Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-06-23
MINE WORKERS WILL ASK Il
PRESIDENT WRIGHT SAYS sTRIK-
ERS WILL SURELY WIN.
Recognition of Union the Only Point
of Difference Now-Another Batch
of Negro Miners Arrives
to Take Strfkers'
Places.


A special train arrived at Fleming mines
this morning from Birmingham, Ala. 1t
consisted of two coaches. one baggage car
and one caboose and contained seventy
four men and twelve women, all negroes.
All are at mine No. I, Fleming, where the
others were shipped last week. The men
are all practical miners or have had eX-
perience in the mines. They were taken
from the Alabama mines and great many
of them brought their tools with them.
The thirty men who came in on the first
train and went into the stockade are
working. Those who arrived this morning
played ball and amused themselves in 9TH
er ways during the day and all seemed
contented.
The miners at Fleming now out on
strike say they did not know the train
was coming, which is the reason they did
not meet it. A few saw it and ran to
meet It but could not catch it. The men
who came in this morning will go down
into the mine for work tomorrow. A good
many of the colored men had circulars
they had received in the South. The fol-
lowing is copy of the circular:
'Colored coal miners wanted for Weir
City. Kas., and the Indian Territory. Kan
sas coal three feet ten inches high. Price
of mining, 81 per ton for coal passed over
seven-eighths inch screen; GO cents per ton
for run Of mine coal. Drivers and cagers,
81 per day. Miners have check weigh.
Shot firers, 81 per day. Pay day twice a
month, in cash. Transportation will not
exceed SO, which will be advanced and am
pie time given You to pay the same. Sew
eral hundred colored miners are at work
at this point and making big wages. Next
and last special train for Weir City, Kas.,
leaves Birmingham Tuesday night, June
20, 1899
Indian Territory coal, five feet high;
price of mining. 60 cents per ton for run
of mine coal. No commissary. Come and
take your choice of places to go to. Spe-
cial train leaves Birmingham for Indian
Territory Monday night, June 10, 1899.
Leave your name at Kansas City railroad
office, 1914 Morris avenue, Birmingham,
Ala"
W. T. Wright, president of district No.
IA, United Mine Workers of America the
Crawford and Cherokee districts, said this
afternoon:
1.-THE fight now is, so far as we are con-
cerned, a boycott on the Big Four and
we will press it to the limit Through our
national organization we shall ask the Fed
Grafton of Labor to boycott coal mined
by these companies, If, indeed, our nation
al president has not already made such
request We will ask union labor every
where to place a boycott on the coal mined
by these companies which refuse to recog-
nize the unions. We are fortunate in max
ing this fight when there is a demand for
miners. There are not enough skilled min
ers to handle all the coal that this district
could mine and sell, and as miners are
everywhere organized, it is very hard for
the companies to get men anywhere to
take our places. Meanwhile, our men are
getting work. OF the 2,225 men who walked
out of the Big Four's' mines not more than
1000 are idle to-day. That fact helps our
| chance of success with the boycott because
| there is now no danger, since the settles
ment of yesterday, that our people will be
! in want, no matter how long the strike
may last 1t also makes it surer that the
miners will not do anything in the way of
causing violence. There never was a bet
| ter time to make fight with certainty of
winning"
The men who manage the so-called big
Four companies have shown no sign what
ever of weakening, although they say they
are making a fight which is expensive
With the negroes now at work, the West
ern Coal and Mining Company, the Central
Coal and Coke Company, and the Kansas
and Texas Coal Company have two shafts
each working to-day. Most of them are
much below their capacity. but all are load
| ing coal.
| A petition was MED IN the district court
to-day, asking for the removal of the
stockades built in the district, and County
Attorney Gaitskill has promised to act
upon it. .--.-
FORT SCOTT. KAS., June 22.-(special) }
| ]. H. Richards, general attorney for the
| Western Coal and Mining Company. re-
| turned here tonight from the scene of the
strike and says his people are not worried
in the least by. the threatened boycott of
the output of their mines, as they have a
| demand for more than the possible output
| of all their shafts on the lines of the Mis-
| souri, Pacific alone.