The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1897-06-02
COAL MINERS
Think Recent Wage Reductions are
striking" Evidences Of
M. HANNA's PROSPERITY SHOW
On the Home Stretch--Ths Big 10
Controls the Lake Front Docks
and Small Concerns are
LEFT "OUT IN THE CoLD.'

PITTSBURg, May 2S.-The Post pub
fishes the following: The national ex-
ecutive board of the United Mine Work.
ers Of America have decided to order a
general strike throughout Pennsylvania,
Ohio and West Virginia, to secure the
69-cent rate for mining. The order is
expected to be in the hands of the work
men within very few days.
More than $4,000 miners will be af.
fected by the order. and a desperate
struggle between the men and opera.
tors will result.
The order, it is said, has been decided
on because of the fact that 10 of the
large coal companies in the Pittsburg
district have secured control of all the
lake front dockage.
This year the conditions in the lake
market arc entirely different from
what they were in former years. Time
was when the smaller operators could
market coal ON the lake front, but this
year all has been changed. Now they
can not dispose of any coal unless it
goes through the hands of the 10 coal
company.
While the miners in the Pittsburg
district have been battling against re-
duction to "a cents ton the operators
have been quietly at work ON the lake
fronts. Every foot of dockage is now
in the hands of one of the 10 companies.
With,coal mined at "a cents, they would
be in virtual control of the market, and
need not fear inroads by any of the
smaller operators.
The companies having succeeded in
getting control of the docks are Mark
Hanna 81 Company, Ellsworth Coal
company, Cuddy, Miller & Company,
the w. Il. Scott mines, Ohio and Penn
'sylvania Coal company, Moon Run Coal
company, Osborne, Saeger 81 Company,
Morgan, Moore & Balm, Pickands,
Mather & Company, w. P. Rend, Rob-
bins Coal company, Pittsburg and Chi
cago Coal company and the New York
and Cleveland Gas Coal company.
1t is claimed by the miners officials
that trade has been solicited at the "a
cent rate. The coal comes from Ohio,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The Pittsburg district was the cause
Of much contention in the national con-
vention of the miners held in Columbus,
o., last January. During the month of
December preceding the operators in
this district offered the miners 60 cents
q ton during tho months of January and
February and 90 cents the following
months. The local miners refused to
accept the offer. The question was act
ed on by the national convention, and
taken entirely out of the hands of the
Pittsburg district officials 1t was re-
ferred to the executive board, and they
were given power to act. They were
instructed TO make a demand for so
cents at time they thought proper.
The board has been considering the
question for some time. During the
past two weeks M. ID. Ratchford, the
national president, has been in the
district and has made report to the
board. Patrick Dolan, president of the
Pittsburg district said last night that the
board had decided to declare strike in
Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
II have advised against strike, and
can say that am not in favor of it,"
sand President Dolan last night. "But
since the executive board has taken the
matter out of our hands, have
come to the conclusion that the min.
ers Of the Pittsburg district might
Just as well go down making strug-
gle for what is due them as starving
become hardened to hunger and suffer
AhSt "hN oAS IA as BOOh ~ SOhNAbAOh W
strike now as they ever were.
"If they can succeed in cutting off
the supply for the lake trade when it
opens. if for short time only, there
are good prospects of winning out. On
the face of it it is unfair to try to grind
the miners down to the 5i-cent rate
when the operators offered them 90
cents the first of the year. In the com
ing battle l believe we will have the
sympathy of many Of the smaller oper-
ators. Just as sure as the operators
having control Of the docks carry out
their plans, so sure will the sheriff have
business with the smaller one. Their
property will be rendered valueless and
their business gone unless they come to
the terms of the big operators.
Il think we will be IN shape to bring
out the men employed by nearly every
coal company in the lake front eombina.
ton
II look upon the near future with
dread, and when the strike is once start.
ed no one knows what the results will
be-"