Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-08-26
STRIKING OPERATORS
A Split in the Ranks Of Pittsburg
District Mine Owners.
PRESIDENT DoLAE ARRESTED,

0A1vA4 Su uAA1lO wv AClos
PRESIDENT D0LAN ARRESTED.
The Leader of the Pittsburg District
Mine Workers Led Party of March-
ing strikers, and Was stopped by
Deputies.
Pittsburg. Aug. 26.-The coal oper-
Rtors have made decided change in
front since Tuesday. Internal dissen-
sions, mixed with fear on the part Of
some, caused a split in their forces
and change of base. On its face the
move looked to many like temper
airy surrender to the United Mine
Workers of America. This, however,
is denied in most emphatic terms by
the most prominent lake shippers, who
say they are going to start their mines
and supply the demand from the north
west, and not stand idly by and let
large volume of business go to oper-
ators of other states.
They publicly state that they are
willing to wait for week or ten days
before a decided movement is made.
They claim that this will give them
ample time to get the lake trade. Some
of the operators in the meeting were
frank enough to state that the sit
uation at the present time in all
branches of labor is critical, and that
they have no desire to make any move
that would cast odium on the operators
of the Pittsburg district.
1t was under these conditions that
the operators went into session yester-
day. There were many who had not
signed the agreement to share their
portion towards the expense that might
accrue in the effort to start the mines,
and they were the loudest in the APP
peals to hold aloof to await develop
ments.
1t was proposed that notices be
printed in various languages, embrace
ing briefly the position of the operators.
and also a final notice to the miners
that the mines were ready to be oper-
ated as soon as the men expressed a
desire to go to work. This proposal
was voted down, showing that many of
the operators had receded from the
stand they had taken. A motion to dis
charge all committees and adjourn
sine die was made and prevailed. In
the afternoon another meeting of the
most prominent and largest lake ship
pers was held. The session was short,
and as a result a notice was issued
by the press committee declaring that
the adjournment puts affairs into the
hands of the committee appointed
under the Cleveland agreement and
that this committee is vested with dis
cretionary power to act.
All efforts to find out who composed
this special committee were futile. The
press committee, after repeated en-
treaties, refused to divulge the names
of the committeeman. ]. b. Zerbe, who
presided at the meeting, was emphatic
in asserting that operators who hal
originally gone into the compact at
Cleveland to break the strike had not
changed their intentions. In the course
of an interview he said:
81 wish to say, and say it in all sin
certify, that the operators who original
ly made the move toward starting
their mines have not changed their in
tentions. 1t is true that the organiza-
! ton that has been in session for the
| last few days has been virtually aban-
doned. The old organization, the one
that was originally formed with Peter
M. Hitchcock as chairman, G. M.
Baine as secretary and J. c. Dysart as
treasurer, has not been abandoned,
and will continue the work on lines
originally mapped out. Just when this
resumption is to take place / am not
| prepared, nor am at liberty, to state"
Patrick Dolan, district president Of
the United Mine Workers of America,
was arrested in Washington county
yesterday afternoon while leading a
body of marchers past the Allison
mine of Cook & Sons, near McGovern
Station. Ever since the strike started
the miners have been making daily
marches from their camp to the mine
From the mine to the railroad there
is a tramway, under which runs the
public road. Yesterday, with band
at their head, about 400 marchers
tramped along the pike and passed
under the tramway. On their return
they were stopped by deputy sheriffs
and told that they could not pass under
the tramway. The marchers became
enraged, and for a time it looked as
if there would be serious trouble The
marchers decided to remain where they
were and communicated with Presi-
dent Dolan by telegraph.
Dolan arrived shortly after o'clock
and told them he would lead the pro-
cession. The band, with Dolan at it's
head and the marchers following, then
started. When Dolan reached the tram
way he was told by the deputy sheriffs
that he could go no further, and when
he wanted to know the reason why
he was told that such move was a
violation of the law and the injunction.
This Dolan denied, and the arrest fol-
lowed. He was taken to Washington on
the first train. The marchers were al
lowed to return to their camp unmo-
Tested.