The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-15


strike.
Making Mistake.
"The leaders of the organization, I
trust. will soon see their mistake in
insisting upon any further action bv
the companies. and order the strike off,
The companies and operators have
given an advance they can not afford
unless they are able to get a better
price for coal Having given 1t, they
will all be compelled to make an earn
est effort to secure better crices, and
without q doubt, after the restriction
caused by the strike. can get better
prices for some time to come, certainly
until after April I, in my opinion. SO
that the suspicion that the advance Is
only given to be taken back after elec-
tion. is unfair and unwise.
"The United Mine Workers will lay
themselves open. If they have not al
ready done SO. to the charge of being
the largest and most dangerous trust
to the public welfare that has ever
existed. and the organization will make
the mistake of all others that have
failed. by going too far and using it's
power to hurt the public, as well as
those directly Interested.
"If the laws of the country would
allow the operators to combine and
pursue the same methods this organic
alton is pursuing, we could then dis
cuss a plan to put the price OF coal
at such figure as to pay any wages
demanded by our employees. They do
not, and that Is not solution of the
present trouble.
"Our company will be glad to dis
cuss the matter with our employees
when they are ready to meet US, with
q view to going back to work with
out regard to what Schuylkill opera
tors may do. The strike has already
cost us great deal of money and the
men much more, as we'll as loss of
trade which we may not recover in
years. In the meantime, soft coal
mines are working night and day, fill
ing the place of anthracite coal.
our men have not presented any
demands. Our only source of infor-
nation, strange to say, is the news
papers. l have instructed our superin-
tendentS number of times to say to
our men that if they had anything
to talk over, to send a committee, but
none have presented themselves up to
this time. 1t is useless for me to pre-
dict when they will so back to work.
Blamable for Violence.
Zone thing more, the public gener-
ally should understand. and that is
th' absurdity of Mr.. Mitchel's claim
of OBSERVING the law. Paid officers of
the United Mine Workers have for
days and weeks been at the head of
every raid made by the mobs on diff
ferent collieries where the men wanted
to work and did not obey the strike
order in the Lehigh and Schuylkill re-
gions. They drove men from their
work by threats and intimidation This
is still going on, and if the operators
of this valley had not patiently waited
until all of the men in the region were
ready to go back to work like con-
dition would have prevailed in this
region, and today men who are willing
and anxious to go to work are held
back from doing so. knowing full well
that their lives would be in danger
from the very same men who are
counselling observe the law their
families lives made miserable and
their homes destroyed.
1T is time the man who wants to
work and earn a livelihood without
being compelled to join a union has a
chance and the American spirit of fair
play once more observed 1t is to be
hoped that the men will return to work
without much further delay and that
conditions will so change that all
grievances will be reduced to mini
num-"
Another prominent operator, Mr.. Ed
ward l.. Fuller, when asked the same
question that was submitted to Mr..
Watkins said: II am not called upon
to do anything. 1t is not up to the
operators. We made a proposition to
our employees, or at least some of the
operators did, and we are waiting for
them to accept or reject it. So far we
have heard nothing from them. OF
course, we have read in the papers
that some resolutions We're passed at
Music Hall. Their contents We're not
addressed to us, however. and even
though we should take cognizance Of
them what assurance have I or any
other operators that the sentiments
they contain are the sentiments of our
respective employees.
II said my employees would be given
an advance in wages If they cared to
have it, and | said it direct to them.
l expect they will answer me whether
or not they propose to accept it, or
If 1t isn't enough, to tell me they want
more. l don't propose to pay any heed
to set of resolutions that do not con-
Germ me. l try to do business in a
business-like way"
There will be a meeting of operators
in this city this afternoon. Nothing
authoritative could be learned of its
immediate purpose.
Saturdays Convention.
Saturdays action of the miners con-
vention cannot be rightly characterized
as more than step towards the set
tlement of the strike. In some quar-
ters. judging from expressions in the
newspapers, it Is taken for granted
that the end of the strike is at hand.
This is not exactly the fact.
A plausible story that finds much
credence here Is to the effect that the
ten per cent. offer was made with the
expectation that it would have to be
amplifed and that the amplifcations
,,in ha NJ ha