The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-07
BOTH Sides OBSTINATE
Probability That a Coal Strike Will
Be Declared.
The Situation Confused by the POST
ponement of Action by the Execu-
tive Board of the United Mine
workcrs-A Sharp Reply to the
Statement Issued by the Operators.

HAZLETON, Pa, Sept. 6.-The failure
of the executive board of the United Mine
Workers which met in Indianapolis to &C.
clare a general strike in the anthracite
coal fields Of Pennsylvania. but postponed
action until Saturday. has again con-
fused the situation. The statement is
sued by the operators in New York ye5
terday was received with approval by the
business element as clearly defining the
attitude of the operators and sharply and
Enthusiastically drawing the lines Of the
controversy
It has dawned upon the district leaders
of the Mine Workers Union that blum
der was made by the men here in only
presenting their grievances to the opera
tors by mail. To find at this late date
that the copies of resolutions adopted in
the convention had not been forwarded
to the operators through committees and
that no effort had been made to act upon
the addendum to the resolution which
offered an alternative was a great dis
appointment to the men who have been
hoping to avert strike.
When National Organizer Courtright
and ex-District Chairman Duffy, of the
United Mine Workers, arrived here yes
terday they became convinced that efforts
should at once be made to rectify the mis-
take. They put themselves into communi-
cation with leaders in outside districts
and invited them to come here. I. ID.
Nichols was the first to report, arriving
here this afternoon from Scranton. When
shown the resolutions of the operators
meeting in New York and the stand taken
by them he gave out signed statement as
expressing the views of himself and col
leagues on the matter. 1t is regarded as
an official reply to the operators. 1t is
as follows:
THE demands agreed upon at the
Hazleton convention on the 28th ultimo
were printed and sent out to all Of the
big companies and most of the smaller
ones and were considered at the meeting
of the operators in New York on Tues
day. The reasons why the boards of the
three districts have not been called to-
gether to select a committee was to see
what reply the operators would make
after the meeting. It would be unwise
for us to send any other committee to
the companies urging them to concede
our demands until they had an opportun-
ity of showing their willingness without
II,
as the reply of the companies is unfavor-
able 10 our demands the executive board
shall, according to the resolution passed
at the convention, act as ii deems wise
in the matter.
THE companies claim they are justi-
fed in the way they pay their men, also
in the way they evade the law. They de-
cline to have any conference with anyone
except their employees. Therefore. the
III
mittees seems vague, and in my opinion
a strike seems certain. The assertion of
the operators that only 10 per cent OF the
men are organized Is not true, as in
Scranton alone on Labor Day there were
1000 United Mine Workers in line, which
is about II per cent of the total number
who work inside the mines of their re-
gion Here is one city alone which has
II per cent without counting all the other
towns throughout the region. When the
time comes for strike it will be found
that 80 per cent of the ID are organized.
IF the companies wish 10 avert a
strike why don't they offer some conces-
sion? This cry of We will meet our own
men is simply ruse to fool the unwary.
We have seen their own employees go and
beg for an adjustment of grievances. and
in some cases they said: We cannot
reduce our powder or change other CON
ditions unless the ether companies do
the same. 1t is not fair to ask US what
you do not ask of others
Now when we ask them all together
they ignore US and refuse to treat with
US all at once. One superintendent, more
radical than the others, told the COM
mittee in no decent language to get out
of the Office or they would put us in Jail
Should the men again send committees,
perhaps the same performance would be
gone through.
In regard to that portion In which
they state II is the bituminous men who
are forcing issue, / will say n fair
ness to all that all the district cificers.
with one exception are anthracite min
ers. /, myself. continued to work inside
until the LIST of May. 1900, when the du-
ties of the office became too large to. be
attended to by anyone who was working
every day. Therefore, / left the mines
TO attend solely to the interests OF the
district. AS we are anthracite miners
ourselves and were selected by anthra-
cite miners, l think the corporations
ought to treat US as their representatives
and not take such excuses as means of
evading the questions at issue. Unless
all the operators meet our representa-
tives l cannot see how a fair and equal
settlement can be made.
ct. D. NICHOLS.
President of District No. -. United
Mine Workers of America"
AS far as the situation here is con-
cerned 1t is regarded as a certainty that
the operators will not recede from their
position. Under these conditions a dec
laration of strike on Saturday can
hardly be averted.