The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-07-15
COAL PRICES GO UP.
This Serious Phase Confronts
the Consumer.
LEADERS IN WEST VIRGINIA.
Advocates of Unionism Trying to Get
the Miners to Quit work-R tchford
VIII Visit the Mountain state Empty
Envelopes Given the Coal Workers.

PITTsBURG, July 12.-The cleverest
organizers, labor orators and eXhorters
are at work IN the West Virginia coal
diggings spreading the doctrine OF
strike. In the meantime efforts are
being made to keep closed every mine
in this district.
Local manufacturers and brokers
have secured all the coal lying in the
pools loaded on boats, barges and flats.
The amount of loaded coal is estimated
at I, ,OOO 600 bushels. Most of the river
mines are idle, although local manu-
featuring firms made contracts during
the week with river operators to furnish
them with coal.
The pay day Saturday, of which so
much was expected, passed off more
quietly than usual. No scenes of riot
were reported from the various mining
villages, which might be attributed to
| the fact that the miners did not re-
ceive enough money to riot on. The
! full evils of the "pluok me" store were
exhibited in its grossest light, as the
men stepped up to be paid two weeks
! wages, and instead were handed empty
envelopes with an account Of rent,
pick sharpening and store bills enumer-
ated on the face of it, but no money
enclosed.
The price of coal goes bounding up
wards as the strike ages. Already it
has doubled in price in the local mar
ket and RAILROADS are soaring about like
vultures seeking to seize EACH carload
of coal as it passes over their lines.
The speculators who took advantage or
the first signs Of alarm and stocked up
heavily are making fortunes.
Coal that was selling in bulk at 60
and 20 cents per ton is now command
ing 80 per ton, with further ad-
vance probable. River coal has ad-
Vanced cents bushel, while owners
are holding back and not anxious to
sell.
Besides the 1900 miners employed i'll
the New York and Cleveland Gas Coal
company's mines, there are not LOCO
men working in the whole Pittsburg
district, river miners and all.
The foreign miners are the most
active in the present affair. For two
months they have been clamoring at
the English. speaking miners to strike
1t was with difficulty they could be re-
strained from quitting work at the
opening of the lake season.
In the rotunda of the Monongahela
House, where the Pittsburg operators
gather to swap news of the strike the
following conversation was heard: :
"After this strike am going to fire
every American miner in my employ"
said one operator to another. "They are
nuisance. | will hire the men whom
will have to pay cents a day for,
under the new alien law, rather than
employ English speaking men,"
On train of the Wheeling division
Of the Baltimore and Ohio. the same re-
mark was made by another operator
only he qualified it by saying he would
collect the tax from the foreigns wages
and charge them interest for so doing.
NJ. d. Ratchford national president
of the United Mine Workers, left Pitts
burg for Ohio Saturday, but will return
during the week. He will make a trip
into the West Virginia field to speak to
the miners and plead with them per.
sOnally to cease work. He thinks that
if close attention is paid to the West
Virginia field the miners will win out.
The one stumbling block which they
will fall over will be the fact that every
politician Of note, every justice of the
peace and every official in the Mount
ain state is interested in coal mining,
and they can only hope to make any
money IN times like the present. Hence
the full power Of the law will be in
voked to retard the work of the mis-
sonaries and organizers seeking to get
the miners out,
ColOred miness are also slow to strike.
The West Virginia field is full of them.