The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-08-25
ARBITRATION REFUSED.
The Coal Strike in the Pittsburg
District Will Continue.
THE MINES WILL BE REOPENED,

1
Say the Operators, but the Strikers
Declare That the Men to Work T.,
Cannot DO secured-Operntors
the Labor Leaders Responsible.
Pittsburg. Aug. 25.-The final effort
to arrange plan for ending the big
coal strike .las proved failure, and
the strike goes on. The conference be.
tween 4 committee OF coal operators
and miners national and district off,
cials closed yesterday and the confere-
ence adjourned without date. The min
ers' representatives did not recede from
their original proposition to settle the
strike by arbitration and start the
mines at the 60 cent rate.
The operators offered to divide the
difference between 81 and 60 cent rates,
making ths price at which the mines
should start Glh cents per ton, but
this was rejected. Then additional
propositions were made. One was to
start the mines without fixing any
price for 30 days. and then to pay the
rate agreed upon by the board of ar
bltratlon. This was also refused by the
miners. and they said they had been
fooled too often to trust the operators
again. They declined to work for a
month. giving the operators the out
put that length Of time without know
ing what wages would be paid.
A proposition was then made to
operate the mines for ten days, with
out fixing the price. and allow board
of arbitration to fix the price for that
time. President Ratchford insisted that
nothing but the 60 cent rate could pos
sibly be accepted. The operators were
firm. but the miners were equally de-
termined. and every argument Of the
mine owners was met by the miners
leaders. Neither side would concede
another point, and 1t was decided to
end the conference.
The outlook after the adjournment
of the conference seemed to be encour-
aging for the miners. There Is no ques-
tion Of the anxiety of the operators to
start their mines. Nearly every coal
company in the Pittsburg district was
represented at the Monongahela House
during the conference.
cret session for several hours after
the Joint conference, and when the
doors were opened their press agent
announced that the mines certainly
would be started, with the old diggers
If possible and with imported men If
the old men refuse to work. A COM
mittee was appointed, composed of rep
resentatives of every firm in the dis
trict, to map out the mode of pro-
ceedure for the resumption.
In an address to the public given out
last night the operators say in part:
"Amicable and coheiliatory methods
having failed TO convince or to move
the leaders, the responsibility for
whatever privation follows to the min
ers and their families must rest upon
the miners officials. The operators feel
that they have exhausted all honorable
means Of settlement of strike which
has entailed so much misery upon the
miners and those dependent upon them,
and which they in common with the
public deplore, and would gladly change
on basis that would not be disas-
trous to themselves.
United Mine Workers, did not treat
with the operators on terms that indi-
cate any desire to protect the interests
and welfare of the miners of the Pitts
burg district. He openly claimed that
the operators had more than their
share of the trade; that some of it was
being taken from them, and that more
would be. He claimed the operators
had larger share of the lake tonnage
than they are entitled to, and that
they would not be permitted to retain
1t.
"In view of the fact that Mr.. Ratch-
home of the leading operators Of the
Hooking valley and the largest COM
pettors for lake trade the Pittsburg
operators have to meet, the position
taken by the national president of the
United Mine Workers organization is
striking and startling. Coming from
their national officer and leader. this Is
a singular declaration for one who pro-
fesses to be anxious for the welfare
of the Pittsburg district coal digger"
The camp of the striking miners
which has been maintained for the
past four weeks at Sandy Creek In
order to keep'th miners from return
ing to work in that pit was broken up
yesterday and the 20 men were sent to
their homes. This action was taken !
by the miners officials because the |
mine there Is tightly closed and the !!
strikers are fully in sympathy with |
the movement for higher wages. There !
will be meeting of all the striking |
miners of the Oak Hill mines at 2
o'clock this afternoon at the camp
grounds In Turtle Creek.
The campers at Turtle Creek were
very much elated yesterday over q
rumor anoat among the strikers that
T. 3. DeArmitt, superintendent of the
Oak Hill mines. went to some Of the
Italian strikers and offered to pay
them half of the money they forfeited
and CT cents q ton for digging coal II
they would return to work this morn
ing. This, the strikers, say is an cvi-
dcnce of weakness on the part of the
officials of the company, who. they
claim, are apparently anxious to have
the strike settled now at any price so
that they can get their mines work.
ing. Superintendent DeArmitt could
not be found to affirm or deny the re-
port.
In the case of Thomas Deere against
The New York and Cleveland Gas Coal
company to recover wages retained,
Alderman s. J. Toole yesterday after
noon gave the plaintiff judgment for
s402G. Deere sued for wages alleged
to be due from July 1G to Aug. G. He
IS one of the DeArmitt men who Joined
the strikers at Plum Creek, and his
wages were declared forfeited under
the ironclad contract. Suits for wages
have also been entered against the
same company by live others, A hear
ng will be held by Alderman Toole
leXt Monday at II o'clock.
The Weather.
For District of Columbia eastern