The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-08-27
With NON-UNION MEN,
Pittsburg Operators Say They
WHl Start Their Mines.
CONFERENCE ENDED IN FAILURE.
PresideA4 Ratchford ID. clarss the At
tempt to Run the Mines VIII Prove
Futile and That the strikers Will Win.
Labor Representatives Meet.

PITTsBURG. Aug. 25.-Coal operators
of the PittsburR district are going 60
operate their mines at once. Within
week notices will be posted in conspic-
uous places about the various pits OF
the district notifying the strikers that
they can return to work if they care TO.
Such an announcement will be given
in due time. and if it does not bring the
miners to their work employees Will be
engaged from other parts.
Such is the policy of the operators or
the Pittsburg district, as result of the
conference with the head officials OF
one United Mine Workers of America.
No compromise was reached and there
was but one thing left for the mine
owners to start their plants without
the aid of organized labor. From the
standpoint of the two sides of the con-
troversy the status of the whole situa-
ton up to date is as follows:
President Ratchford of the United
Mine Workers of America says that
the last straw was broken at the con-
ference; that the operators cannot do
anything but give in to their employees, ,
that the strike will be kept up until
the wages demanded. 30 cents per ton,
is paid.
The official statement of the Oper-
ators is diplomatic supplement to the
strike. 1t is intended 20 give a who e
lot of information, but few facts can
be found in any of the paragraphs. 1t
tells of the meeting and its sad ending,
and predicts that the mines can be run
without further parleying.
The conference ended in failure
The miners officials would not recede
from their original position to settle by
arbitration and to start the mines at
the 69-cent rate. The operators offered
to divide the difference between the 81
and 69-cent rates. making the price at
which the mines should be started 81 %
cents but this was rejected, and then
additional propositions were made. One
was to start the mines without fixing
any price for 20 days, and then pay the
rate agreed upon by board of arDi-
traitors.
This was also refused by the miners
representatives,. as they said they had
been fooled too often TO trust the oper-
atOrs again. They declined to w,rk
for "a month, giving the operators the
output for that length OF time without
knowing what wages were to be paid.
4 proposition was then made to Oper-
ate the mines for ten days without fix
ing price and allow a board or arbi.
traitors to fix the price for that time.
President Ratchford insisted that
pOthing but "a 69-cent rate could poss-
ibiy be accepted. The operators were
firm, but she miners were equally de-
termined and every argument of the
mlneowners was met by the miners
leaders Neither side would concede
another point, and 1t was decided to
end the conference
Representatives from s. labor organi-
cations IN Western Pennsylvania met
last night at Knights OF Labor hall and
adopted resolutions advocating gen
eral uprising OF the wOrkingmen in
peaceab.e madoer and a general strike.
If the injunction of the courts relative
to the miners encampments at Turtle
Greek are consumed.