The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-03

|
thousand new members have Joined
| the union during the past week. One
| local union, which formerly hal
thirty-five members, increased to 900
| In two weeks. We can close down
| hours"
| AN OPERATORS VIEWS.
In speaking of the situation on Sat-
| urday an operator said: IT am at a
loss to understand why their should
| be all this talk about strikes at this
| particular time. The miners are get
| ting good work and earning better
| wages than in number of years past,
and the prospects Of regular time IL
| there is no suspension of work on
| account of strikes were never better.
Whereas the country, on the other
hand has passed the pinnacle of pros
perity and many concerns are having
| to reduce wages instead of increase
| them. In view of these facts l cam
not understand why the miners from
| tho anthracite region should want to
| connect themselves with n rival In
| dustry like the soft coal trade and
| give up their employment just as il is
beginning to show up in better time
than in years past.
| 'Would it not be n good plan for the
miners TO appoint a committee to go
| down in the bituminous regions and
| work, say thirty days, in those mines
| and see how much more they are able
| to earn there than here before going
| on a strike that would result in the
anthracite sales agents losing business
| that would be secured by the btu
| minous sales agents and which II
| would take years to get back again,
| and which would mean slack time for
the anthracite regions for a number
of years."
| SITUATION REVIEWED.
| In yesterdays New York Tribune
| was a special dispatch from Hazleton
| reviewing the present condition of af-
fairs in the anthracite coal territory.
| 1t said:
| The time intervening between now and the
date set for a strike of the miners in the great
| ant acitc coal regions of Eastern Pennsylvania,
| unless the operators meet with their demands,
is fraught with the greatest anxiety to the
| people Of half dozen counties The United
| Mine Workers have given the coal operators un-
Ill Saturday, Sept. :, in which to grant then
| demands as formulated by committee.
| After that the national executive board Of the
| order Is 10 declare a strike. This board meets
| in indianapolis next Thursday, when the appli.
| cation of the miners for permission to go out
will be acted upon, provided existing condi-
| tiOns are not remedird TO their satisfaction.
| John Mitchell, president Of the United Mine
| Workers. is president Of this board, and by
| many it is taken as accepted fact that a
strike will be ordered, but today this is not al
together certain, 1t is imminent, but there are
| elements at work which may defeat the aims
| Of those who would bring great disaster on
| the hard coal district.
| In the hrst place. public sentiment, as repre-
sentcd by the newspapers, the pulpit and bodies
| of business men, is against it. This has some.
| what divided the ranks of those who bent
| on striking. In the second place, the miners
| are not altogether unanimous to whether
| striking is the best means TO redress for
| all their wrongs.
| This is especially true Of those In the Tower,
| or Schuylkill. region, where the appear
better satisfied and have steadier work. Here
| too, they not thoroughly organized, and