The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-03
Conference at Columbus Yesterday
Unable to Agree and an Adjourn
ment Taken TIL To-day.
"69 CENTS A TON OR NOTHING"
THE CRY OF RADICAL STRIKERS IN
THE PITTsBURG DISTRICT.
Anything Less than the Scale Demand
ed, They Say, Will BE Rejected
Col. Rend Talks to His Men.

COLUMBUS, o., Sept 2.-The national
executive board of the United Mine Work.
ers has adjourned until tomorrow morning
without reaching conclusion on the
proposition of the Pittsburg operators, and
it is impossible to predict what will be
done. The board had stormy session this
afternoon and there appears to be a very
decided difference of opinion among the
members as to the best course to pursue.
The proposition of the Pittsburg operators
applies specifically to that district, but in
effect all other districts are concerned. The
proposition is that the Pittsburg miners
shall return to work at 64-cent rate, pend
ing arbitration, the conditions of the arbi-
tration to be that the rate for mining shall
not be fixed at more than 60 cents ton,
nor less than 60 cents. Under such condi-
tions the miners maintain that they would
probably not secure through arbitration
much more than 65 cents Here is where
the temper of the Pittsburg miners has
been asserted. They want SO cents, and
there is some doubt whether they could be
induced to accept less without a vigorous
protest and a long-drawn-out controversy.
The Ohio miners want all they can get
naturally. but what they insist on most is
the maintenance of the differential of 8
cents in their favor, which they have held
so long. Whether any settlement could be
secured through the acceptance of the
proposition of the Pittsburg operators is
matter of opinion on which the members Of
the miners national executive board diff
fer They all agree that they cannot act
for the miners and that the most they can
do is to submit recommendations for ac-
ceptance or rejection by the craft. The
members of the board also differ in their
opinion as to how such recommendation
should be submitted whether to a conven-
tion of the Pittsburg miners alone or to a
general convention. The repeated asser-
tions of the miners officials that no settle
ment would be made by districts places
them in very embarrassing position, and
if a matter of official policy alone were
concerned the present meeting Of the board
would be cut very short. Some OF the
members of the board, however, think that
they should accomplish something before
taking final adjournment and this is the
only thread upon which action looking
toward a settlement of the strike may be
expected None of the members of the
board will discuss the situation and the
proceedings of their meeting have been
guarded with the utmost secrecy.
Separate sessions were held tonight by
the national executive board of miners and
the committee of the Pittsburg operators
Both meetings were of an informal nature,
out that of the miners board was impor-
tant. The members agreed to reject the
proposition of the operators. 1t appears
that the price to be paid for machine min
ing is the principal stumbling block The
operators offer to pay only one-half of the
price on pick mining for machine mining
and the miners demand two-thirds Were
this objection disposed Of it is doubtful
however, whether the other differences
could be settled. The miners will offer no
counter proposition and the operators
committee is not empowered to make a new
one Another joint conference will be held
tomorrow morning, and both operators
and miners will endeavor to arrive at a
more perfect understanding of just what
each side demands. A member Of the
miners board stated tonight he thought
some step might yet be taken toward a
settlement, but had no definite idea along
what line 1t might be.