Connecticut western news., 1897-08-26
TIIEOPERAT0RS' SIDE THEY TELL THEIR STORY OF TIRE
 GREAT STRIKE CONTROVERSY.

Say That Ratchrord Is In coIiuslon with
 ohio Operators to Restrict PittsburK's
 Lake Tradc-Thrcstcn to Resume Work
 wIth Imported Isbor-strIkors Firm.
 Pittsburg. Aug. 25.-Thc conference of Pennsylvania coal operators and the officers of the miue workers held In this city with the view of .sg-i ling the strike, having failed to effect an agreement, the operators now declare that they will start their mines nt once. The former employees will, it is announced,
 be given an opportunity 10 return to work, bu; unless they do so new men win be hnportetl, The operators have furnished for publication the following statement giving their side of the cons
 troNcrsys
 The conference committees Of the coal operators and the officials Of the miners
 failed tp agree and adjourned finally, The miners were represented bN their national and district officers Operator J, B. Zerb
 was choscn chairman or the conference and w. G. iearce at the miners secretary
 Mir. Xerh stated that it was desired 10
 bring about a settlement of the strike,
 MT natchloru statsu thet ne a en1 ms i sts- ns-
 cuss and decide upon any propositions
 the operators might submit Chairman
 Zcrbe asked that the question ot inter
 state agreement be waived, and this was
 assentea to.
 Mir, Ratehford then stated tho terms
 upon which the miners would re
 turn to work. saying that they would do
 sn at once oa tho e cent rate being paid
 until such time as d board Of arbitrators
 could make m award of what would be
 fair wage rate, any excess paid to tho
 miners above the award of the arbitrators
 following the award. The operators stated
 their reasons why this could not be ac.
 ccpted and In lieu thereof submitted four
 propositions for arbltratinn@ono that the
 men should return to work, leaving te the
 arhitrators 10 decide what rate shall be
 open untiiaftcr m award has been made;
 one that the arbitrators decide within 10
 or 20 days, the miners remaining idle, and
 one that the arbitratorp have 70 days In
 which to decide, the miners remaining Ali these were pcremptoriiy rejected by
 the miners, renf ssentatives, and the oon- ference adjourned,
 The operators feel that in submitting
 these various propositions for settle mcnt hy cancellation or arbitration they
 have exhausted every effort in trying 10 bring about a settlement with the officials
 of the miners. The proposition of Mir, Ratchford could not be accepted, because
 w wage S.s eost "p and ap' would entail m irrepersble losses upon the producers. The price at which coal contracts have been taken for which ruled the markets In open compeu- ton from other producing fields, lt should frontrd constantiy' with two forccaSthe
 pressure of buyers to get the lowest price. which is determined by n remorreleHH
 mana tho Highest wage rates at all times. In addition to these two factors in the
 eos, 9t m Sp9 tS se1 nthods hav- | ing failed to convince or to move the lead- | CTS, the responsibility for whatever priva- ton follows to the miners and their faml- | lies must rest upon the miners officials. | The operators feel that they have ea= | hausted all honorable means Of a settle .af n ka kxh nn much misery upon the miners and those | dependent upon them and which they in
 would gladly change on basis that
 would not be disastrous to themHelvcn.
 Mir. Mr. hatehford' president & of the s United hea | gone. He did not come willingly snd did | not treat with the operators on terms | tcrests and welfare nf the miners of the | Pttshnrg district He openly claimed
 that the operators of thS distriet had | some Of it was being taken from them. | and that more would be-. He claimed tho | operator lave a larger share of the lake | tonnage than they are entitled Co nnd that | they would not be permitted to retain IL In view, of the fact that Mir; Ratehford | the leading operators of the Hooking vnl- | lev and the largest competitors for lake
 meet the position taken by tho national | president of the United Mine Morkern or- | ganization is striking and startling, Com Ing from their national officer and leader. | this is . singular declaration for one who | professes e be anxious Tor the welfare or | the rittsburg district coal diRRcrs. Ratohford Heturns to Columbus. President M.. D. Ratchford was seen
 after the conference and said he had nothing more to add for publication at ] thls time. He and Secretary Pearce have returned 10 Columbus.
 President Patrick Dolan said he was
 very sorry that no conclusion had been reached. Many of the operators seem | to think that II would be humiliation | for them to make concessions" he ass
 serted. The time to talk about humlli- alton ts past. l am of the opinion that If the operators had acceded to our requests. which were certainly fair, they
 would not have stamped themselves aa towards, but as gentlemen who are de- sirous of doing what ia fair and just. | They have absolutely refused to meet | our demands. and there ls no other course for us to pursue. We must con- tinue the strike with unabated vigor." The camp Of the striking miners. | which has been maintained for the past | four weeks at sandy Creek in order to keep the miners from returning Co work | in that pit, has been broken up and the | 70 men sent to their homes. This ace | ton was taken by the miners officials | because the mine there is tightly cloH- | cd, and the strikers nre fully in sym pathy with the movement for higher
 wages.
 The campers at Turtle Creek are | very much elatod over rumor afoat
 among the strikers that T, B. De Arr mitt, superintendent of the oakhill mines, went to some of the Italian | strikers and offered to pay them half
 of the money they forfeited and ei cents ton for digging coal if they
 would return to work. This, the strik-
 CTS say, is an evidence of weakness on the part of the officials of the company,
 who they claifs are apparently anxious \ Co have the strike settled now al any | price. SO that they can get their mines | to working. Superintendent De Armitt could not be found to affirm or deny | the report,
 In the case of Thomas Deere against
 the New York and Cleveland Gas Coal
 company Co recover wages retained Al- dermnn <. ]. Toole gave the plalntin a | judgment for Sd0.26 Deere sued Tor
 wages alleged to be due from July 10 to | Aug. c. He Is one Of the Dc Armitt
 men who joined the strikers at Plum | Creek, and his wages were declared for- | feited under the ironclad contract Suits | for wages have also been entered
 against the famp company by Ave oth-
 CTS. X hearing will be held by Alder
 man Toolt next Monday morning at n | o'clock.
 Town Gubcrnatorial Contest. Cedar Rapids, la, Aug, ia.-The nom- | inatiun of Leslie NJ. Shaw of Crawford
 county as candidate for governor by
 the mawkeye Republicans ended one
 of the most protrncted and interesting contests in the history of Iowa politics.