Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-05-11
MINERS AND OPERATORS FAIL TO
AGREE AT PII.rsBURG.
CALL OUT EXPECTED AT ONCE
1T WILL AFFECT, IN AGGREGATE
ABOUT 12,OOO MINERS.
Attempt to BE Made to Close All the
Mines of Companies Operating in
Arkansas and Indian Terri
tory-Other Companies
to Be Watched.

PITTSBURG, KAS., May 10.-tSpecial)
At 10 o'clock this forenoon the conference
between the miners and operators adjourn
ed without settlement or any arrange
ment or agreement bordering on 1t. Pres
ident Wright, of district No. IA, U. NJ. w.
A, Immediately wired President Mitchell,
of the national organization at Indianapo-
lis, the results. The executive committees
are now awaiting orders from Mitchell in
structing them to call for a suspension of
work in all of the mines of the Kansas and
Texas Company, the entire Missouri Pa
cifc system, the Central Coal and Coke
Company and the Southwestern Improve
meut Company. These are the companies
doing business in the territory and Ar
kansas districts, where a strike is now in
progress. OF these, the Central Coal and
Coke Company was the only one represent
ed in the conference. Mr.. Mackie, the rep
resentative, was here under instructions
from his superiors connected with the COM
pany, and had no power to act otherwise,
or to make any sort of an agreement. The
agreement he made could not be accepted
by the committees under the restrictions
placed upon it by Mr.. Keith. president of
the company. The executive board for the
miners, however, was endowed with full
power to act. The members of district No.
A. u. NJ. w. A, have no grievances, but
are in the trouble because they were called
upon by those in district No q. The fol-
lowing is the counter proposition offered
by the executive committees during the
latter part of the conference, and which
caused a deadlock in the chances for a
settlement:
"Gentlemen:-Your proposition has reach
ed us and after due consideration we, the
representatives of the United Mine Work.
erS Of oh hog fn fpr
your consideration the following counter
proposition:
I'VE agree to accept your scale with the
following changes:
'First-We agree to return to work un-
der the former system of weighing coal
and price per ton.
''Second-That we waive our right to con-
tract for the time being.
"Third-The above to go into effect at
once. provided the Gould system and
Southwestern Coal and Improvement Com
pany, or operators controlling so per cent
of the output in district No. q, will agree
to said scale.
"Fourth-This is to be our uItimatum for
twenty-four hours, after which time the
scale drawn up at Fort Smith will be ad-
hered to-"
President Wright said after the adjourn
ment that he thought it would be Friday
before he would get an order from Presi-
dent Mitchell instructing him to call for
suspension of work In the four companies
involved, and, while the other companies
will be allowed to run, they will be
watched closely to see that they do not
ship coal into the Indian Territory and
Arkansas district. He said it was entirely
an interstate, affair and had to be looked
after by the national and not the local
organizations of the U. NJ. W. A.
The call out would involve. it is esti-
mated, in the aggregate. about 1900 miners
located in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas,
and the fight is promised by the United
Mine Workers to be bitter one Being
a national affair. with the local organiza-
ton having little. If anything. to say it
will be managed by President Mitchell
from indianapolis, and the members of the
national executive committee of the U. NJ
W. A. now on the ground
The executive committees of districts
Nos. IA and q, U. NJ. W. A, were in secret
session all the afternoon and portion of
the forenoon, arranging plans for the COM
ing suspension of work among miners and
discussing the best mode of action.