The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-07-14
More Men Join the Ranks Of Idle
Miners.
PREDICTION OF A GOVERNOR |
West Virginias Chief Magistrate Thinks
the Trouble VIII be Speedily Settled
by Arbitration-Deb and Sovereign
willing TO lake a Hand.

keep up the enthusiasm and prevent
the strikers from becoming lukewarm
in the cause, however, the officials have
arranged for series of meetings in
different sections every day. Three
meetings were held Monday at Ban
ming, Fayette City and west Newton.
and at each place resolutions were
adopted not to return to work until
the officials gave the order
Yesterday a large meeting was held
at Snowden on the Wheeling division.
and the men were unanimous i'm their
determination to stand firm for the 90
cent rate. The miners on this division
fear that the company win soon begin
| evicting them from their houses and
intimate that If this is attempted there
/ will be trouble
News reached the miners headauar-
ters yesterday afternoon that the dig
| gers in the Camel, Warner and Morgan
/ mines, Beaver county, had thrown
down their picks and Joined the strike.
| The three pits employ about 300 men.
| The strike has also spread to Mercer
county. Five mines are idle in that
region. The men struck for an ad-
vance of ten cents per ton An effort
was made yesterday to resume work
/ at the Eagle mine at Monongahela
/ city, It is a cooperative concern, hut
the sentiment of the majority of the
! stockholders was against resumption.
| and it was decided to keep the pit
! closed until the strike was settled. A
! delegation from Brownsville says the
Knob. Beaumont, Umpire and Albany
mines have closed down, and the min
ers have Joined in the general strike,
with q determination to remain out
until the question of wages is satis-
factorily settled,
| National President M. d. Ratchford,
| of the United Mine Workers, Is exc
| pected in Pittsburg tonight or tomor-
row, and he will meet the commits
sioners. District President Patrick
! Dolan came from his home in Cecil
yesterday, where he has been sick for
| several days. He said the strike, as
far as the miners are concerned, is
progressing in good shape. When asked
about arbitration, he saidl IF arhitra-
| ton brings a satisfactory settlement,
then arbitration is the proper course"
! President Dolan said a movement
would shortly be made on the mines
| above the Pennsylvania railroad that
are still In operation, and u strong effort
will be made to bring the men out.
! Governor Atkinson, of West Virginia
accompanied by his wife and number
OF state officials. spent the day in Pitts
burg, en- route TO Canada. where they
/ VIII attend the convention of the ED
worth League. Concerning the miners
strike he said
"The coal strike is not affecting West
| Virginia very much and 1 do not be-
lieve the main body of our miners will
go out. 1 do not anticipate any trouble
whatsoever from the strike in our
state and believe the trouble all over
the country will be speedily settled by
arbitration"
There is a bare possibility that the
joint arbitration conference may vet
lead to the termination of the miners
strike on the basis Of the true and
uniformity agreement proposed by
President DeArmitt, of the New York
and Cleveland Coal Gas company, last
year, but which failed for the reason
that the 81 per cent. OF the operators
in this district required by DeArmitt
could not be secured. Two sessions Of
the arbitration board were held yes
terday, representatives from the states
Of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia,
Indiana and Illinois being present. At
the afternoon session President De-
Armit appeared before the board and
told of the conditions which exist from
his point Of view. He reoited the his
tory of the miners struggles for bet
ter conditions, He told of the great
uniformity movement in 1885, which
failed of its purpose. Mr. DeArnitt
said:
If the operators OF the Pittsburg
district will abolish their company
stores use a uniform screen, give hon
est weight, 1000 pounds Of coal for a
ton, pay cash every two weeks, I viii
leave to any committee to settle the
price Of mining and pay it, no matter
how high, providing all my competi-
tors pay the same price. Unless these
conditions can be brought about 1 will
not agree to abolish the contract with
my men, nor can I afford to do So"
Mr.. DeArmitt pointed out the fact
that his men were working today,
when almost every other mine in the
district was idle. He said that he fully
intended to pay his men the district
price whenever the other operators will
meet his terms. If true uniformity
was secured here, however, Il would so
involve the interests Of the other bltu-
minous states he said that ultimately
there would have to be a chain of uni
formity agreements i'm all the states
that would cost much money and re-
qulre considerable time to accomplish.
He promised the board all assistance
In his power in securing a settlement
upon the basis proposed, but said un-
der no consideration would he treat
with the United Mine Workers.
1t has develored that a number OF
the operators have been quietly plan
ming a coup which Is expected to bring
dismay to the miners. IL IS the inten-
ton to at once equip the mines with
machines and do away with a great
many diggers. When the mines arc
ready to start miners viii be imported
and put to work under heavy guard
and the premises barricaded. With the
cooperation Of the other operators
]. A. Beidler. OF the Webster Gas Goa
company. located on the Monongahels
{ river win take the initiative Th'
] ocerators claim this plan becomes nee
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