The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-07-12
THE MINERS STRIKE.
Now Upon the Second Week Of the
Great Wage Struggle.
DECISIVE MOVE CONTEMPLATED.
The Success That Has Attended the
Movement Has Greatly Elated tho
9r Miners. and Every Effort VIII Ee
Made to Make Suspension Complete.


~ Miners. and Every Effort VIII lie
Made to Make Suspension Complete.
Pittsburg. July 12.-Yesterday marked
the beginning Of the second week Of
the coal sinners strike, and already it
gives promise of being one Of the great
est wage struggles in the history of
this country. Nine days ago the coal
operators In this district and the min
ers themselves little dreamed that
within one short week such an area of
general suspension could be wrought
as now exists in the bituminous coal
mining industry Then the mouths of
the many coal tipples that dot the
Monongahela, Youghiogheny, Allc-
gheny and Peters Creek valleys and
the valleys of Toms and Miller's Run.
were open and turning out thousands
and thousands of tons of the best coal
that entera into the competitive mar
kets of the world. Now all is changed.
The vast caverns are like so many
grayeyards. On the hilsdes, basking
In the shade, there Is an army of Is, 0CO
unemployed who are anxiously wait
ing for more to join the troops Of
idlers. On nearly every railroad track
leading to the mines there stand empty
cars, apparently anxious to be loaded,
that their burdens may be carried to
the ports along the lakes.
The success that has attended the
movement has greatly elated the min
ers, and during the next few days
every effort will be made to bring out
the men in the few mines that are still
working. This will be difficult task,
but they express confidence in their
ability TO make the suspension COM
plete before the week is 4S hours old.
From the best information obtain
able, the Pittsburg operators are in no
hurry to haze the difficulty adjusted.
30 many OF them had stocks on rail
road .sidings which they held for an
advai12 Much of this was disposed
of s$jurday at a good profit. One
proIrilhent said today that 1t would
take another week to determine the
exact state of the market, and by that
time a general cleaning up will have
taken place. All interested will be
ready to begin business on new basis
and probably at higher price.
"This whole thing will result In
compromise" said another prominent
operator. "The operators are in
position to stand 1t for some time, and
believe the miners are in about the
same condition. 1t looks as if business
VIII brighten up, and in that event the
operators will be able TO get better
prices and the condition of business
and the condition Of the miner will be
simultaneously improved"
Just now the greatest obstacle In
the way of the success Of the miner is
the activity of the diggers in the West
Virginia fields. They are working night
and day and are getting ready to sup
ply all the coal that is needed. They
are repeating what they did three years
ago when a general suspension was de-
clared AT thatStime there were num-
ber of operators in the mountain state
that were on the verge Of bankruptcy.
The general suspension was declared
and there came a great demand for
coal at prices that insured big profit.
The operators rallied around them a
: large iitimbeis Of nie1I. whose friendship
and support they have encouraged
ever since. The operators pronted by
thousands and thousands of dollars
When the season had finished and the
strike was declared off they balanced
their books and found things on the
right side of their ledgers. They real
izcd that they owed much of their profit
to their miners, and rewarded them for
IT, On every succeeding pay day the
Faithful miners were paid bonuses in
the shape of gold pieces, and naturally
the best of feeling prevails among the
employers and employe.
This is the condition Of affairs the
organizers that will go into the West
Virginia district this week viii. have to
encounter. 1t is argued by the miners
That there are more men out in that
section than there were three years
ngo, and they express the greatest con-
Adence IN bringing them out II they
can get their ears. This falling the
railroad organizations will be appealed
TO. This plan of campaign has been
outlined by the national officers and
the developments of the week will be
watched with interest.
The miners officials say that the sue
cess Of the movement depends on the
action of the West Virginia miners.
They argue that many men in the
Pittsburg district who were not affi-
Hated with their organization sacri-
need thousands of dollars and Joined it.
They will tell the mountain state dig
gers of the success in this district. pnd
make every effort to have them join.
There are a numbeY of operators In the
Pittsburg district who have expressed
. willingness to pay the price demand
ID. But the miners have said nay.
They will insist that majority Of the
operators in the district pay the 60 cent
rate or none. This is the ultinatum of
the national officials. from which there
is no appeal. 1t is known that some
OF the miners officials would be glad
to let all the operators paying the 60
cent rate operate their mines. but cam
not, owing to the decision of the ma
tional officials, who desire TO have all
the surplus coal taken from the mar
ket.
The new features in the situation
yesterday were the arrival Of the Ohio
and Indiana state boards OF arbitra-
tion, the meeting last night OF the
United Labor league of western Penn
sylvania and the report that mdAte-
ment was on foot to import new men
to take the places of tho strikers at
the Pittsburg & Chicago company's
mines
At the United Labor league meeting
Gs out of 72 labor organizations were
represented Resolutions were unani-
mously adopted pledging financial and
moral support to the miners and CALL
ing upon all the trades unions of Penn
sylvania to aid and assist in every pos
sible manner in furthering the inter-
ests of the strikers. W. Fl. Carney.
vice president Of the Amalgamated as
ISOLATION. and Rev. Winston Green, tho
oolored preacher-niner. were appoint
ed organizers and ordered to begin
work at once. Six more organizers viii
be appointed this week. .....r