The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-07-12
THE MINERS
BIG STRIKE
Now Upon the Second Week Of the Great
Wage Struggle.
DECISIVE MOVE CONTEMPLATED
The Success That Has Attended the Move
ment Has Greatly Rlated the Miners
and Every Effort viii be Made
to Make Suspension
Complete

Pittsburg, July 12.-Yeste marked
the beginning of the second week Of
the coal miners 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 tlpples that dot the
Monongahela, Youghiogheny, Allie
gheny and Peters Creek valleys and
the valleys of Toms and Millers Run,
were open and turning out thousands
and thousands of tons of the best coal
that enters into the competitive mar
kets Of the world. Now all is changed.
The vast caverns are like so many
graveyards. on the hillsides, basking
in the shade there is an army of $4,000
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 eated the min
ers, and during the next few days
every effort viii be made to bring out
the men in the few mines that are stiu
working. This will be a difficult task,
but they express confidence in their
ability to make the suspension COM
plete before the week is AZ hours old
From the best information obtain
able the Plttsburg operators are in no
hurry to have the difficulty adjusted.
So many of them had stocks on rail-
road sidings which they held for an
advance. Much of this was disposed
of Saturday at a good profit. One
prominent said today that it 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 a new basis
and probably at a higher price.
This whole thing will result in a
compromise" said another prominent
operator. THE operators are in a
position to stand It for some time and
believe the miners are in about the
same condition. 1t looks as If business
will 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 general suspension was de-
clared. At that time there were a num-
Der 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 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
| 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
lied that they owed much of their profit
to their miners, and rewarded them for
/ 1t. 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 will have to
encounter. 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 con-
] ddanan In hrIporfv,rr
can get their ears. This failing, the
railroad organizations will be appealed
| to. This plan of campaign has been
outlined bv the national officers and
the developments OF the week win 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
Plttsburg district who were not afi-
lated with their organization sacrl-
feed thousands of dollars and joined It,
They win tell the mountain state dig
gers of the success I'm this district, and
make every effort to have them join.
There are a number of operators in the
Plttsburg district who have expressed
a Willingness to pay the price demand
ed. But the miners have said nay.
They viii insist that a majority OF the
operators in the district pay the 60 cent
rate or none. This is the ultimatum 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 90
cent rate operate their mines, but can
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 We're the arrival Of the Ohio
and Indiara state boards of arbitra-
tion, the meeting last night Of the
United Labor league Of western Penn
sylvania and the report that a mtEe-
ment was on foot to import new men
to take the places of the strikers at
the Pittsburg & Chicago company's
mines.
AT the United Labor league meeting
6S out Of 70 labor organizations were
represented. Resolutions We're 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