The San Francisco call., 1897-08-21
THE GREAT COAL STRIKE.

Telesraphic advices from the region Of
the Eastern coal miners strike indicate
that crisis is at hand. The situation
look. desperate, considering the declara-
tion OF the chief officer of the Mine
workers Union that the strikers would
endeavor to prevent operators from NOV
ing any coal III the district of which Pitts
burg is the center. A general conference
| between operators and employees seem3 to
be out o. the question. aud the attitude of
the leaders OF the strikers IS accepted as
meaning war to the knife. q"
Up 10 the present time the strike has
/ been remarkable in many respects Dis
cusslng the matter, a PitsbGrg paper
AYERS that never in the industrial history
CT that city has there been so novel a
labor situation. Strikes are nothing new
there, but the means of conducting this
strike have been thus far without prece-
dent or parallel.
The operators have been discussing the
proposition of adopting the uniformity
plan, which provides among other things,
for arbitration of disputes, payment OF
wages in cash. abolition of company
stores and uniform price for pick
ment, and it is foregone conclusion that
they will not consent 10 the miners de-
mand for 25 per cent increase in wages for
pick mining and so per cent increase for
n achine- mining.
The miners, in an address to the people,
have avowed their determination ITO for
ever put stop to state Of starvation
They want wages sufficient to enable
them to live" and they will insist on the
Is and 80 per cent increases.
So far there has baen no violence on the
part of the idle workingmen, who. until
stopped by an injunction of court,
marched from mine to nine like mighty
armies and sought by pleading to get
those still at work to abandon the coal
pits IN order that the strike might becom g
| general. They preserved order, won
public sympathy, and up to this time
lave not overstepped the limits of law.
1t is rather odd phase of the situation
that while the fight OF the miners for bet
ter wages has popular support, there is
general approval, outside OF the ranks OF
! the strikers, of the efforts Of the operators
| for uniformity.
Even If the operators should agree upon
the uniform Pile Il above outlined the differ
ences with the miners would be far from
settle ment. 1t is maintained by mine
owners that the employes aim to destroy
the utility of the machines BIZ raising the
rate Of machine mining to figures that
would be improbable to the operators.
| When President Ratchford of the Mine.
workers Union was on Thursday asked to
consent to conference of representatives
of the strikers with the operators of Pitts.
burg district he buntly refused and said
that such conference would be possible
only ii all the operators of the four States
OF Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indi.
ana would take part in it, and this gen.
eral conference is hardly to be expected.
The Pittsburg operators may decide
now to reopen the mines with nom union
labor, and that may be the signal tor 9
conflict like some of those of years gone
/ by, wherein gun and torch have played
parts and lives and property have been
destroyed 1: is 10 be hoped that these
! grim forebodings may not be realized
that peace will be kept. and that wisdom
on the part of mine e-owners and strike
| leaders will dictate terms based on Justice
! to both sides and ward off the crisis in the
| coal district, where the lighted match now
seems TO be dangerously near the barre
| ~ ud