Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-08-27
STRIKE PREDICTIONS.
Rend and Gompers Look Ahead
and Prophesy the Result
Of the Struggle.
oRACLEs DON'T SEE THINGS ALIKE

Chicago Operator Declares the Strike on
Its Last Legs and the Washington Labor
Leader Says 1t Will Win in Quick Time
Now Rend Also Challenges Ratchforti to
Sue Him for Libel-Day's Doings in the
Pittsburg District.
Pittsburg, Aug. 27.-Colopel W. p
Eend. the Chicago operator who created
q scene during the recent joint con-
ference Of miners and operators by
making serious charges against Presi-
dent Ratchford, returned from Buffalo
yesterday. When told that his charges
had created considerable excitement
and that intimations had been thrown
out that libel suit might be entered
against him Colonel Rend said: Let
him sue ME. am ready to prove what
1 charged. and / think it would be a
good thing for the country il it were
proved. That St. Louis convention
could not set itself better Job than to
investigate this matter. I made Dolan
an offer to present Ratchford with the
evidence. but it was not accepted"
Says the Strike Is Lost, Sure.
speaking of the strike generally Col
onel Rend declared it to be now certain
the miners will lose it, He anticipates
that within the next few DAYS new men
VIII be brought in to start some of the
pits; but even IL this is not done and the
mines remain idle the men will never get
SUCH another golden opportunity as they
nave rejected. He says their great mis-
take was in supposing the operators
lt-
sought arbitration. He declares that
all the large lake shippers are firmly
determined to resist the demands of the
miners. II the miners had accepted the
first propositions made by the operators
;It the conference on Friday they would
have made substantial gain and would
nave improved permanently their con-
dition.
Gompcrs Takes Different View,
Washington. Aug. %. President
Gompers. OF the American Federation of
Labor. gave his view of the present coal
strike situation as fellows: THE sit
uation as l gather it from the reports
or our organizers indicates that between
6o per cent and 60 per cent. of the mines
in West Virginia are now closed down
completely. A letter 1 have just received
from the Cooper and Pocahontes dis
trict Is Drumming with confidence, and
says that work in that region has been
reduced one half in the last fortnight
ana predicts general collapse there
very soon. So long as The West Vir-
ginia miners continued operations there
was, Of course. little hopes of an abso-
lutte victory for the miners, because
West Virginia could supply the urgent
needs OF the market. But with the sus.
pension in West Virginia becoming gen.
eral. If the miners in the states of Penn
sylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois keep
their ranks unbroken, as am confident
they will. the strike must result in an
absolute victory for the men.
Situation Becoming More Acute,
Before Sept. Is the lake trade must
be supplied. The situation becomes daily
more acute and while hesitate to fix
a day believe that the strike will be
terminated by the end of September and
that the settlement will be in favor of
the miners" When Gompers attention
was called to the great restitution and
suffering among the strikers he said
that the coal operators had taught the
miners how to suffer. They had been
drilled in hardships by the operators.
They would continue to endure their
tria little longer in the hope of re-
lie /.S their situation permanently in
III future.