The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-06
INDIANIANS IGNORED
NOT CONSULTED IN THE PROPOSED
SETTLEMENT OF THE STRIKE.
HoOsier Mine Operators May Not BE
Bound by Any Agreement Reached
at Columbus This Week.
SAMUEL GOMPERS SCORED
LABOR FEDERATION'S PRESIDENT
DENOUNCED AT PITTSBURG.
Called "a "PIug-Hatted, Greasy Tool
of Capital" and an AristOcrat Who
Should Be Kicked Out.
Special TO the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Sept. 5.-The pro-
posed basis Of settlement Of the miners
strike seems to have been accepted at Co
lumbus without taking into consideration
the attitude Of the Indiana operators, who
" ere not consulted 1t is looked on here
as an Ohio and Pittsburg district affair,
and there is much doubt as to the effect in
this State. Mr.. J. Smith Talley, president
of the Indiana Bituminous Operators AS
sociation, says Indiana will be governed by
Illinois, and if the Indiana miners go to
work at all before Illinois does it will be on
a temporary arrangement. 1--WE cannot
afford to get tied up in any agreement"
said he that does not also bind our COM
petitors across the border. We must be
able to compete with Illinois, will
have no work for our miners" Mr.. Talley
is not hopeful that the Illinois operators
will get together, but believes that the set
tlement in that State will be a sort of
go-as- you-please arrangement, as it has
been in the past. Therefore, Indiana will
have to hold back and fall in behind Illi-
nois. The Indiana operators will do moth
ing until after the action of the Columbus
conference next Tuesday The block-coal
miners and those in the bituminous field in
the southern part of the State may go to
work on the basis of 65 cents for Pittsburg,
if that scale is accepted at Columbus, be-
cause in both districts the miners were
working under q contract which fixed
sliding scale based on the Pittsburg price
for mining. But three-fourths of the BIZ
luminous coal was being mined at so cents
or less in other districts in the State, and
the operators who own these mines, not
having a contract or being consulted in
the present instance, will use their own
judgment as to whether or not they shall
abide by the Columbus agreement. Mr..
Talley says they are likely to make their
fight Tor a scale which will be in harmony
with what may be accepted in that part
of Illinois which sends coal to the Chicago
market TO compete with the Indiana
product.
President Knight, of the Indiana district,
says he cannot now tell how the Indiana
miners will stand on the Columbus propo-
sition, which he himself thinks is the
: basis of q settlement. Indiana will send
delegates" said he, ito consider any prop
osition that may be made. / can say that
none will be agreed to that neglects the
interests of any district involved in the
strike" Mr.. Knight says that all the
miners heard from look with particular
favor on the feature of the Pittsburg prop
osition, which provides for a joint confer
ence of operators and miners, to be held
in December. to arrange for scale for the
The Central Labor Union recently sent a
letter of request to each of the pastors Of
that city asking them to ask of their con-
gregationS to-day contributions for the
miners. The contributions were to be either
cash or clothing. The request was addressed
to thirty-five pastors, but only five respond
ed. Naturally the labor union men are
making biting comments on the church as
a friend of labor