The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-22
TO MEET OPERATORS
OFFICERS OF UNITED NINE WORK
ERS AGREE TO a CONFERENCE.
Plans for Settling the Great strike by
Arbitration To BE Discussed at
Pittsburg Monday.
MINE OWNERS STATEMENT
FIVE MARCHERs ARRESTED FOR
VIOLATING THE INJUNCTION.
Clash Between Deputies and March
erS at Plum CrecIk-Miners Sent
to Jail by Judge Goa.

.ence in sight the coal operators went TO
their homes tonight hoping for the best.
The hope was not very houyant among
many, with perhaps the exception of Col.
W. p. Rend who has become known as
the advance agent of Cancellation" lie
expressed himself pleased with the pros
poets of arriving al satisfactory settle
ment, which, he said, depended now entire
Iy on the officials of the United Mine
Workers
President Dolan returned from Columbus
this morning and announced to the opera
tors committee that he was authorized to
fix a date for a conference between the
mine workers national executive and the
operators association for the purpose of
settling by arbitration if possible the great
coal miners strike. This plan struck the
committee favorably and the afternoon was
devoted to a conference between Mr.. Dolan
and the operators. The result of this meet
ing was that Mr.. Dolan telegraphed to
National President Ratchford and Secre-
tary Pearce to come to Pittsburg for a
meeting with the operators on Monday
morning. Mr.. Dolan said: 1--WE will go into
conference with the operators, but 1t must
be understood that our action Will not be
binding. The miners must be consulted
first The people whom we represent must
be heard. In the event of a proposition be-
ing considered favorably, we would have
TO call a district convention. l have never
said or even thought of accepting 65-cent
rate Further, if the operators expect us
to go to work at the 54-cent rate there
would be nothing to arbitrate and the con-
ference would be useless. 1t must be UNDER
stood that if we make a settlement it must
include every operator in the Pittsburg dis
trict De Armitt excepted, as we are set
ting with him just now. 1t must be perma-
nent and that's all there is to it"
j. B. Zerbe, after discussing the events
of the day said: 1T must not be under
stood that we have abandoned the idea Of
starting our mines, and why should we?
The result can easily be guessed if the
miners officials do not make concessions.
The operators are bound to exercise all Of
their rights if no agreement is reached
Nearly all of the Cleveland operators
have left for their homes, intending to
return on Monday morning to attend the
meeting which they hope will result in
settlement of the coal troubles in this dis
trict and if such a contamination is eff
fected here the entire union must neces-
sarily follow suit.
STATEMENT FROM OPERATORS.
A committee appointed by the coal oper-
ators sent out the following for publication
Tonight:
Facts developed within the last few days
disclose that the coal producers of the
P1ttsburg district are confronted with the
combined opposition of the miners organ
iZatiOn and coalition of the producers of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. That there is
WeIl-conSlderel plan on the part OF these
Western producers TO supDlant the Pitts
burg operators in the Northwestern markets
Tor the coal required for the coming winter
nv which have
been set in motion to prolong the strike,
making it impossible to get PlttSburg coal
to the upper lake ports before the close of
lake navigation. 1T is equally true that
willingly or ignorantly, the miners organ
ization is acting in harmony with the pro-
ducers of other States to accomplish the
purpose intended. n view of the futile et-
forts which have been made to maintain an
interstate agreement in former years, the
proposition of Mr. RatchTord and his adj
visers to settle only by an interstate con-
ference is impracticable and Impossible, for
the reason that the operators of other
States and sections refuse to enter into
such conference.
1T is well known and generally recog-
nized that the wage rate established in the
Pittsburg district is the basis for the rates
In all the fields and States west OF Penn
syvania, the product of which enters
into common market. By reason of an
amicable arrangement between the opera
tors and miners officials of other States a
portion of the wage earnings of the miners
employed by the operators is retained and
paid over TO the miners officials. The es-
timated amount so paid over in Ohio alone
approximates $126,00O year. BY means of
this fund the organization is maintained,
the miners being, in Il sense, compelled to
support the union. In return for this IA
vor the organization is used by the officers
to support the operators in their efforts to
put the Pittsburg producers at a disadvan-
tage in the lake markets.
by proximity to the ports of Lake Erie
the lake markets naturally belong to the
Pitsburg district The district nearer to
the lake ports by from siXtyfive to 145
miles and the cars which take coal hence
bring back iron ore to the Pittsburg fur
naces. This gives the railways profitable
employment for cars both ways, and should
give coal producers and iron manufacturers
a lower freight rate. 1t does not. however,
for the rate from the Pittsburg mines to
the lake is very much disproportioned Ia
the distance from other fields which fun
nish no return freight, yielding revenues 10
the roads,
lem which confronts both operators and
miners. Another is the fact that large cap
ktal invested in other fields has come into
markets formerly entirely supplied from
Pittsburg with inferior coal, produced
at lower cost and hauled at a rate dispro-
portionately low for the distance in order
that tonnage may be stimulated This has
caused the diHerential price formerly OBJ
tanned for Pittsburg coal to be wiped out
burg operators have always and have this
year paid the highest wages per ton for
mining except in isolated sections where
from the difficulty of mining, the digger Is
unable to make as large earnings. The
operators have been met with conditions
which bear heavily on them as on the
miner and which they have been equally
as helpless as the miners to avert or mti-
gate. In the present year all markets have
been disturbed Because of the depressed
volume of business and low prices for all
commodities consumers have exerted all
the influence they could command to re-
duce the cost of coal to a low plane. This
has been particularly true of all the great
railway, steamship and manufacturing cor
porations This has stimulated effort to re-
duce the unit of cost of production by the
introduction of machinery at existing
mines, not TO mention the influence OF the
development of new fields of production
which has been stimulated by low rates of
transportation to the great consuming mar
kets
1.-THE operators OF the Pittsburg district
have asked for conference with the Of
nctals OF the miners organization and have
given evidence Of the sincerity of their
motives and the truthfulness of their
representations by agreeing TO submit their
side Of the controversy TO disinterested
men for arbitration. feeling assured OF the
tuctantlys 1t seems. conference has been
accorded TO take place on Monday. They
hope for a satisfactory settlement They
also feel that the call issued by the of
ncers of the miners for convention of
al the disconnected and misguided ele-
ana 10 impugn the administration of the
laws or the land makes their cause the
cause OF every laW-abiding citizen of the
country II law Is TO remain supreme. The
institutions OF the country are not to be
imperiled and the menacing attitude taken
Is not 10 disturb that tardy returning con-
ndence upon which business largely de-
pends and which Stimulates enterprise
III ls felt that q statement or the side OF
ne operators - o''e the public in order