Evening star., 1898-07-04
CITY AND DISTRICT.
SITUATION AMONG MINERS.
Statement Made by Secretnry-Treas.
urer Hayes of h. of l..

Statement Made by Secretnry-Trens-
urer Hayes of h. of l..
Mr. John W. Hayes, general secretary
treasurer of the Knights of Labor, return
ed to Washington Saturday after having
successfully brought to an end the long
pending troubles between the order and the
miners in the soft coal region of the Pitts
burg district. and caused a great increase
In the membership of the X. of l..
In response to a request previously made
by Mr.. Hayes, a convention was held a
few days ago in Pittsburg. at which were
present a large number of delegates repre-
senting every portion of the district.
IF ever there was a time during the past
few years when the miners of the Pitts
burg district needed the protection of the
order of the Knights of Labor said Mr..
Hayes to a Star reporter. "or, indeed. Il
there ever was time when they needed
the protection Of organization, compact and
disciplined. in any form that time is the
present, and this was the sentiment of the
convention
Many of those present spoke of their
trials and tribulations and OF the efforts
made heretofore both in and out of organiz-
alton, and after considerable discussion
the feeling that it would be best to reor-
ganiZe under the banner OF the Knights Of
Labor was so strong that it resulted in d
unanimous vote in favor OF reorganizinS
subdstrict No Q.
THE stories told by the men of the work
of officials of the United Mine Workers in
their efforts to force all miners to submit
to their dictation and do as they were di-
rected and of the operators who were under
the influence of these same officials and
were forced to act in accordance with their
wishes would be enough, if repeated to the
miners throughout the country, to reunite
them in a great upheaval and an influx into
the knights of Labor unparalleled in the
history OF organized labor.
From evidence submitted to the conven-
tion il shown that local assemblies of
miners have not been permitted for long
time TO exist by reason of the action of the
officials of the United Mine Workers of
America The scheme was worked very
much in this way: After the miners who
belong to local assemblies OF the knights
of Labor had paid their dues to the assem-
bly, for the purpose Of protecting them
selves and their craft the aforesaid officials
would come along and insist that ten cents
per month be paid to them representa-
tives of the United Mine Workers.
And to make sure of their pound of
neSh II was reported that their agents
would stand at the mouth of the mines on
pay day and take the miners envelopes
containing the few dollars which they had
earned during the previous two weeks,
open it and take therefrom whatever
amount the agent claimen the miner should
pay to the United Mine Workers. This was
done, IL should be understood when the
miners did not belong to the u. NJ. w. or
gaDization. nor would they be persuaded
or ca1oled into joining it. When opposition
was made by any miner TO the system the
friendly operator or mine owner would al
times come to the rescue OF the officials
ana the recalcitrant miner would have to
submit or tramp.
hereafter 1t will be impossible for the
miners in the Pittsburg district to be forced
either TO or from work without their heinz
consulted In the matter, which is different
from the practice heretofore prevailing