The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-19
Can Do More than Any other Man To-
ward bringing out the West
Virginia Diggers.
REGIMENT OF HUNGRY MEN
ON THE MARCH LAST NIGHT TO
FORCE OUT THOSE AT WORK.
Passenger Trains Sidetracked for
Coal Trains Rushing North
Arbitration News.

WHEELING, w. Va, July 1S.-Just why
it is so may be a mystery to some. but it
is a fact nevertheless that Eugene V. Debs
will be able to do more just now toward
bringing out the miners in the Fairmont
region than any other man. A big meeting
at Monongah to-day demonstrated this
when a local miner got up and declared
that as soon as Debs came into the region
the men would strike and that his influence
would be greater than all the offers of the
operators to pay bonuses on coal mined
This sentiment was loudly cheered. The
organizers at work there admit that he
must be brought into the field and tonight
it was announced that he will be at Fair
mont on Tuesday. Everybody wants to
hear Debs. To-days meeting at Willow
Tree Schoohouse for the Monongah miners
was a success as to numbers and en-
thusiasm, but there was a serious cooling
off of enthusiasm after the meeting was
over and the organizers departed. The
Monongah men will go to work as usual
in the morning. They will wait until Tues
day, when Debs is advertised positively to
come, before taking any action. At to-
days meeting Hugh Mcdonald local
miner, presided, and w. D. Mahon, Of De-
troit, delivered the address.
BY actual count there were 324 men pres
ent of whom all but ten were miners and
all but about twenty Monongah men. There
was loud cheering and lots of it. especially
when Mahon read a message from a Nor
folk & Western organizer sending good
news. Men In the audience pledged the
Monongah men to go out this week. When
a date to strike was called for everybody
rose and the cheering lasted five minutes.
After the meeting, however fully fifty
Monongah men said they would go to work
as usual in the morning.
The men at ODonnell's Aurora, Fleming
ton and Bates mines are still out and will
not go back. The operators expect all
Fairmont to be out at the end of the week
or sooner They threaten TO close their
coke ovens and put the negroes and
Italians into the mines and this means
positive trouble and possibly bloodshed. The
operators had men at to-day's meeting taxi
ing notes Of everything said and done.
Coal is too badly needed, however, for any
of the miners to fear dismissal. The strike
sentiment is growing slowly and Thursday
is the limit generally placed on work.
The railroads are rushing things tonight
and a thousand cars of coal were shipped
the past twelve hours. Passenger trains on
Ihe BdltlfnOre G ONO SJlI Stand out or the
way of King Coal. In the Norfolk & West
ern region to-day the strikers made gains
in some sections and losses in others. Big
mass meetings were held in Flat Top to-
day and it looks tonight as If four more
of the largest mines would be ilde in the
morning, though the men dislike to give
up the good pay they are now making and
are vacillating between desire and what
they feel to be a duty. At Thacker to-day
after the departure of the organizers for
Flat Top and Pocahontas the strikers un-
der the influence of speeches by operators
and railroad officials voted to return to
work in the morning. Organizers will be
sent back among them. The Elk Horn
operators believe their men will return By
Tuesday.
The placing of guards at some mines Is
having a disquieting influence and may
make trouble. The contest between the
representatives Of the labor organizations
and the local interests throughout the re-
gion is terrific, but the strikers seem to
have the best of 1t. About one-half the
men will work tomorrow. On the Wheel
ing & Lake Erie, In the eastern Ohio dis
trict, the operators have about given up
hope Of getting men before the strike is
settled Some miners came down from
Massillon to-day, but did not like the out
look and went home. The United States
marshals are all gone but three and they
are doing detective work. -Four West Vir~
ginia coal trains went through to-day and
were not molested.