The sun., 1900-10-01
BEFORE THE SETTLEMENT. NJ
President Mitchell DipIomaticalIy
Evades Questions About Events
in New York.

Hazlcton. Pa. Sept. 3O-"We are clos
ing the mines and awaiting develop
ments" was all that President Mitchell
Of the United Mine Workers would say
when asked whether he had received any
information from New York or elsewhere
as to what the operators are doing in
their efforts to settle the coal strike, AL
though he had diplomatically .evaded the
question, there is Il strong belief here
that Mr.. Michel is kept fully advised of
the progress of events in. the metropolis.
lf the reported advance Of 10 per cent
has been finally agreed upon, il has not.
$" far lS can he learned. been offered to
any of the mine workers in the anthra-
cite region. Taking Mr.. AlitchclrS state
ment that 10 per cent advance would
not bp satisfactory ms an indication that
ii would not hc accepted by the miners
organization it is thought in some quar-
tcrS here that there would bc II break in
the ranks of the strikers which it would
hc difficult TO stop should the offer to
their employees he made by lhc op-
orators On the other hand President
Mitchell and his colleagues are positive
in asserting their belief that the men
now idle will not wavcr ana that they
will stand together until the joint CON
vention of the three anthracite districts
calls the strike off.
Nonunion Men Feared.
The only element the union men might
fear is the body Of nonuniun men who
quit with the organized workers. The
opinion prevails that they would he hard
rr to mold i'll check than the union men.
lhc exact number of members III the
United Mine Workers organization in
I'm
never been officially promulgated, but the
labor officials claim that they have more
than 100000 enrolled. These figures are
disputed by the coal operators.
The entire Lehigh valley was about rs
quiet Saturday as it possibly could he.
The same number Of collerics were work
ing as were in operation Friday Both
SIDES to the contest claim accessions to
thrlr ranks in the IIaZlctOn district.
President Mitchell. speaking on the
general situation from the strikers point
ni view. said: Tile first break has been
made at the New Philadelphia collcry mt
PANTHER Greek in the Schuykil valley. |
WLere the miners of that operation have
joined in the strike. The action of the
men at New Philadelphia will untloubtcd- |
ly result III Il complete cessation Of wor; |
in all the mines located in tho Panther
Creek valley.
The newspaper reports that the on |
orators have conceded an advance of fO !
per cent has aroused great interest in
the ranks of the strikers. The pronln .
are standing united awaiting authentic
information from the officials of the or-
eanization. There are more idle now
than nj any time since the inauguration
of the strike, and | have every reason /
10 believe that The lie up will soon be
complete. About 134,00 mon are now
on strike"
The work Of the labor leaders in get
ting the mine workers out continues. Or
ganizcrs are constantly in the field crcat-
ing new local unions. and mass meetings
are held in several parts of the region
every afternoon and evening. 4 big
meeting was held in West Hazlcton
which was attended by fully 1000 min
ers. President Mitchell. National Com
mitteeman Fred Dilcher of Ohio, G. w.
Purcell of Indiana and Benjamin. James
Of HaZlcton addressed the gathering. The
men were told to stand together until
their demands or portion of them were
granted"
President Mitchell said to a rcporter
that his telegram to the soft coal region
Df central Pennsylvania requesting mine
workers there not to load coal cars which
arc destined for the anthracite coal mar
ket has had the desired effect.
He said the number of coal cars going
into the bituminous field had greatly in
creased. which. with other information.
Continued on Pngn Tr-,-o. :