Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-10-22

some hard coal on the market at reason
able figures, the anthracite trade will be
demoralized for years to come, and some
Of it will be lost forever
The operators who have not agreed to
the terms of the Scranton convention
must make the biggest concession, and
there is every reason to believe that
they will do it before the week is out.
There are some who favor holding out
against the miners demands, but this
class is not in the majority. The out
look today is favorable to the working
men obtaining fiat increase of 10 per
cent for every mine employe.
STATEMENT FROM MITCHELL.
President Mitchell gave out the fol-
lowing statement last evening:
GAS there seems to be some disposition
on the part of the public to place the re-
sponsibility for the prolongation of the
strike on the shoulders of the Mine
Workers, |, speaking for them, want to
say that when the Scranton convention
accepted the 10 per cent advance, pro-
vided the operators abolish the sliding
scale and guarantee its payment until
April 1, the miners had met the opera
tors more than half way. AS conse-
quence, the responsibility for the con-
tinuation OF the strike rests solely upon
the failure of the operators to treat the
proposition of their employees consid-
erately.
"The public should understand that
unsatisfactory as is the proposition of
the operators who make the reduction
on powder a part of the advance of 10
per cent, that even this proposition has
not been offered by large number of
the coal producing companies of the
anthracite region, and until all com
panies guarantee payment of the 10 per
cent advance above the rates paid in
September until April /, according to
the Scranton convention, the miners
are powerless to act l want to repeat
again that there can be no partial or
sectional settlement of the strike
POSTING NEW NOTICES.
All the individual operators of the
Schuylkill region have followed the lead
of the Reading Company by posting new
notices offering all their mine employees
a straight increase of 10 per cent. In
the Wyoming and Lackawanna regions
a majority of the individual operators
and some of the larger corporations
have posted new notices, but all contain
the Objectionable powder note. In the
Lehigh region similar notices have been
posted by all the operators except the
Lehigh and Wikesbarre Company, the
Drifton companies and Markle e Co.
Companies which produce about 65
per cent of the total production have
guaranteed the payment of the 10 per
cent advance, and have abolished the
sliding scale
When Mr. Mitchell was asked what
he would do if all the companies we're
to post notices, he said: when all the
companies have posted notices, then l
will have something to say"
When it was suggested to him that
there might be break in the ranks of
the strikers If the contest was to con-
tinue much longer, he said that not one
union man will go back to the mines
until officially notified to return.
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
w. B. Wilson, secretary treasurer of
the United Mine Workers, has an
nounced that the next national conven-
ton of the organization will convene in
indianapolis, on January 81, 1901.
The officers to DO elected are: Presi-
dent, vice president, secretary-treasurer
eight executive board members, three
auditors, three members of the creden-
tials committee and seven delegates to
the American Federation OF Labor.
NEW LOCAL ORGANIZED.
A new local of the United Mine
Workers was organized in the Second
ward yesterday afternoon and large
number of the residents of that section
of town were enrolled as members.
This is the "baby" local of the district,
but it gives promise of becoming a
strong and healthy child, judging from
its appearance in the line that left town
today for Hazleton.
VERDICT OF CoRoNER's JURY.
The jury empaneled to ascertain the
cause of the death of Ralph Mills, who
was killed at Oneida on October 10, has
nlnrnl hn fnl