The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-10-15
NO CONCESSION
INDIVIDUAL OPERATORS WILL NOT
YIELD TO MINERS.
Say They Have offered All They In
tend To, and VIII Have No Deal
ings with Mftchell's Union.
AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT
THAT OUTLINES THE ATTITUDE OF
MANY ANTHRACITE COMPANIES.
Rumor that Presidents of the Coal
Roads Have Decided to Accept
Employees Terms.
MEETING TO BE HELD TODAY
AT WHICH DEFINITE ACTION MAY
POSSIBLY BE TAKEN.
Break I'm the Ranks of the Idle Men
Expected If a Settlement Is Not
Reached This Week.
Rumor that Presidents of the Coal
Roads Have Decided to Accept
Employer Terms.
MEETING TO BE HELD TO-DAY
AT WHICH DEFINITE ACTION MAY
POSSIBLY BE TAKEN.
Break I'm the Ranks of the Idle Men
Expected If a settlement Is Not
Reached This Week.


views on the answer of the United Mine
Workers to the operators proposition, t.
H. Watkins, president of the Temple Iron
Company, which company is largely in.
terested in coal mining, tonight gave out
a somewhat lengthy statement. in which
he said in part:
I'VE will give our men reasonable time
to return to work. trusting they will see
the mistake of being guided and Influenced
by men who, however honest and sincere
they may be in their efforts to benefit
the miners of the anthracite region, are
unable to advise them intelligently and
for their best good. because Of their ig-
norance of the conditions controlling the
trade.
"Mr. Mitchell apparently thinks the con-
troll of the mining operations rests in hands
of one or two persons, notably Mr.. Morgan,
or that there is trust of some sort
which can decide the whole question. when,
as matter of fact. there are only three
or four of the transportation companies
in which anyone concerned has any in
fiuence, and they do not represent thirty
per cent. Of the whole anthracite tonnage.
More than one hundred different COM
panies and individuals are interested in
mining the total tonnage. and no one man
can control or have the slightest influence
over their action.
"The only thing the companies are ap-
parently agreed upon is that they will
not agree. Efforts have been made for
years to get some plan to which all
could agree, to control the tonnage,
so that fair prices could be secured for
a product which requires so large an in
vestment of money with such a great risk
to the labor employed, as well as
the capital involved, but effort after
effort has failed through failure to agree
on plan that would not violate the laws.
and to which all would agree. But Mr.
that no mine workers shall go to work
until every operator does just exactly what
the other does. and that the Lehigh
and Schuylkill men must have a new
basis before the men in the Lackawanna
and Wyoming regions can go to work.
'There are some individual operators and
some companies, who will lose their last
dollar before they will enter into any ar
rangement with another operator or will
join in an arrangement to recognize the
union by agreeing to any arrangement Mr..
Mitchelrs organization dictates for q settle
ment of the strike. The leaders of the or
ganization, ! trust, will soon see their
mistake in insisting upon any further ac-
tion by the companies, and order the
strike off.
"The United Mine Workers will lay
themselves open If they have not already
done so, to the charge of being the largest
and most dangerous trust to the public well
fare that has ever existed, and the organi-
zation will make the mistake of all others
that have failed, by going too far and using
| its power to hurt the public as well as those
directly interested
Our company will be glad to discuss the
matter with our employees when they are
ready to meet US with view to going back
to work without regard to what Schulkill
operators may do. The strike has already
cost us a great deal of money and the men
much more as well as loss of trade which
we may not recover in years. In the mean
time, soft coal mines are working night
and day filling the place of anthracite
coal.''
Another prominent operator, E. l.. Fuller.
| in interview tonight said the operators
are not called on to do anything except
continue their patient policy of waiting a
reasonable length of time for their men to
return to work. There is nothing before
the operators either collectively or in
dividually," said Mr.. Fuller. '.we or many
OF us. offered our men an advance i'm wages.
addressing a notice Of the same direct to
our respective employees. We have heard
have seen in the newspapers that a conven-
ton Of miners passed some resolutions.
They were not addressed to us and as far
| as we know they were not from en-
| ployes. 1t is not up to the operators"
Before giving out his statement Mr.. Wat
kins submitted IL 10 various operators.
among them superintendent Lathrope. of
| the Lehigh Valley Coal Company at
| Wilkesbarre. and it received unanimous
| approval. The fact that ]. p. Morgan e.
| CO. are allied with the Temple Iron Com
pany and that Mr.. Watkins and Mr. La
| thrope are chairmen of the operators COM
mittees in their respective territories gives
added Importance TO the statement. A con-
| ference of operators is TO take place to-
| morrow afternoon at / o'clock I'm the Of
| fee OF the Temple Iron Company. Its i'm
mediate purpose is not declared, but gen.
orally speaking. 1t is as good as certain
| that the counter proposition made by the
miners is 10 be considered.
President Mitchell would have nothing to
say for publication tonight. He spent the
day In catching up with his correspondence.
He also held various informal conferences
| with his fellow-officials. but what was done
could NOT be learned. This afternoon Mr..
Mitchell went for . drive over the boule-