The Topeka state journal., 1900-10-15
men MUST GIVE IN
Coal BarOns Declare They VIII
Not Yield.
Proposition of the Strikers Will
Be Rejected.
WILL NOT EVEN LISTEN
fit Comes From the Organized
Body.
Arbitration is Wholly Out of
the Question.
WILL NOT EVEN LISTEN

WiIkesbarre. Pa, Oct. 15-Operators
who were interviewed last night and
asked what are the prospects of the an
thracite strike being settled said the men
can return to work again as soon as
they accept the offer of the companies
to increase their wages 10 per cent Off
cially they do not know Of any overtures
by the strikers for a settlement on any
other basis. They have read of the ac-
tion of the convention at Scranton, but
1t was convention Of United Mine
Workers and they do not and will not
recognize the union.
Their first official knowledge of any
proposals by the strikers viii be when
the men OF each company, represented
by a committee call on the officials of
the company and declare the men have
agreed to go back to work if the operators
viii grant their requests, and then they
viii submit the resolution of the CONVEX
tion as their proposal for a settlement
This is the only way in which the op-
orators will receive any communications
from the men. These probably viii be
made today and the operators will re-
turn the answer that the men can either
accept or refuse their offer of 10 per cent,
as it was made on October , and after
ward, and as it has remained since un-
changed
no offer of any increase ana what an
swer they viii return is doubtful The
proposal of their employees VIII have to
be differently WOrded from that OF the
Others as il win bind the men to return
to work providing the operators grant
what the convention specified High IN
mining circles the end Of the strike is not
expected for some time and then only by
the men giving in. The operators will
stand by their first offer and say they
will not increase it. Superintendent
Lathrop of the Lehigh Valley company
said:
THE operators win not agree to con-
tinue the pay of the 10 per cent increase
for any fixed time The other demand,
abO1ishing the sliding scale. does not ap-
ply to this region although the Lehigh
Valley company has some cOllieries in
the Lehigh and Schuyll1ill region which
pay Dy that system Here the men are
paid by the car The operators say,
however, that the question of the slid
ing scale was not discussed at any meet
ing of the operators and it is impossible
to say what they would do about it. The
impression is that the operators would
not object greatly to trying a new sys-
tenn of payment
LAS to arbitration, the operators are
utterly opposed to it and viii refuse it
in any form They are willing to take
up any grievances with their men, but
they have always been SO and this is no
change. Markle's experience with ar
bitratiOn, they say, has shown them the
folly of trying it, because it is altogether
one sided Despite the fact that each of
Markles $500 employees had signed a
contract to submit to arbitration any
grievances they had, they all went on
strike at President MitchellS order
without attempting arbitration The Op-
orators declare an agreement to arbi-
trate would be binding to one side only;
that they would be held to It and the
men WoEld not"
MINERS ARE HOPEFUL.
Shamokin, Pa-. Oct 13.-Not a coIliery
resumed operation in this portion of the
coal region this morning. While miners
generally think the terms of the cOnVen-
tiOE viii be accepted by operators and
coal carrying companies. operators here
abouts insist that so far as they are
concerned they viii not unless forced to
by the coal carrying companies. sign an
agreement to pay 10 per cent advance
The ShamOl1in and Mount Carmel dele
cations returned from Scranton last
night George Hartlein, secretary of dis
tFict No made this statement;
The terms i believe will be accepted
by operators giving their approval
through newspapers and notices posted
about the coIlieries. Miners Will not go
TO work until President Mitchell de-
clares the strike off officially Big dem
onstrations viii be held throughout the
region on the day previous to work be-
ing resumed. 1 think the coIlieries viii
be working before next Saturday. The
companies viii take up the grievances
with their own employees and redress /
them while work is going on
FIFTH WEEK OF THE STRIKE.
Hazleton, Pa, Oct. 15.-The fifth week
of the coal miners strike opened quietly
The few collieTies that have continued
IN operation since the strike was inaug-
urated are working as usual today with
the same number Of men they had in the
mines last week. Not ore of the coll
leries. however, is working full handed.
The Cranberry mines Of A Pardee &
Co have more men at work than any Of
the few other mines stiII in opera alton /
The company Claims to have more than
half of its men al work.
Two crowds gathered this morning
one at No. 40 shaft of the Lehigh Valley
Coal company in this city and the other
u the Cranberry mine on the outskirts /
of the town, but they dispersed before
daylight without causing any trouble.
The march planned for this morning
to the Panther Creek valley where
majority of the mines are still in opera
1iOn was called off on account of rain
President Mitchell viii return from
Scranton this afternoon