Evening journal., 1900-10-08
President Mitchell Promises to
Cooperate With Sheriff Harvey
TO End the Practice
ANNUAL WAGE SCALE WANTED
Companies Have Extra Coal and Iron
Policemen on Duty in The
Lehigh Valley

Hazloton. Pa. Oct. s.--A conference
which Is believed 10 mark the Begin
ming OF the end Of the anthracite coal .
miners strike, which entered upon It's \
fourth week today. was held at the I
headquarters OF the United Mine Work. /
eis here yesterday afternoon Those I
present besides President Mitchell /
we're Fred Dilcher, of Ohio. member
OF the executive board, and Presidents
r. d. Nichols. of District No. 1, Lack
awanna and Wyoming valleys; James
Duffy, District No. z. Lehigh valley,
and John Fahy District No. 9. Schuyl-
Kill valley. Although no information
was given out. 1t Is known that the
question of issuing a call for joint
convention was the principal matter
discussed. It is known that the COM
ing convention Will be held at Scranton
unless something unforeseen should
arise between now and the time OF is-
suing the call Besides taking up the
matter Of a convention call, II is UNDER
stood that the question Of representa-
ticn was also considered. II the date
Of the convention has been fixed only
President Mitehell and his colleagues
4
next Thursday.
OF course the principal matter to
come before the miners win be the ac-
ceptance or rejection Of the 10 per cent
net increase offered by most of the
operators. President Mitchell said to-
day that not one official of the United
Mine Workers viii take hand in any
action the convention might take, as
.
thing that comes before them. How
long the convention will be In session
depends on the amount of business that
may be presented. The belief is gem
eral that the miners will accept the
increase
Most Of the mine owners who have
granted the wage concession do not
| specify in their notices how long the
advance shall remain in force, and II
is not unlikely that an attempt will be
made by the miners in convention to
open negotiations with the operators
looking 70 an understanding IN the
matter President Mitchell and the
other labor leaders are strong advo-
Gates Of an annual wage scale arrange
ment similar TO that In force IN the
bituminous coal field. The operators
in those regions meet their employees
each year and iix the wage scale. II
this proposition and that relating to
the abolition Of the sliding scale are
| brought before the convention, and
negotiations with the mine owners are
| opened, 1t might considerably delay the
| settlement Of the strike.
Sheriff James Harvey, Of this county,
who has been kept busy during the
past three weeks owing TO the march
| ing Of large bodies Of strikers, called
on President Mitchell al headquarters
yesterday afternoon. Neither would
disclose the purpose Of the meeting,
except to say that It was merely
social call on the part Of the sheriff.
It is understood. however, that the
sherfff's purpose in calling was to ask
Mr. Mitchell to use his influence as
president Of the United Mine Workers
to have the strikers refrain from fur
ther marching on the grounds that the
gathering Of large crowds has a ten
dency to create disturbance. II is said
that Mr.. Mitchell informed the sheriff
that he would use his best endeavors
to stop the marching.
A press representative learned last
night that Sheriff Harvey had reach
ed the limit Of his patience in regard
to the marching. and that the march
ers must obey his request to remain
within the pale OF the law or take the
consequences. 1t is known that he
feels he has been as lenient with the
crowds as he could possibly be- and
that the action of several hundred
men in running across the property Of
Calvin Pardee & Co. at Lattimer on
Saturday has had much to do with the
decision to be more stern hereafter.
A carload Of the sherih's deputies,
fully armed, lies in the Lehigh Valley
railroad yards ready to start at a mo-
ments notice A locomotive. with
steam up, and all the telegraph oper-
ators on the Lehigh Valley system in
this region are on duty for the pur-
pose Of sending messages to Sheriff
! Harvey and to the chief OF the coal and
iron policemen.
All the coal companies In this region
have extra coal and iron policemen
on duty today. All the Lehigh Valley
Coal company collieries il this city
are heavily guarded. This company
had squads Of its policemen brought
heEelast night from Wiikesbarre, Ma
fian0y City, Centralia and Lost Creek.