The sun., 1900-09-29
MINERS MAY IGNORE MITCHELL.
Indications That They win Rush Back to
work on q wages Advance.

work wages ADVANCE
a,zLRros Pa, Sept as-Beyond the clos
t,g down of the Halle Brook aud the practical
snspension OF work at tho Markle mines, the
.trike situation to-day is unchanged. hr'
Mitchell. the leader OF the disturbance. has
been inundated with kilograms all day asking
about the riimored settlement. but bis replies
TO them II they were like his statements 10
thcnewspaper men. were Of the Jack Bunsoy-f-
o-be-as-how-why-n order. Tho only ming
that appears distinctly In his utterance is
tendency TO recognize the fact that there Is
reasonable chance OF the trouble being settled
over his head and without recognition OF tho
United Mine Workers organization
II il reported here this evening that con-
adorable number OF the operators who pay on
the sliding scale that IL. with the price OF coal
at the tidewater for n basis. have agreed that
tho tideyater price on which to figure the men 5
wages shall be from s. 80 20 t5. II this is true
Il, Is price that hardly ever before has been
known In the anthracite region and something
of an epooh-makng figure. Mr., Mitchell still
talks about the impossibility Of settling the
strike without convention" OF conference
of the miners What he means by this Is rather Z
vague The information that Il accepted
here as true Is to the elect mat tne men o.
different cuheries are very likely 10 go 10 work
on an advance arranged 10 suit ta'h particular
case and without any reference Ia a conNehtIoh
or any other SORT ol cohgiss9lon lns ,.,ier, Jr
cloak with which Mr. Mitchell might enVel0p
the fact that his organization Is likely TO De
left out OF the running In the arrangements
of terms on which the men are likely TO go back
10 work II IA hardly too much To say that
Mr. Mitchell Ia good deal beWildered ~ the
turn events have taken within the past lQr'y-
eight hours aud that he IL rather groplng about
TO ascertain, not necessarily for publication.
but as a matter OF personal enlightenment. Just
Ia d NJ In "A gTpQt number
of questions on the subject of his position lie
issued this evening the following statement:
This has been the great industrial contest
between labor aud capital IN the history OF
America. The manner in which the men have
voluntarily responded for the strike demon.
strates beyond the possibility or donbt that
the conditions under which they labored so long
were so Undesirable that 20 continue WORKING
meant TO surrender absolutely all hope OF main
taibing them selves and families as we American
citizens believe they should The number
of men who responded to the strike order
is fully mp 10 anticlDatlons ~ NE ~ per
cent increase mentioned In the newspapers
is correct. while far from satisfactory II IL the
greatest victory ever achieved by organized
labor, and won under the most adverse CIR
as to what action will he taken as 10 the ac-
ceptance or rejection Of any proposition
This must he r eS se Tm2e 2 orSS S%1y
ization will not make the mistake which has
wrecked many other organizations OF asSum-
ing the power 10 determine. through its officers.
the happiness or misery. the veal or woe Of
the 500 900 men, women, and children depend
ent upon the anthracite coal industry for a
livelihood We take the position. IN this con
test, as we have In all others, that capital Is
entitled TO fair competition and honest in
vostment but that no institution has legti-
Iiata right to exist which does not AFFORD labor
a sufficient rate Of wages TO enable those de-
pendent upon II fair living wage.
MINERS BREAK THE MARKLE AGREEMENT.
The Marke mines will not open AT all to-mor-
row Only seventy-hve men showed ZIP for
work this morning, and though they were
employed during the day the force was too
small to warrant keeping the mines open. This
means Tint whatever else the strike has accom-
pished Il has. TO quote Father Phillipss language
to the principle Of arbitration that has been
given this century. 49,
The agreement with their men under which
the Markles have worked for fifteen years has
heen abrogated now. and although the Markles
are saving nothing on this subject, the chances
that II ever again will be renewed are very re-
mote ,
Father Phillips. who went TO Philadelphia
this morning on a summons by telegraph from
Archbishop Ryan. returned this evening All
he would say was that NEGOTIATIONS were in
progress which he believed would result In a
settlement OF the strike.