The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1897-07-24
END OF THE STRUGGLE
is NOT NOW IN SIGHT
Determination Of Strikers and Big
Profits to Operators Will
Protract the Contest.
OPERATORS ARE NOT TROUBLED
Disposing of the Surplus Stock Mt
Great Advantage---West Vir-
ginia Must BE Subducd
or the Strike Fails.

. = 3kbtobai - L o. odiy - OddJ lli"h
theb beginning of the second week of the
coal miners strike. and already it gives
promise of being one of the greatest
Wage struggles in the history of this
country. Eight days ago the coal OPP
orators in this district and the miners
themselves little dreamed that within
one short week such an era of suspen-
sion could be wrought as now exists in
the bituminous mining industry. Then
thesmouths of the many coal tipples that
dot the Monongahela, Youghiogheny,
Allegheny n Peters Creek valleys.
and the valleys OF Toms and Miller's
run, We're open and turning out o
sands Of tons of coal. Now all is
changed. The vast caverns are like so
many g~raveyards. There is an army of
$1,000 unemployed in his district who
are anxiously waiting for more to join
the troops of idle men and on nearly ev-
cry railroad track leading to the mines
stands hundreds of empty cars. The
success that has attended the move
ment has greatly elated the
miners and during the iext few days
every effort will be made to bring out
the men in the few mines hat are still
working. This will be a difficult task,
but they express confidence in their abil-
ity to make the suspension complete be-
fore the week is forty-eight hours old.
From the best information obtainable.
the Pittsburg operators are in no hurry
to have the difficulty adjusted. Many
of them a stocks on railroad sidings
which they held for an advance. Much
of this was disposed of Saturday al a
good profit. One prominent operator
said today that it would take anothe
week to determine the exact state of the
market and ly that time a general
cleaning UP will have taken place. All
interests will be ready to begin business
on a new basis and probably at a higher
price.
just now the greatest obstacle in the
way of the success of the miners is the
activity of the diggers in the West Vir-
GINA fields. They are working night
and day and are getting ready to supply
all the coal that Is needed. They are re-
peating what they did three years ago.
when a general suspension was de-
clared. AT that time there were a num-
Der of operators In the Mountain state
that We're on the verge of bankruptcy.
The general suspension was declared,
n there came a great demand for coal,
at prices that insured a big profit. The
operators rallied around them a large
number of men, whose friendship and
support they have encouraged ever
since. The operators profited by thou
n and thousands of dollars. When
the season had finished and the strike
was declared a failure, they balanced
thnjr hpnlc or1 found +lyn~, ~,
proper side of their ledgers. They real
ized that they owed much of their profit
to the miners, and rewarded them for
1t. On every succeeding pay day the
faithful miners We're paid bonuses in
the shape of gold pieces, and naturally
the best of feeling prevails among the
employers and employees.
This is the condition Of affairs the or
ganlzers that will go into the West Vir-
ginIa district this week will have to en-
counter. 1t is argued by the miners
that there are more men out in that
section than there were three years ago
and they express the greatest confidence
in bringing them out If they can get
their ears. This falling, the railroad Or
ganization will be appealed to. This
plan OF campaign has been outlined by
the national officers and the develop
ments 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.
There are a number of operators in the
Pittsburg district who have expressed a
willingness to pay the price demanded,
but the miners insist that a majority OF
the operators in he district must pay
the 60 cent rate or none. This is the Ill
timatum of the national officials, from
which there is no appeal.