Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-11
A GIGANTIC STRIKE.
Seventy-Five Thousand Miners Ex.
pected to Go Out Next Spring.
M'BRYDE AFTER THE OPERATORS.
Glass Manufacturers Meet to Form Their
Tableware Trust.
THE COMBINATION is NOW ASSURED

Patrick McBryde, ex-Secretary of the
Miners National Progressive Union and
member of the Executive Board of the
United Miners-the new organization-is in
the city for the purpose of making the ar
rangements for the annual conference with
the operators. He arrived in town yester-
day, and will be in this vicinity for a week
or more. His presence will be the means of
inaugurating the annual scale trouble, and
this year sensational developments are
looked for. Mr.. McBryde says unless the
operators of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois come together and sign the
scale, the greatest coal miners strike ever
seen in this country will take place. 1t
makes no difference whether the Pittsburg
operators are willing to grant the advance
or not. The four States must act together,
or shutdown will be called BY the miners
representatives. This will throw $4,000
miners idle.
WESTERN OPERATORS DON'T CARE.
On account of the failure of one of the
strikes and the partial success of the other
in Illinois and Indiana, the operators hav-
ing gained victory and not caring whether
they run their mines with union or nom
union men, they have given notice in sort
of way that they will not confer with the
miners committee. In past years it has
been the custom to settle the rate of wages
for the miners in the four States at meet
ing of what was called the Interstate
Board. Mr.. McBrvde is Secretary and
Alexander Dempster, of this city, President
of the board. Whenever a difference of
opinion arose in regard to ditferential
rate in certain localities, this was generally
settled by making the price lower in these
localities The operators in Indiana and
Illinois ignored the scale by forcing reduc-
ton. 1t took them five months in one case
and seven in the other to do it. Now they
will not confer in regard to next years
scale.
AT the joint convention of the N. P. q.
and K. of L. miners in Columbus, Secretary
MeBryde was elected member of the Ex-
executive Board, and ordered to make the
preliminary arrangements with the Pitts
burg operators. The present scale, which is
73 cents per ton for mining, expires about
April 80, and unless new scale is made by
May 1, the
MINERS WILL QUIT WORK.
Invitations will be sent to the operators
in Indiana and Illinois to attend the inter-
State conference If they are not present no
conference will be held. The Pittsburg
operators may think this is taking an unfair
advantage of them by making them suffer
for what the Illinois and Indiana operators
are to be blamed. This, it is claimed, can
not be helped, as it is the only way the
united miners have at their command to get
the Indiana and Illinois people to pay
higher wages. 1t is expected that the in
fuence of the Pittsburg operators will have
enough effect on the others to make them
come within the fold. The officials of the
miners are sorry they did not try this means
of forcing settlement of the strike in the
two States. In speaking OF the matter, Mr..
McBryde said:
my instructions are that unless the oper-
ators in Indiana and Illinois attend the in
ter-State conference and grant the advance,
no conference will be held. / am now in
with the Pittsburg employ
ers in regard to our annual meeting. If the
Western operators refuse to treat with us,
we will refuse to treat with the employers in
Pennsylvania and Ohio. In the event of
their refusing to attend our conference with
the operators in the two latter States, we
Will sHuI UOhA CNSI MluO VIC SdH III L SAA-
sylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
AN ARMY ON STRIKE.
"This would put 70, 900 men on strike. OF
course there is not one-half of this number
Of men organized; but it is not necessary for
them TO be in any organization. If we have
ten union men in mine we can control that
mine. The non-union men always work in
sympathy with the others. They obey the
of the union and act with US in
Consequently it would be an
EASY matter to call them out. If this had |
been done in the last strikes in Indiana we
would not have lost them.
cat the Columbus convention it was de- |
,ided to ask for an increase from 73 to go |
cents and we either get the advance from
or we do not get it all"
"Was not seventeen cents big jump"
lueried the reporter.
mo, not exactly" was the reply. "If |
we have to fight we might as well fight for a |
whole loaf as halt loaf
mo, 1 don't think the operators will |
close down their mines on account of not |
getting better railroad rates"
Several operators were seen but they. said |
he conference was so far ahead that they |
would not talk about it.
Mr.. McBryde will go to Mcdonald sta
ion tomorrow night and address the miners |
here. He will hold meetings at various
points along the Panhandle road and thinks |