The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-10-13
LEFT TO THEMSELVES.
eide Whether or Not Offer
Shall he Accepted.

Shall he Accepted.
Shamokin, Pa, Oct. 1O.-The labor
demonstration here on Tuesday was
one of the greatest that has ever oc-
Cured in this region. Thousands
marched in the procession. A mass
meeting followed the parade.
e President Mitchell was enthusiast
tically received when he arose to adj
dress the assemblage. He spoke of
the enthusiasm displayed by the men
throughout the anthracite strike re-
gion and went into the situation as
it now stands. In referring to the
prospective ending of the strike, he
said:
EVERY other strike that has taken place
in the anthracite region has been declared
off by your officers. Heretofore when men
went on strike they remained out for time
and then the chief executive or the execu-
tive board declared the strike off without
consulting the wishes of the strikers. I
want to say, as have said before. that this
strike will never end until the miners.
through delegates in convention, end 1t for
themselves. We have called a convention,
and you men are invited to send delegates
there. You are invited to pass judgment on
the operators proposition. If you believe
that they act in good faith; If you believe
ten per cent. to be enough; If you believe
that they will pay the ten per cent. for Q
year, then you must decide whether to re-
turn to work. On the other hand, If you re-
ject the offer and continue on strike. John
Mitchell will be there to help you do it. I
do not expect that this one strike will Grad
icate all the wrongs from which you suf-
fer. I do not believe that the accumulation
of 40 years of injustice can be wiped out at
once, but do believe that you have estab-
| lished an organization here that with each
succeeding year will give you improved con-
ditions of employment"
| Scranton, Pa, Oct. 1O.-hterviews
with prominent operators here elicit
ed a uniform declaration that no fur
ther concessions or notifications OF
the present offer will be made, and
that the miners must take it, or leave
it, just as it stands. They say it is
plain and complete and contains all
they can or will concede. The ten per
cent. increase means that every man in
the anthracite mines is to have $1.1O
for the work for which he formerly re-
ceived one dollar, the operators say.
The powder item is simply matter of
bookkeeping. Instead of giving the
miners ten per cent. increase fiat, he
will have his credit side increased three
per cent. and from his debit side will
be subtracted seven per cent, or what
ever percentage of expense it is found
the difference in the cost of his powder
amounts to. The purpose is simply to
put an end to the bowling about pow
der being sold at exorbitant prices
Powder is the basis of the wage scale,
it is explained, and to decrease it's cost
is to increase the wages. In this re.
gion a decrease of SLIPS in key OF
powder means seven per cent. de-
crease in the miners expenses. There
fore, when he has his expenses re.
duced seven-per cent. he has his wages
increased like amount. The other
three per cent. will be made up by in.
creasing the allowance per car for cut.
ting and loading. Where miner gets
one dollar a car he will under the new
scale get $103 1-3 cents a car. His
net earnings will be made the same
whether he gets the increase fiat or by
figuring on the decrease on powder.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Oct. 10.-The lead.
ers of the United Mine Workers of this
part of the anthracite coal field dc
not speak as hopefully of settlement
Of the strike by the Scranton conven.
ton as they did Monday. Some oil
those interviewed are afraid that the
offer of ten per cent. increase in wages
made by the companies may not last
long, and that after the men are bach
at work for awhile and the market
is pretty well supplied, the operators
may reduce wages to the old figures
tits only fair to say, however, that not
all the mine workers are of this opinion
There is strong sentiment prevail
ing that the companies are sincere
and that the increase in wages will be
permanent.
In making the advance in wages the
operators did not act in concert, but
as individuals. So that if the conven.
ton insists upon a definite understand
ing with the mine owners, week may
elapse before the views of the opera.
tors can be had. 1t is more than prob
able that the rules governing the con.
ferences between the bituminous OBJ
orators and their men will govern the
Scranton men. A close friend of Presi.
dent Mitchell says the convention will
have to come to that before there car
be final agreement. The coal com.
panies will have to be represented, OF
otherwise it will be impossible to ar.
rive at an amicable agreement. It is
pointed out that no scale of wages
was ever fixed by convention in the
soft coal region without the operators
being present. There are so many ques.
tions to come before the convention
that it will be impossible to make much
Roadway without knowing what the
operators propose to do.
MANY Lost.
St. Johns, N. f., Oct. 1O.-Aecordine
to reports from st. Pierre, II fishing
vessels that were operating on the
Grand Banks during the gale of Sep.
TENDER IL are still missing, with crews
aggregating over 200 men. A number
of other vessels that have arrived here
within the last few days have reported
loss of one to seven men each. The
fatality list probably exceeds 300. Sc
rious disaster has visited number
of New Foundland fishing harbors, Blu.
rim, on the west side of Placentia bay
alone losing IS men.
Friendly with All.
London, Oct. 10.-Mr. Chamberlain
| secretary of state for the colonies