The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-16
WENT RIGHT
TO HANNA.
Officers of the United Mine
Workers of America
Go to Washington and Demand
"PrOsperity.''
MARK HANNA TO ACT.
He Will Investigate the COndi
tiOn of the Mines
To See If He Can't Bring About
Better Times.

Massilon, O., April 16.-It is learned
here that Senator NJ. "A. Hanna mas
determined to look up mining condl-
tions as they prevail in western Penn
sylvania. He proposes to exercise his
influence for the betterment of the con-
ditions under which the men are now
labOring
Columbus, O., April 16-NT. D. Ratch-
ford. president of the United Mine
Workers of America, and W. c. Pearce,
secretary of that organization, are ex-
pected home this morning from ten
days trip through the Pittsburg dis
trict and a visit to Washington City.
The purpose of their visit to Washing
ton was to interest the members of the
Republican national committee and
other leaders of that party in the cause
Of the members of the Pittsburg dis
trict, who have been working at lower
rates of wages than miners in other
parts of the country.
The annual scale of wages is fixed
about the first of May and the officials
hope to be able to induce the New York
and Cleveland Gas Coal company, Which
has made most of the trouble, to con-
sent to an increase.
Most of the operators in that district
nav so cents q ton but the company
named only pays so and 55 cents, which
has been the cause of several strikes
and a great deal of distress among the
miners. It Is controlled BY Andrew
Carnegie, and has associates who are
nearly all Republicans, and it is be-
Heved that the Republican national
committee might exercise an important
influence upon them
Washington dispatch says that
President Ratchford and Secretary
Pearce had an interview at the capitol
with Senator Hanna, Senator Quay and
other members of the national commit
tee and several Republican leaders, at
which the object of their mission was
discussed a length While the senators
recognized the Importance OF the ap-
peal to them, and desire to do whatever
they can to restore wages, they realize
a t the same time that it is a private
matter over which the national COM
mittee has no jurisdictiOn,and that their
intervention may be regarded as an
impertinence. Nevertheless they Will
use their good offices with the manag
ers of the New York and Cleveland Gas
Coal company to secure an advance
when the new scale is made up. ThlS
is the only company complained of. 1t
handles about 10 per cent of the output
of the Pittsburg district and for sever
al years has been operating with non
union Ia Dor.
Mr. Ratchford and Mr.. Pearce are
also interested in the tareff on coal and
that also had something to do with
their visit to Washington. During their
stay in the capital they had several
conferences with the members Of the
senate committee on finance and the
house committee on ways and means.
They were chaperOned by General
Grosvenor and Representative R w.
Taylor of Ohio. who escorted them to
the White House, where President Nc
Kinley extended to them a very cordial
greeting. Mr.. RatchfOrd'S home is at
MassilIon, the next town to Canton and
he is an old friend of the president,
having been associated with Major Nc
Kinley in various matters for several
years.
In an interview with a Washington
reporter President RatchfOrd said:
The purpose of our visit here is to
confer with certain representative men
who have influence with the coal oper-
ators of Ohio and Pennsylvania, to en-
list their support in our endeaVOr to
secure better mining prices and the
ending of the nasty fight that has so
long been Waged between the miners
and the operators in the PittSburg dis
trict and has resulted in great losses to
trict and has resulted in great losses to
the one and great hardships to the 9th
er.
YES continued Mr.. Ratchford, eve
are interested in the tariff, like every
body else in the country, and we have
taken occasion to explain the views of
our organization to the congressional
committees. We have expressed our
opposition to the proposed increase in
the duty on coal. We think it would be
detrimental to our trade in Pennsylva-
MIA Ohio and elsewhere, for the reason
that it would, in all proba bility, inspire
retaliation on the part of the Canadian
government. which would deprive US of
a large market and cut off our export
trade The miners and operators in a
portion of the West Virginia fields who
ship to the eastern market no doubt
would be benefited by an increase of
duty because it would enable them to
compete on better terms with the Nova
Scotia mines but they represent only
a small fraction of the mining industry
which would suffer by the changer 1t is
hardly right, therefore, for the few to
be benefited at the expense of the
many.