The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-28
His Action the Feature of
the True Uniformity
Meeting,
LITTLE ACCOMPLISHED.
Agreement Drawn Up by a
Committee to Be C0nSid-
cred Clause by Clause To-
Day.

PITTSBURG, Pa, July N.-Eighty
| nine coal companies, located in the
Pittsburg district, were represented at
| the coal operators uniformity meeting
here today. The operators who ship by
river and those owning mines in the
Westmoreland field were not present.
The river operators held a meeting in
the coal exchange this afternoon and
decided to take no part in the uni
formity movement. No attention was
paid to the call by the Westmoreland
people. Very little was accomplished
at the two sessions today. The old
uniformity agreement, with the new
clauses inserted, were reported on by
| committee, and the meeting tomorrow
will take up the agreemnt by clauses
for discussion.
The only sensational incident Of to-
days sessions occurred when Col. w.
P Rend presented minority report on
| the uniformity agreement, denouncing
the procedure of the meeting in severe
| terms and boiling the conference.
W. P. Murray called the meeting to
order at II 80 a. m. by nominating Alex
| Dempster Tor chairman. Col. w. P.
Rend named George w. Schleudberg,
but he declined, and Mr.. Dempster was
| chosen to preside After e1ecting Mar
shall H. Reno secretary Of the meeting,
committee was appointed to take up
the proposed uniformity agreement, re-
wise it to suit the changed condition
since it's first formulation, and report
to the conference at 4 o'clock. The
| committee was composed of w. P. De-
| armitt, George w. Schleudberg,
Thomas E. Young, w. P. Rend, D. P.
Black, U. A. Andrews, James Arm
strong and F. NJ. Osborne.
AT o'clock the committee asked for
another hour and the meeting took
second recess until o'clock, when the
committee reported the old uniformity
agreement with the new clauses and
preamble prepared by the visiting arbi--
traitors. The report was read and
Capt Sitter moved that it be received
| and the committee discharged.
Col. Rend demanded recognition for
| the hearing of a minority report. He
| prefaced the report with a few remarks
| on what he termed the bunco inten-
| ton of the meeting. Col. Rend said
| he had been misled by Mr.. Little as
| to the purpose of the meeting. He
understood that it had been called with
view of fastening a settlement of
! the strike and was assured of that at
a conference on Monday night. When
| he got to the meeting he learned that
| the strike was not to be taken into
considerati ton or discussed in connsctlon
| with uniformity.
The preamble to the resolutions, re-
cites the earnest desire of the coal
operators of Western Pennsylvania, to
| devise honorable methods to bring the
strike to a termination, deplores the
poverty and misery Of the vast army
of miners and their families, and claims
hno n0iC1n6
| crafty and false statements as to the
causes responsible for the present and
| past turmoil. The resolutions favor
speedy adjustment of the strike by con-
| ella ton, and that failing, by an ad-
| judication of a tribunal of arbitrators,
composed of three United States judges,
| or three other gentlemen of national
repute. and in whom the entire country
can repose confidence.
The resolutions conclude as follows:
| We are ready and willing to advance the
! wages of the miners, but find ourselves un-
| able to do this to the full extent demanded by
| them, viz: 25 per cent advance. The prices
| that were paid prior TO the strike and now
| being paid by one of the largest coal COM
panies in Western Pennsylvania. and which
| company presents the chief obstacle to the
| settlement of the present conflict.
After the resolutions had been read,
| the chairman asked to have some por-
| tions eliminated, but Col. Rend refused
emphatically to allow a single word to
| be dropped and after short contention
withdrew from the conference. The
| meeting then adjourned until 10 o'clock
| tomorrow morning.
Tonight Gen. Little and others called
| on Col. Rend at his hotel and asked
| that he reconsider his action and enter
| the conference again to insure success
1 of the meeting. He replied that he
| would cordially indorse and cooperate
| in any plan the conference agreed upon,
| if so per cent Of the district operators
would give their consent to the same.
| He believes it possible to secure 80
! per cent of the uniformity on Mr. De-
armitt's demands, and is willing to do
| as so per cent Of the operators wish
| The new preamble to the old uniform
| ity agreement relates the existing con-
| dition of affairs in the Pittsburg dis
trict, and the lack Of profit there is in
the coal trade. 1t states that uniform
| ity of property and promptly availed,
or will settle these differences to a
large extent and correct the abuses
| to a degree not hitherto attainable.
| -Az4n----