The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-03
E[XTT-NlNE CENT RATE
Demanded by the Miners Of the
Pittsburg District.
WILL REFUSE TO COMPROMISE.

They Believe They Have Victory Well
within Their Grasp, and VIII Not
Submit to Anything That savors OF
Partial Retreat.
Pittsburg, Sept. S.--Judging from sur
face indication, 1t seems reasonably
certain the President Ratchford. of the
United Mine Workers. and his col
leagues In office will reject the offer OF
the operators to return to work at the
81 cent rate, pending arbitration. Great
influence has been brought to bear
upon the strike leaders from this dis
trict to induce them to assume such
IN attitude. The sentiment among the
miners here Is SO intense for 80 cents
or nothing" settlement that all the
local labor leaders now in the city have
advised strongly for a continuation OF
the fight along the present lines, and
TO the bitter end.
Secretary Warner wired yesterday to
Ratchford that the miners here want
80 cents or defeat, and to submit the
Hanna proposition, as 1t Is called. TO
u vote would only entail needless ex-
penditure Of time and money. The re-
suit, he said, would not be In doubt
for an instant. The miners believe they
have victory well within their grasp
and having a firm belief In the JUS
tice of their cause they will not sub
init to any thing that savors OF tempor-
lzing or partial retreat from the original
stand. The members Of the district
executive board are In hearty accord
with this view of the case.
Colonel w. P. Rend yesterday met
his thousand miners through COM
mittee of IL men selected for the pur-
pose at Mcdonald, Pa. There was an
Immense gathering Of miners. their
wives and children, about the place OF
conference. The best Of feeling pre-
vailed, and Colonel Rend announced
after the conference that there was
full and candid discussion Of the merits
of the last plan proposed for the set
Element of the strike. He says the COM
mittee that waited on him assured nm
that the plan had their cordial support,
and they felt that the body of the min
ers would endorse 1t II submitted to
them. The colonel pointed out to his
men how an enforced settlement would
result in only temporary gain 10 either
side, and repeated to them his well
known views in favor Of arbitration.
Another meeting will be held this af-
ternoon, at which 1t Is expected resolu-
tion will be adopted declaring that
Colonel Rend's men will return to work
at the rate proposed to the Columbus
conference.
d. w. Van Eman, Of Gastonvilla.
manager of the Plttsburg and Chicago
Gas Coal company. went to Washing
ton yesterday for the purpose of aecur-
ing deputies. The company, he says.
is determined to start the mines Tues
day next, and the miners now occupy
Ing the company's houses there have
been notified to vacate on that day.
as new men will be put in them unless
the old force goes to work by that time.
Nan Eman fears trouble and wants the
deputies for that occasion. 1t is said
there was at first demand for 80
deputies.
Dispatches from Columbus state that
the national executive board OF tho
United Mine Workers had stormy
session yesterday afternoon. and there
appears to be a decided difference OF
opinion among the members as to the
best course to pursue. The Pittsburg
miners want 90 cents. and there is
some doubt whether they could be in
duced to accept less without a vigor-
Gus protest and long drawn out con-
troversy. The Ohio miners want all
they can get, naturally, but what they
Insist upon most is the maintenance
of the differsntial Of nine cents in their
favor, which they have held SO long.
Whether any settlement could be
secured through an acceptance OF the
proposition of the Pittsburg operators
is q matter of opinion upon which the
members of the miners national execu-
tive board differ. They all agree that
they cannot act for the miners, and
that the most they can do Is to sub
init recommendations for acceptance
or rejection by the craft. The mem
bers of the board also differ In their
opinion as to how such recommenda-
tions should be submitted, whether to
\ convention Of Pittsburg miners alone
or to a general convention. The re-
psated assertions of the miners officials
that no settlement be made by districts
places them in a very embarrassing
position.