The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-11-06
President Cummiskey Talks of the
Plans and Intentions of the Men.
Operators and Dealers Create Scare About
q Coal Famine and Then Advance
Prices on All Grades of Goals.
THE B1rumINous MINERS.


They Decide to Strike. and VIII, Likely Be
Joined by the Block Coal Men.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Nov. 5.-As was ex.
pected. the State convention of bitum-
inous miners has decided In favor of a
strike. This decision was reached at
o'clock this afternoon. and means that 600
miners in the State. including oil the i'm
portant mines except those at Evansville.
will join IN the demand for higher prices
for mining made by the black-coal miners
on the first of the month. President Cum
mesky, of district No. II, which includes
all of Indiana, said this evening that the
action OF the convention was by unani-
nous vote. and that it was based on the
action of local assemblies held yesterday,
last night. and to-day. When the conven-
sent to the local assemblies 70 vote
on the question of insisting on
the payment of scale wages, which. the
miners say. was agreed to by operators and
miners at Columbus O., and which is 70
cents for bituminous and IS cents for block
coal mining instead of 20 and Is cents. now
being paid.
Mr. Cummesly says the bituminous
miners were coerced last spring into agree
ing to work for a year at 20 cents, and that
wherever bituminous miners signed con-
tracts it was done under protest. When
the block-coal miners decided they would
strike for SIS cents if the bituminous miners
would join them 1t was deemed the time
had arrived to enforce the scale. "The
market Is just about empty" said
be- land no coal will be furnished by us
until our demands are granted" Mr.. Cum
mesky said that several matters had been
discussed informally among the delegates.
including the subjects OF weighing, quality
of powder. supplies, time OF paying OF, and
compelling miners to trade at company
stores. Strict orders were given that every
endeayor should be used to prevent viola
tions of the State law in ntheseregards. The
president explained that open methods
were not employed to compel the men to
that equally effective measures were
resorted to, especially in the
block-coal region. Here. he stated,
1t was as easy to dig five tons of coal
in one place as two In another. If the
miner was tractable he was allowed o good
worst they could give him. ALI these mat
ters he said, were being looked after by
the miners, and should have their full share
of attention betimes.
) President Rae. - the national organiza-
tion, was expected here to-day, but tele-
graphed that he could not come. 1t is
known that he and Secretary Mcbride
are opposed to the strike, but
Mr.. Cummesky saws be is confident
the Indiana action will be indorsed and
that the strikers will receive aid from the
national organization. When asked If the
operators would be requested to pay the
scale rate, he said not, but that tho dele
gates returning to their homes would ex-
plain to the local assen lilies that the men
are to remain away IA the mines until
the operators agreed to pay the scale, and
so notified them.
In talk with President Talley, OF the
State Association of Bituminous Operators,
he said that he had not. az yet, called q
meeting of the operators, but would do so
soon. The attitude of the operators seems
to be one of waiting for developments. to
give the men all the rope they wanted at
present" as an operator expressed it. The
operators reason out their conclusions in
the matter this way: The block-coal
o strike alone. as was demonstrated In the
last long strike. Therefore. they began
working on the bituminous miners by tell
ing them that If the rates of 20 cents and 75
cents were allowed to stand through the
winter the bItuminous operators would in
sist on q lower scale next May, to restore
the former difference of 10 cents and Is
cents between bituminous and block coai
mining. consequently the bituminous men
would better try to restore the difference
by raising the rate so what they call the
Columbus scale 1t was argued that the
operators all had big winter contracts, and
would be more likely to come to terms than
at the beginning of the summer season.
The Indiana operators also think they
can see the fine work of Ohio
miners and operators. who want the Chi
cago market for their own. Both sides,
it may be SAID, look forward to a long
struggle. About two thousand block coal
miners and eight thousand bituminous
miners are affected. The formal declara-
tion of strike will be made on Saturday,