Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-07-10
THE MINERS STRIKE.
The Success or Failure of the Movement
Depends Upon the Pittsburgh Miners
The Leaders Willing TO Engineer the
Strike OF the Miners Operation Ncc-
essary to Success-Ohio Operators Will
Ing to Pay.


Depends Upon the Pittsburgh Miners
The Leaders willing TO Engineer the
Strike OF the Miners Operation Nee
essary to Success-Ohi0 Operators Will
ing to Pay.
CoLUMBUs, o., July 6.-President
Ratchford of the United Mine Workers
spent Monday at headquarters. but not
many reports were received from the
various mining districts throughout
the country as to the progress of the
strike. President Ratchford said it
would require several days to receive
full information on this point, as the
district presidents would necessarily
have to have time to communicate
with the numerous locals before re-
porting definitely to national head
quarters as to the completeness of the
suspension. Monday being observed
in many places as national
holiday will naturally retard
the reports to some extent. Before
the end OF the present week, however,
the national officers will have the in
formation at hand as to the exact sit
uation at all the mines in the country.
If there should be any mines in opera
tion the officials will know their loca-
tion, the number of men employed,
and whether or not they are members
of the miners organization. The in
formation which the national officers
have at hand is of general nature,
and is to the effect that the miners
have generally suspended work and
the strike promises to be a success.
The success of the whole movement
seems to devolve upon the men in the
Pittsburgh district, and judging from
the latest advices received from the
field the miners there propose to dc
their part So far as can be learned
the operators in both the Pittsburgh
and Ohio districts do not intend to put
forth any effort to start their mines,
but have concluded to quietly close
down and await developments. Al
least it will require several days for
the operators to determine upon what
course to pursue.
President Ratchford said:
The success of the movement nat
uralIy depends upon the unaninimitJ
with which the miners respond. We
are ready and willing to lead the move.
ment, but the efforts of the miners
themselves is the real force, and We
can not fail to succeed if they play theil
part"
President Ratchford said he hat
been astonished at the great number
of kilograms from operators request
ing permission to operate their mines
by paying the price demanded by the
miners. These requests could not bt
granted for the reason that to do 81
would be defeating the very objec
which the strike is intended to accom-
plish.
The Ohio operators will be gov
erned in their course entirely by the
action of the Pittsburgh operators. L
the latter agree to an advance in the
price, the Ohio operators vii
not object, but will readily pay
the advance. As matter of fact
it is understood that they would
rather pay higher price and
continue the operation of their mine rs
The regular meeting of the Ohio Goa
association will be held in Detroit to.
day, but it is hardly probable that any
action will be taken in reference to the
strike further than has already been
decided upon and that is to await de
velopments in the Pittsburgh district
A prominent Ohio operator stated
last evening that in his opinion the
strike would prove fiat failure. Not
that he wished it to so terminate, bu
the fact that the entire Pittsburgh dis
trict was not represented at the meet
ing held in Pittsburgh on Saturday
He did not believe all the mines in
that district would strike, and unless
they do it cannot be expected that the
object for which the strike has been
ordered will be accomplished.
The miners throughout Ohio gener
ally observed Monday as holiday and
it cannot be determined until to-day
to what extent the order for suspen'
sion will be observed. 1t is generally
conceded, however, that the strike will
be enforced in this state.