The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-09
No STRIKE N IHE MINES
MINE WORKERS ADJOURN WITH
OUT ORDERING A WALK-OUT
AT PRESENT
MAY BE TROUBLE SHORTLY
Executive Board Orders Miners to
Hold Themselves in Readiness
and Issues IA Statement of
It's Position.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Sept. S.-After
an all-day secret session the national
executive board of the United Mine
Workers of America adjourned tonight
at O'Clock till tomorrow, after issuing
a statement postponing the ordering of
strike pending result of negotiations.
Officials say influences are at work to
adjust the trouble, but decline to say
what they are This action means that
the miners of the anthI acite region will
not strike tomorrow, although danger of
strike has not been relieved. The men
are ordered to remain in readiness to go
out Mine workers officials refuse to say
how far negotiations have progressed or
by what means they al e being carried on
with the operators. The board adjourned
to meet tomorrow morning. At 3 o'clock
this afternoon a message was sent to Dis
trict President Nichols at HaZelton, Pa,
as follows: Information reaches this
office that the miners in the anthracite
region are ceasing work in anticipation
of a strike being declared today. Ma
tional boaId directs me to advise tina
inasmuch as negotiations are still pending
for settlement that all miners continue
work as usual till they receive official
notice to suspend work and to hold them
selves in readiness to respond should
our efforts to effect a settlement prove a
failure.
The statement issued by the board is
as follows:
STATEMENT OF THE BOARD.
To the Miners and Laborers of the An
thracite Coal Fields OF Pennsylvania and
All Other Persons Concel ned: The ma
tional executive board of the United
Mine Workers of America having under
consideration the applica lions of Dis
tricts l, and 9, of the anthracite region,
! of Pennsylvania, to engage in strike
l. - love 70
grant certain conditions which the miners
of that field believe they are entitled to.
have determined upon the following state
ment of their position IN the case:
The OrganiZa ton OF the United Mine
Workers is opposed to strikes, except as
d last resort, when all other means Of
adjusting disputes have failed. Our pre-
amble declares that We decide ito use all
honorable means to maintain peace be-
TWEEN ourselves and operators; adjusting
all differences so far as possible by ar
bitration and Cancellation, that strikes
may become unnecessary. Strikes be-
tween labor and capital are like wars
between nations; they bring hardsh1ps,
priva ton and want to the workers, and
loss of profit to the employers. Yet,
when innumerable wrongs have been
heaped upon a people which they have
patiently submitted to for years, using
every honorable means at their command
to remedy the evils complained of with
out resorting TO strikes, and all their
efforts for relief have been arro3anty
refused or silently ignored, they would
be false to themselves, their families ard
their fellow men if they failed to resist
any of the encroachments upon their
rights even to the extent of striking
for months if necessary. with all the suf-
fering it entails, in an effort to relieve
the evils for all time to come-thiS is the
case in the anthracite region. Their
wages have not kept pace with the cost
of liv ng. and in some instances have
been reduced, they have been required to
deal in company stores and accept the
services ~of the companys director; they
have been required to accept wages
based on antiquated sliding scale, that
invariably slides downward; they have
had their wages reduced by an arbitrary
and exorbitant system of dockage; they
have been compelled to wait for their
pay weeks after the time specified by
law. and in the open violation of the
same, and in many other ways their
rights and liberties have been trample d
On, AMI in many instances they have
been compelled to take their children
from school at a very tender age In
violation of law, and put them to work
/ in the breakers in order to earn sufii-
cient food to support their families.
READY TO ARBITRATE.
All Of these impositions have been pa
! tiently borne until they are no longer bear
able. They have sought conference after
| conference with their employers, hoping
| to meet them and obtain modera ton of
! their condition. Their appeals have been
| ignored; they have pursued every con-