Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-07-16
HARD DAYS WORK
Done BY the Labor Commission.
ers At the Smoky City,
De AR1uTrs Uniformity PLAN

-tDexD shy OF the Big Operators A0-
taves-A Question Of Per Cent.-west
virginia Miners Get strike-struek-Op-
position Move Of Operators-RstchSsrd
Publishes . Strike Balletin.
Pittsburg. July 1s.-Yesterday was
day devoted to hard work on the part
Of the joint arbitration commission in
its effort to secure true uniformity in
this district. as suggested by w. p.
De Armitt, and the members express
themselves as well satisfied with the
progress made. Two of the largest OPP
orators in the district-W. p. De Armitt
and Francis L. Robinson-have CON-
scented to head the list, and the commits
sioners feel satisfied that the other OPP
orators will soon fall in line. 1t is
claimed by the miners officials, how
ever. that the understanding was that
the agreement meant IS per cent Of the
output Of the district, whereas 1t is now
said to mean IS per cent. of the OPP
orators. They say II will be absolutely
impossible to get IS per cent of the op-
orators. az there are a great many OPP
orators mining on a small scale. Presi-
dent Dolan said that while he would
do all in his power to assist the COM
missioners to secure the signatures Of
the operators to the agreement, he
thought the proposition was a scheme
Of President De Armitt to keep his men
at work and prolong the strike.
At Work on Prominent Men.
General Little, of the Ohio arbitration
board. said that every obstacle had been
removed in the way of a settlement
along the lines proposed, and that he
had not heard of any operators who
would not sign. Commissioner Edward
Rigley and Horace Calef. of Illinois, left
for Chicago last evening to see Col. w.
p. Rend and ]. w. Ellsworth, and if
possible induce Colonel Rend to return
to Pittsburg and use his influence
among the operators to have the agree
ment signed. L. p. Mccormack, of In
diana, another Of the commissioners,
left for Terre Haute this morning to
see ]. Smith Talley, to secure his CO.
operation. Talley Is a heavy purchaser
OF Pittsburg coal. Last evening the
commission sent q telegram to Senator
Mark Hanna, asking him to lend his as
sistance in having the agreement
adopted. The situation In the district
among the miners remains unchanged.
West Virginia Men Goin,y Out.
Meantime the West Virginia situation
Is changing for the benefit Of the
strikers. A Huntington, w. Va, dis
patch says: There is a decided change
in the coal fields of southern West Vir-
ginia, and it is now stated for an abb
solute certainty that inside of forty
eight hours a majority of all the min
ers on the N. and w. and Chesapeake
and Ohio railway will join the strikers.
The organizers are now in both fields,
and in the latter the Chesapeake, Bel
mont and Black Cat mines are idle, the
miners. 900 in number, going out at
noon yesterday. The N. and w.
miners are still at work, but
the strike representatives are confident
that matters will come their way in q
short time. On the Kanawha yesterday
all the operators raised the price Of
mining one-fourth Of a cent a bushel
on soft. and one-half a cent on hard
coal, but 1t is believed this will not hold
the men in line.
Making q Counter Movement.
A dispatch from Cincinnati sayse An
important counter movement against
the organizers Of the United Mine
Workers now in West Virginia, was be-
gun here yesterday by a conference Of
nve operators In that state. They deter
mined to give their miners an advance
Of IA cents ton above the present
rates, and to make a corresponding in
crease in the price of coal at the mines.
They have returned to ask all other
operators in the state to do the same.
1t is the opinion of coal men here that
their action will be approved and fol-
lowed by the other operators in the
state. The price Of coal at the mines
Is raised to $1.25 per ton.
STATEMENT OF THE srruArToN-