Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-02
OUT FOR EIGHT HOURS.
The United Mine Workers Give the
Operators Another Surprise.
A LOCAL FIRM GRANTS 92 CENTS.
Secretary Hall Says He Will Hold Out Until
Next Nav
NON-UNIOy PRINTERS COMING HERE


hours. This action has not been definitely
decided upon, but member of the General
Executive Board intimated before leaving
Pittsburg on "Wednesday evening that such
proposition would come before their meet
ing in Columbus, and that in all probability
the miners of the three States would be
ordered out before the end of the week.
The following telegram received from
Columbus last night explains the situation:
The National Executive Board of the
United Mine Workers began their quarterly
| session to-day. The members came here
| from the convention of river miners In the
| Pittsburg district. The board was in
| executive session all day, and had un-
der consideration the eight-hour question.
The eight-hour day was to have been In
forced May !, but for various reasons was
| declared off for n time. 1t was stated then
that the craft had not receded from its posi-
| tlon regarding the advantages of the eight
| hour day, but it had been postponed to be
taken mp at some later date. 1t is believed
| that the time deemed opportune for demand
! ing an eight-hour day in the mines through
out the country is very close, and that the
| present conference will definitely settle the
| date. This is strengthened by the fact that
! the board will, before adj djournment, have re-
ports from every District President in the
! country regarding the. situation, as they
| have all been summoned to appear here
oaIuru;ly ana meet the Board Tor instruction.
ON THE STILL HUNT PLAN.
| 1t was learned last night that the officials
| of the United Mine Workers have been
| working on this matter continuously since
| May l, and while the operators and all
others concerned were resting easy, on the
| assumption that the miners would not be
| heard from for ut least year, the officers in
| every district where the organization is rep
| resented were gathering statistics and in
ffnn linz ttor
| condition of the coal trade. All the time
| there were reports of chickering's and inter-
nal wrangling among the miners, and while
the operators were being thrown OF their
| guard by rumors that the miners were
| suming n disorganized condition, they were
on the other hand drawing up their lines
| and unifying their forces for n crisis that
seems to have arrived.
About three weeks ago, Mr.. Rea was
| quoted in an interview in THE DISPATCH that
| the miners would not wait on the Fedora
tion to dictate to them again when they
should make move for shorter hours. He
also said at that time that when the
miners would get. ready to act the
operators would not have such long notice,
or be given so much time as they had last
spring in which to prepare to meet the de-
mands. His prophecy has already come true
in respect to the Pittsburg district, and the
indications are that other operators are to
be taken on short notice, just as the Pitts
burg men were.
w. A. Carney, First Vice President of the
Federation of Labor, said yesterday that
Mr.. Rae should not criticise the methods of
the Federation, because the miners repre-
sentatives had requested that they be de-
signated to make the eight-hour fight on
May ], 1891.
BANKING ON THE GOOD OUTLOOK.
:"The whole thing sums itself up to this"
said another labor official. "The miners feel
that they have q good chance to win. The
outlook is for good fall and winter trade
in the coal business, and the operators can't
afford to lose it. They won't lose it, that's
all. The gas is declining and people must
have coal. II the miners all strike the Oper-
ators will be compelled to pay the price. OF
course, the consumer will eventually pay it.
1t won't make any difference to the oper-
ntor."
The local strike occurred yesterday as
predicted, and although all the men are not
out the district officers claim they will be
by to-day or tomorrow. President Costello
and Secretary McQuaid took up headquar-
ters ut &C Third avenue yesterday, and were
busy oil day receiving reports from the va
riOus mines.
"They want us to furnish names, do they?"
said Mr.. McQuaid, in Answer to the state
ment made by the operators to the effect
where there were any grievances, the
operators would be brought before
the Arbitration Committee, and If his
books showed that the miners were enti-
tied TO an advance they would be compelled
to pay it. 1--WE don't want to see their
books. They don't prove anything. We
know what they get for coal, but that don't
prove anything. If the operators sell their
coal for cents and let the dealers sell it for
g. and 10, that is none OF our business.
There are operators who are not paying the
price. They go into the market and cut
each other down to nothing and then take
1t off the miners, and if they must have
names we can furnish them. Alexander
Dcmpster, +. J.. Robbins and Cook & Sons
head the list, and without mentioning any
more you can just say that all the operators
on the Panhandle road are in the same class.
Now, these gentlemen can make whatever
explanation they desire, but we have the
figures"
WHAT THE OPERATORS SAY.
When Mr.. Hall was seen yesterday he in
sisted that the operators wanted to be fair
in their treatment of the miners. They want
to live up to the agreement of May in every |
particular, and if the miners can prove any |
of their claims the arbitration committee
will see that Justice is done to all concerned. |
81 have been misrepresented." said he, "in |
one or two things. The operators are not in |
u bad predicament We want to stand by |
the present agreement, and will |
stand by it, whether our mines
are operated or not. We cannot afford to
grant the advance asked for and we will not
do so. We would not even give the cents
that has been mentioned because we could |
not do SO without violating the agreement.
Some of the miners have refused to go out
on strike considering that their honor is ut |
stake and they cannot strike. Why, Mr.. |
Rae admitted at our conference Wednesday |
that he considered the agreement as bind |
ing as if it had been signed and how he can
countenance the action now is more than 1
can understand"
"If the miners of Ohio, Indiana and Illi-
nois ask for eight hours and get it, would
the Pennsylvania operators then be placed
on u plane of equality with them, such as
would enable them to grant the demand for
% cents?"
mo; because VIC have nothing to do with
those States we have cut away from the
in terState agreement entirely. believe if
this thing is to continue much longer it will
have the effect of making each operator
settle with his men individually"
SOME MEN TO WORK TO-DAY.
Henry FIoersheim granted the demands of
the miners yesterday, and his men will be
Mt work to-day. Mr.. Floersheim said ycster-
day that his contracts were made under the
70 cent agreement, but he would stand the
loss on his present contructs in order to con-
Ing of operators to-day. There is quite
4 feeling among some of them and
the indications are that some of them will
wear war paint to the meeting. The follow
ing was received from West Newton last
night: 'HFhe miners of the Yough district
will hold u mass meeting on Saturday, Mt
Scott Haven, to act Oh the 13cent advance
.sked by the PittsDurg district. The general
view OF all the mines is that the PiItsburg
advance will be insisted upon. At the mines
It bravo 200 men went ont this morning."
Waiting on an Absentee.
Captain Alfred T. Hunt, the Pennsylvania
member of the Council or Engineering Com |