Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-28
WANT THE MILITIA.
Coke Operators Threaten to Call Out
the National Guard to
AVOID FURTHER INTERFERENCE.
Nearly Ten Thousand Strikers Will Hold a
Mass Meeting To-Day.
TWO PLANTS STARTED UP YESTERDAY

Yesterdays developments in the coke
regions place the strike in a position to
swing either way. AT the local office OF the
Frick Company it was reported that two
new plants were being fired. These are the
Adelaide and Leisenring. 1t is said that 56
men are working at the latter place, and this
number is expected to be increased by to-
day.
Fires have also been started in the large
Morewood and Leith, Redstone, Stirling,
Jlmtown, Leisenring Nos. 2 and 3, Ade-
laide, Broadford and Mutual plants. Every
oven of the 154 at the latter plant is said to
be in full operation and officials say they
are flooded with applications for work. The
Mcclure Company's plant OF 20 ovens at
Coalbrook is also running in full blast, and
coke will be shipped from the Lemont works
to-day.
On the other hand, the workers officials
say that all the plants combined have not
more than 800 men at work, and many OF
the men who have succumbed were COM
PEELED to do so under the most glaring mis-
representations, and when they come TO
understand the situation they will be glad
to rejoin the strikers.
A Few Surprises Predicted.
The two leading companies expect to have
more of their works fired to-day. and pre-
dict more surprises to the men. All the
other companies in the district, large and
small, are expected to follow the lead OF the
big Frick Company, by proposing to their
men to go to work on the sliding scale.
This movement will be inaugurated
next week, and will embrace the
Stewart, Cochran, Cambria, Hostetter,
Hecla and all the other companies in the
region. The labor leaders are making great
preparations to checkmate the move, and
for this reason a mass meeting OF the
strikers of the entire region will be held TO-
day, when 10000 men are expected to
gather together. President Rae and other
heads of the organization will address the
men.
The operators say they will have the
militia called out if anv movement is
made to interfere with the men who are now
working. General Manager Lynch, of the
Frick Company, stated yesterday very posi-
lively that their works must be operated at
the terms they proposed, and if the en-
ployes, against whom there would be no
discrimination, did not resume work within
reasonable time, the management Woulo
get other men who would work.
Determined to Resume Operations.
This assertion simply means that new
men are to be imported to replace the
strikers if necessary. The managers of the
other works talk in the same strain, and
there will be interesting events ahead if the
men remain firm. The charges made by
the operators that the labor leaders had
haa lot in frx-i IN off
ment has created great deal of excitement,
as they so stated in their notices posted,
which certainly has had an effect on the
men. james Mcbride, q member of the
miners Wage Committee, said yesterday:
''The operators are laborIng under a mis-
apprehension. At the last conference thev
made the astonishing statement that they
would hold no other conference, except on
the basis of a 10 per cent reduction. We
took them at their own words, and decided |
not to make the first movement toward |
another conference. Their late proposition |
to the men is an evidence of Weakness
The Opera House at Scottdale was packed |
with strikers yesterday and addresses were
made by all the labor leaders, and resolu-
tions of faith in the cause were passed.
Working Under Special GuarI.
The men at the Leisenring No. . plant,
who were raided by the striker. on Thurs
day, were working yesterday again and
there was 10 interference. They were we'll |
guarded by special officers and deputy
sheriffs. All was quiet at the MoreMood |
plant, which was threatened by the strikers. |
This plant is also under guard to prevent |
any outbreak. Vice President Penna was |
seen last evening and he said: "The operators |
are pursuing the wrong course with the |
men of the region. l never saw SO much en- |
thusiasm before, as 1 saw at the |
many meetings 1 have attended. The |
miners are exasperated at the efforts of the |
operators to force a resumption, and If they |
should attempt to use force in making the |
few who have gone back quit work all the
officers in Pennsylvania could not prevent |
them from carrying out their wishes. We |
have counseled them to resort to no violence,
and will continue to do SO, yet everything |
of friendly character that has heretofore |
existed in the region has been effaced by the |
operators tactics this week.