The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-08-25
ITS ALL DECLARED Off
The Miners and the Operators
Fail TO Come to Terms.
A CARD TO THE PUBLIC
The Operators Blame the Miners Of
ficials and Say They Will Start Up
the Mines With Imported Labor.
n Necessary.

Piiisburg. Aug. ei-The nnal effort
TO arrange plan for ending the coal
strike has proved a failure and the
strike goes on. Al noon IN" conference
between the committee of coal miners.
operators and national and district ofii-
cials. closed and the conference ad-
iourned without delay The miners
representatives did not rece,ie from
their original proposition tn settle the
strike by arbitration and start the
mines at the Scent rate. The opera
tors offered Ia divide the difference be-
tween the = and ss-cent rate. making
the price M which the miners should
start sii~ cents yer ton. but this was
rejected
Then additional propositions Mere
made. one was to start the mines
without fixing any price for 20 days.
and th.n pay the rate agreed upon by
the board of arbitration. That was
also refused by the miners. and they
said they had been fooled too often To
trust the operators. They declined To
work FOR a month. giving the operators
the output that length Of time without
knowing what wages would be pad.
proposition was then made Ia operate
the mines for 10 days without fixing the
price. a board of arbitration To tix the
price for that time.
President Ratchford insisted that
nothing hut the s9-cent rate could pos
sibly be- accepted. The Operators were
firm. hut the miners We're equally de-
termined. and every argument of the
~ lrators was met by the miners lead
ers. u was therefore decided to end
IN. conference
ypr.sf.l.na ts.t.bf.,.t .,..s.. ....s ,l,.. fs.l-
lowing statement We have dis
agreed. BssiI-s our proposition to ar
bitrate We made them second one
along the lines Of bringing about a
general conference of miners and oper-
ators Of all mining states. They re-
fused Ia lend their efforts In that df-
rection and the strike was continued.
We have no other plans for the future"
immediately after the close ~ the
conference J. x. Zerbe called meeting
of operators for o'clock this after
noon Ia discuss the situation and out
line "a plan decided upon at th' ciey.-
land conference To make a fight to start
the mines with the old men. N they can
he induced to dig az ~ cents, ar to Inn
port men Ia take their places They
say. however. they will not aid In ear
ryins out this plan and favor a COM
plete surrender. The outlook after the
adjournment of the conference seemed
To be- encouraging for the miners.
There In no question as 10 the anxiety
of operators to start their mines.
Quiet prevails In the strikers camps
about the DE Armitt mines. Both sides
are waiting for a decision ~ the court
In the eases of IN. Ave men arrested
on Saturday morning.
Al the coal operators meeding this
afternoon the miners uitimatum to re-
turn To work at the ss-cent rate pend
ing arbitration Was rejected. The oper-
ators viii now carry uut the plan
adopted at the Cleveland conference
and win open their mines al once. n
the old men viii not accept their terms
new men win he imported. The press
comnitiee In now preparing "A state
ment for che public. giving the opera
tors side and placing the responsibility y
upon the miners officials.
The press committee of the operators
issued statement tonight. The re-
port says; The operators feel that In
submitting various propositions for set :
tlement they have exhausted every ef-
fort with the officials of the miners.
The proposition Of Ratchford could not
10" accepted because II meant an ad-
vance OF 2lis per cent In wages and
would entail irrcparahie loss To pro-
ducers. The responsibility for what :
over privation follows to the miners
must rest upon the miners officials -
TIL. p'port attacks President Ratch-
ford Of the miners organization Then
" is broadly stated that the action ~
Rstchford II not above suspicion and
II is strongly intimat.d that th. min
.rs officials are acting in league with
the Hooking Valley operators against
the interests of the Pittsburg district
miners.
Wheeling. W Va Aug si-Th.
strikers suffered further LOSSES in th.
( kanawha valley iu the Cpp"r L0up
| Creek region and along New river TO-
day In the kanawha zoo more men
went to work to-day, which leaves vsfy
=.