The Portland daily press., 1897-07-28


tie or Nothing in the Way of SettIe-
ment-Adjourned to Have Proposed
Agreement Printed.
Pittsburg, Pa, July 27.-Eighty-nine
coal companies, located in the Pittsbure
district, were represented at the coal op.
orators uniformity meeting here today.
The river operators held a meeting al
the coal exchange this afternoon and de.
cided to take no part in the uniformity
movement. No attention was
paid to the call by the West.
moreland people. Very little was accom-
plished at the two sessions today. The old
uniformity agreement with the new
clauses inserted were reported on by a
committee and at the meeting tomorrow
the agreement will be taken up by
clauses for discussion. The only sensa-
tional incident of the days sessions oc-
CURED when Col. W. P. Rend presented
minority report:on uniformity agreemen =+
denouncing the procedure of the meeting
in severe terms and boiling the confer
ence.
Pittsburg, Pa, July 27 The long
looked for conference of the Pittsburg
coal operators which the joint arbitration
commission fully expects to adopt plan
which will settle the big miners strike,
was called for II O'Clock this forenoon in
the Court house, but owing to the slow
ness of the operators. to gather, it was al
most noon before it was called to order.
1t was the largest meeting of the kind
ever held in this district. The convention
began and miners, officials and many. in
terested citizens were on hand as specta-
tors. The operators present represented
practically the entire mining district. As
yet the "True uniformity" plan which is
being urged by the arbitration commits
sion is the only one before the conference.
The number of operators was increased
to about Is before the meeting began.
Alexander Dempster was chosen chair
man and Gen. John Little was chosen
vice president.
Marshall Reno was elected secretary and
committee was appointed to take up the
proposed uniformity agreement, revise it
to suit the changed conditions since it's
first form ulation and report to the con-
ference at 8 O'Clock. Recess until 3
o'clock.
At o'clock the committee reported the
old uniformity agreement which the new
ClduS0 EpfCdluUi0 pT6phf6Q ny YlSlblI&
arbitratorS. The report was read and
Capt. Stritler moved that it be received
and the committee discharged.
n Col. Rend demanded recognition for
the heading of a minority report. He
prefaced the report with few remarks
on what he termed the bunco intention
of the meeting. Col. Rend said he had
been misled bykGen. Little as to the pur.
pose of the meeting. He understood that
1t had been called with a view of hasten
ing settlement of the strike. When
he got to the meeting he learned that
the strike was not to be taken into con-
sideration or discussion in connection
with uniformity.
The preamble to the resolutions recites
the earnest desire of the coal operators of
western Pennsylvania to devise honorable
methods to bring the strike to a termi-
nation; deplores the poverty and misery
of the vast army Of miners and their
families, and claims that the public has
been misled by crafty and false state
ments as to the causes responsible for
the present and past turmoil.
After the resolutions had been read the
chairman asked to have some portions
eliminated, but the colonel refused en-
phatically to allow a single word to be
dropped and withdrew from the confer
ence.
Col. Rend took the minority report
with him and Chairman Dempster de-
cided that as Col Rend had left the
meeting and taken the report with him
it was not part of the record of the ses
sion and could not be acted upon.
W. P. DeArnitt said be wanted it dis
tinctly understood that the call to adopt
uniformity did not have anything to do
with the strike as he did not propose to
arbitrate anything while under fire, nor
admit that the operators were towards.
Or. Anderson advised that the report of
the committee be taken up ad seriatim.
J. B. Zerbe moved that copies of the
agreement be printed over night and
copy be placed in the hands of each oper-
ator by morning This was carried unan-
imously. The meeting adjourned until to
morrow morning.