The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-09-02
RESULT OF THE CONFERENCE
Meeting Between Miners and Operators
Ended In q Disa xreement.

Pittsburg, Aug. 26.-At the coal
operators meeting this afternoon, the
miners ultimatum to return to work
at the 69-cent rate, pending arbltra-
ton, was rejected. The operators will
now carry out the plan made at the
Cleveland conference, and will open all
their mines.
The operators conference was in
secret session for several hours, and
when the doors were opened the press
committee announced that the mines
would certainly be started with the old
diggers if possible, or with imported
men, if the old men refuse to work. A
committee was appointed, composed of
representatives of every firm in the dis
trict, to map out the mode of procedure
for the resumption.
The press committee issued a state
ment tonight purporting to be an ac-
count of the proceedings in conference.
After reciting the several propositions
under discussion in the conference, and
which assert that the miners peremp-
torily reject all the propositions SUBJ
mitted by the operators, the report says
that the operators have exhausted every
effort in trying to bring about settle
ment with the officials of the miners,
whose proposition could not be accept
per cent in wages, and would entail ire
parable losses on the producers. The
report adds:
"Amicabla and conciliatory methods
have failed to convince or to move the
leaders. The responsibility for what
ever privations follow to the miners and
their families must rest upon the
miners officials. The miners officials
having rejected the proposition made
for an agreement, the operators can
only ask the miners to consider the ex-
listing conditions and ask themselves
whether they are justified in continu-
ing line of action which is dicta-
torial."
Then it is broadly stated that the
action of Ratchford is not above suspi-
cion, and it is strongly intimated that
the miners officials are acting in league
with the Hooking Valley operators,
against the interests of the Pittsburg
district miners.
At noon the conference between the
coal miners national district officials
and the operators closed, and the con-
ference adjourned without day.
The miners representatives did not
recede from their original proposition
to settle the strike by arbitration and
start the mines at the 69-cent rate.
The operators offered to divide the diff
erence between the 81 and 69-cent rates,
making the price at which the miners
should start 81 q cents per ton, but
this was rejected. Then additional
propositions were made. One was to
start the mines without fixing any price
for 80 days, and then to pay the rate
agreed upon by the board of arbitra-
ton. This was also refused the miners,
as they said they had been fooled too
often to trust the operators. They de-
clined to work for a month, giving the
operators the output for that length of
time without knowing what wages
should be paid.
A proposition was then made to
operate the mines for ten days without
fixing the price, board of arbitration
to fix the price for that time. Presi
dent Ratchford insisted that nothing
but the 69-cent rate could possibly be
accepted. The operators were firm,
but the miners were equally determined.
Every argument of the operators was
met by the miners leaders. 1t was,
therefore decided to end the conference.
President Ratchford gave out the fol-
lowing statement:
eve have disagreed. Our PROPOSE
tion remains unchanged. Beside our
proposition to arbitrate we made them
a second one along the line of bringing
about general conference of the miners
and operators of all the mining states.
They refused to lend their efforts in
that direction and the strike was con-
tinued. We have no other plans for
the future.
Immediately after the close of the
conference, j. B. Zerbe called a meet
ing of operators for 2 O'Clock this after
noon to discuss the plan decided upon
at the Cleveland conference to make
fight to start the mines with the old
men if they can be induced to dig at 81
cents, or to import men to take their.
places. Others. however, say they will
not aid in carrying out this plan, and
favor complete surrender.
Quiet prevails in the strikers camps
about the DeArmitt mines. Both sides
are awaiting the decision of the court
in the cases of the five men arrested on.
Saturday morning.
The Stickeen Route.
Gan Francisco. Auc. ga new