Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-07-21
HARD ROW HOE
The One Given Oebs in the West
Virginia Coal Fisld.
bTRIKE TALK HoT AT ALL POPULAR

Ind1ana LATER ReEormer Thraatenea With
Desth II He Goes 70 Kanawha-WM Go
Anyhow, but Fesls Discouraged-Wat-
sons Provide . Tough Problem for Strike
ASitators-Another Move To He Gade On
the Csnonsburg Mines, which Are Ran-
ming Again.
Cincinnati. July IA special to The
Commercial Tribune from Wheeling. ".
Va, says: Changes that have an i'm
portant bearing upon the coal strike
situation in West Virginia come slowly.
The state taken as q whole is against
the strike for financial reasons, and all
who have struck have been brought out
under pressure Of the organizers and
agitators from elsewhere. Generally
they have been shamed into striking,
and their minds change when the agi-
tators move on to other sections. In the
Fairmont region Debs admits that he
Is sorely discouraged. seventy-six of
the Monongah men brought out Mon
lay have returned. The Fairmont man.
ayers declare that IL the Watson men,
about 1000 in number. can be kept at
work the other miners will be
working tomorrow as usual. Debs'
speech at Rivesville last night to the
Watson men was not successful. To.
day he will speak at worthington and
Minersville to more of the Watson men.
1t is generally predicted that he will
have no better success there.
Watsons Are Popular with the Men.
The Watsons and their men are on
nd
any grievance. They lead the region
In production and profits and have the
miners tied up in agreeable contracts
10 purchase cheap homes and to furnish
necessaries in sickness and death. The
miners have cause to like and respect
the Watsons and will probably stick
to them. Rev. John Chenoweth, who
breaches to the Watson miners, Gays
he never saw employers and men on
better terms. 1t transpires that Debs
has been Swallowed by two Pinkerton
men. and that he has been threatened
with death If he goes to Kanawha. He
will go, however. tomorrow. A gang
OF $50 Italians Is to arrive at Fair
mont today. They were to have worked
on a new railroad, but will try minirg.
In the Kanawha valley there is no ma
terial change, the success of the organ
izers at one point being Offset by re-
sumptions at others.
Atkinson Is for the Strikers.
Sixteen hundred cars Of coal were
shipped yesterday, the biggest ship
ment in years. There have been threats
Of holding up trains at Kenova and
over in Ohio, and more watchmen have
been placed at danger points. Senator
Camden yesterday said there was no
strike at the mines Of the Camden COM
panies, and that Fairmont is working as
usual except for a few. idlers who do
not want work. Governor Atkinson
was here yesterday. He thinks the
strike will become general and hopes
the men will win. He says he has not
been consulted about using the military,
and that none but the most violent out
break would call for it's use. The Glen
dale miners near Wheeling came out
yesterday. and they threaten to march
upon the Bogg's Run mine today, and
this will cause trouble.
Will Demand the 1884 Scale.
Charleston, w. Va, July 21.-At a Sc
cret meeting of strike leaders at Mont
gomery 1t was decided to demand the
reinstatement of the scale Of 1881, which
was rs cents per ton for hard coal and
5s cents per ton for soft coal. A COM
mittee was appointed to wait upon the
operators and make the formal demand.
Refused to Let Sovereign Speak.
Bluefield, w. Va. July 21.-The mayor
refused to allow Grand Master Work.
man Sovereign to speak at Pocahontas
Monday night. Yesterday w. j. Freid-
man. an agitator. was seriously injured
by being struck by a stone. and four
other agitators were forced to flee.
Columbus, O., July 21.-Organizers
Green and Wallace notified headquar-
tiers yesterday afternoon that they
were compelled to leave Pocahontas,
w. Va. at the point of six shooters.
They did not offer resistance. They,
however, remained in the neighborhood
with intention of doing missionary work