
promises of the officers and members of n. D. |
A. i35. We were 10th to believe that any of /
them had offered to work at prices lower than
the National Progressive Union would agree to.
as they were charged with having done by
Mr. Perry and other operators of Indiana, but /
since other developments have been made in
the same line, am inclined to believe them