The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-05

President RatchfOrd Says Strike Is
General i'm Four States.

COLUMBUS, O., July 4.-Teegrams
received by President Ratchford. of the
United Mine Workers, to-day indicate that
the order for a general strike of the miners
has been complied with generally through
out the mining districts of OEo Indiana,
Illinois and western Pennsylvania, and in
sections of West Virginia and Kentucky.
1t will take several days, however, to de-
termine with any degree of accuracy the
number of men involved. President Ratch-
ford roughly estimates the number at 200,-
eco, but this is regarded as very liberal.
He is pleased with the unanimity shown
by the miners, and says that he has the
greatest confidence in the successful out-
come of the strike He thinks the prospects
are better than in 1884, when a general
strike was inaugurated At that time the
scale of prices was being paid in many
mining localities, notably West Virginia
where a majority of the miners continued
at work and thereby greatly weakened the
strike. He has hopes that the West Vlr-
ginia miners may now be brought into line
lnaSmuch as they are receiving wages far
below the scale, and their condition is not
any better than that of the miners in other
States The coal production of West Vir
ginia has increased so rapidly in the last
few years that the output of that State now
exceeds the output of Ohio. During the
strike of 1894 trouble was caused by the
shipment of West Virginia coal through
Ohio, the Ohio miners endeaVOrng to stop
this traffic. The railroad companies prompt
ly appealed to the State for protection, and
almost the entire Ohio National Guard was
placed in the field. President Ratchford
does not believe there Will be any repeti-
tion of these troubles in the present strike.
Special efforts to be made to enlist
the sympathy of the West Virginia miners
President Ratchford is encouraged TO be-
lieVe that this may be accomplished by
the fact that the miners have signlied their
intention to strike In many places where
efforts TO enlist their cooperation have
failed ON previous occasions.
President Ratchford has received tele-
grams from a number of Pittsburg opera
tors asking permission to operate their
mines at scale prices. These requests are
all emphatically refused as ii would work
an injustice not only to other operators
but to their miners as well.
AS TO the probable duration of the strike
President RatChf0rd says that will be gov
erned entirely by circumstances. 1t win
last several weeks at least The miners are
in a better position to Withstand a long
strike at this time, as a great many of
them have garden produce on which TO sub
sst, and there will be no great hardshps
entaied such as would follow a strike i'm
the winter The fact that there is a fair
supply of coal in stock and the demand for
domestic consumption is small, will have a
tendency to prolong the suspension. The
contracts for coal for lake shipment viii
cause the greatest trouble The bulk of
these contracts are held by Pittsburg oper-
ators but the Ohio operators also have a
fair share. The Ohio operators have not
yet held a conference to consider the mat
ter but are considerably worried. While
they say the strike is ill-timed and likely
to fizzle out, they will close down their
can determine how general the suspension
is. A partial suspension only IN the Pitts