The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-11-05
Renewal of the Fight of Two Years AGO, with
the Men in Much Better Position to
Win What They Demand.
Bltuminous Men Are Already Idle in
Response to Circular Telegram.
Conventions of Both Glasses at Terre Haute
and Brazil-0perstors Caught In Bad
Shape by the Shutdown.
GREAT MINERS STRIKE BEGUN.
Fight OF Two Years Ago Renewed with Re
doubled Force.


Fight of Two Years Ago Renewed with Re-
doubled Force.
Yesterday morning was practically bg.
gun one of the greatest labor struggles In
diana has ever seen in q combined strike
of the bituminous and block-coal miners,
which, if the men stand solidly together,
as now seems very probable. viii involve
in the neighborhood of fourteen thousand
workers and millions of capital. Ever
since the disastrous ending of the block
coal strike of two years ago the miners
have felt that they got tho worst of it. In
the test of endurance the operators proved
better prepared for the struggle. and the
men finally gave in, not because they be-
lieved the terms offered them fair and
right, but because they had 10 accept what
they could get.
Since then they have been quietly
strengthening their lines. crlnvating a
sympathetic feeling with the bituminous
miners. and proporing for q struggle of
three times the preparations of the one they
failed in before. They believe that tie
time for this struggle is now ripe, as the
bituminous and block men arc united. the
winter is coming on. and the operators have
big contracts signed with no surplus coal
on hand TO fill them.
There are about two thousand block-coal
miners in the State. and all are in Clay
county. There are about ten thousand
bituminous miners located in the western
and southwestern counties. The last long
strike In Indiana was by the block miners
alone, and Its failure was largely due 10 the
fact that much of the bituminous coal can
take the place of block. Up TO that time
there had always been Is cents ton differ
ence In the price for mining, but when the
block men went back to work at 70 cents,
the bituminous miners were receiving 20
cents. The standard rate. the miners say.
should be S5 and 70 cents. and for this they
will strike. The operators have no surplus
supply of coal on hand. Their contracts in
Chicago and the Northwest, where four
fifths of the Indiana output goes. call for
even more than has been mined up TO this
time.
A delegate convention OF the bituminous
men has been IN session ut Terre Haute for
q couple of days, and 1t now develops that
the object of its being was the present
strike. The understanding among the two
classes of miners has been that both should
strike at once. the block men demanding an
increase of 10 cents per ton, and the btu
minous men an increase of cents. A COM
mlttee of the block men met with the bitu-
minous convention on Tuesday, and the
visible result of their deliberations was
tnaL <eT mlunlgns "a ClCulM belef
gram. bearing the signature of PresiJ
dent Cominsky, of the eStateiorganizaton of
| the United Mine-workers was sent out Or
dering all the bItuminous men TO quit
work. 1t was very generally obeyed. Yet
| il is claimed that the order was not O real
declaration of q strike. but was made sim-
ply to convince the block men that the
bituminous miners were acting In good
faith were ready to join them, while.
at th le time, 1t served the purpose of
| con : the operators that the men are
CON ~ organized and will act in har-
MOI
In the meantime convention of the
block men was held at Brazil, yesterday,
| which, after hearing q report from the
resolutions demanding an advance, and de-
claring that they will quit work until it Is
granted il the bituminous men will join IN
| the strike. They further declared by reso-
| luton that they would not accept their
own advance until that of the bituminous
men was also granted. This was at once
| reported to the bituminous men az Terre
Haute.
There are couple of points that compli-
cate the situation somewhat. The national
officers of the union have asked that no
strike be ordered, and have declared that
the calling out of the bituminous men,
yesterday, was without their authority.
This looks as though the Indiana men
would have to make their tight alone,
without aid from the treasury of tho ma
| tional organization. The second is that
the operators hold annual contracts with
the miners at the present scale. which do
not expire until next May. The men, APP
parently, believe that this Is light Of
force and not one of words. either verbal
or written. They know that q strike in
May would probably fail and evidently In
tend to force the issue now.