Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-04-25
MINERS GO OUT.
Work in the Coal Region Comes to
an End When the Word is



Given.
COLUMBUS, o., April 21.-The strike OF
the coal miners of the middle district
was inaugurated to-day, Reports re-
ceived at the national headquarters of
! the union indicate that between 100000
| and 10000 men are out, and that the
number will be added to by several
thousand within week. General good
feeling exists between operators and
miners i'm the coal fields of Ohio. The
dark passage of IA and 'S4 will not be
repeated this year. At New Straits
willie, for example, the men while earn
ing scarcely any money during the past
year are in a very good way to stand
| siege, as the majority of them are
owners of their own homes. Public
sympathy here is with the miners, fol
the reason that Ohio operators want to
pay the scale when operators elsewhere
consent, and because Of the further fact
tn at the miners cannot do well at sc
cents but can at 20, and consumers who
nee d coal are willing to pay the price al
that rate for mining.
1t is the opinion of the best miners at
Straitsville that as soon as the coal now
stored is consumed all districts will pay
the scale and work will be resumed.
The operators in Ohio stand ready to
pay the scale forthwith provided Pitts
! burg will fall into line. Heretofore one
or more big operators who had q mine
in Ohio and Pennsylvania played one
against the other. When the Ohio
miners struck these operators worked
their Pittsburg mines, and vice versa.
This year. with the Pittsburg miners
working in harmony with the Ohio
miners, the latter feel that the suspen-
sion cannot be Of great duration.
PITTsBURG, Pa, April 2l.-The great
coal strike, 50 far as this district is con-
cerned at least, appears to be success.
At noon to-day the 5000 men in the
River district and the $500 in the rail-
road district laid down their picks, re-
ceived their wages, and quietly left the
mines. Dispatches from the Clear
field district report that the
$4,000 men there also struck and that
the mines are gensrally closed. In the
Phillipsburg region, east of the mount
aims, all the mines are idle. The sus-
pension in the Clearfeld region will en-
force idleness upon 400 trainmen on the
Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad.
In the Connellsville region the men arc
still at work, but the leaders expect to
have almost the entire region en-
| ploying $4,000 men out on Monday.
! The leaders say there is no longer
a doubt as to the attitude of the men re-
garding the national strike. They are
! largely in favor of it and nearly three
fourths Of them are expected to lay
down their tools. During the past
week the local leaders have been work
ing secretly among the employees
! Thorn
for the strike, and these lead
ers report that they find no
! opposition to the movement. The
strike promises to be the greatest in the
history of the country. 1t will involve
nearly $780, 900 men and will stop work in
mines that produced upwards Of 100,
! 000,0 900 tons of coal last year in twelve
states and territories These miners re-
ceived $53 800 ,627 in wages in 1890, &C
cording to the eleventh census of the
United States. In that year 139, 1856
mines produced 79.899, 10S tons of coal
valued at S69, $50, 500. Should the strike
| be effective to the fullest extent
anticipated, the effect upon the business
of the country will be intellectually in
| furious, as the strike will enforce the
suspension of many trades dependent
upon the coal industry, and may seri-
ously affect the operation of the rail
y
the miners will 60 out. The miners will
strike for the restoration of the inter-
state wage agreement which was aban-
/ doned during the summer, first volun-
tarily bv small number of miners in
| the Pittsburg district and thus forced a
reduction in every competitive district
in the United States.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, April 21.-The miners
! strike is not general in Illinois. At
| Nirdcn the miners will work until May
l, being held by contract. At Duquoin
a strike has been on since April
against % per cent. reduc-
the strikers ranks are reported.
| At st. Johns the miners struck
at noon, but only 200 men are con-
| cerned. From Belleville, the center Of
! the large district of mines, it is learned
that the miners in that vicinity will re-
main at work. They have no wish to
strike and besides are too poorly organ
! lied to do SO.
At the mines in the immediate vicin-
ity Of Springfield, ILL.,, less than 200 men
! quit work at noon, but enough others
are expected to strike tonight to swell
the total to 800. In the small towns
TO the south Of Springfield the miners
are poorly organized and are paying
no attention to the order to
strike. J. A. Crawford, state president
of Illinois United Mine Workers, says:
''TelegIams from all points show the
strike to be practically general. Fully
40, 600 men have already quit work
throughout the country and thousands
more will strike next week In the
block coal regions of Indiana May
l will be the date. In the organ
! lied sections of Illinois our men
| came out at noon to a man. Along the
lines Of the Burlington, the Iowa Cen
trail, and the Toledo, Peoria & Western
all shafts are idle In Southern Illinois
the men will go out this evening in
stead Of this noon. At Canton, ILL.,, all
| the miners ara ont -