The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-11-04

-Four thousand miners, employed in
the Temple Iron company's eight coll
lieri"s IN this and IuHerne counties,
threaten to 90 on strike Wednesday.
because of the alleged blacklisting of
iiftN OF their number.
Three months ago the employees of
the Lehigh Valley Coal company at
the Maltby collicry went on strike be-
cause Of the discharge Of Il union man
who refused to take the place of one
of the striking iircmcn. The strike is
still on.
From time to time various of the
strikers sought aud secured work in
the adjacent colieries of other COM
panics. IIalf Il hundred Of them got
places at the three cullicries of the
Temple company i'm that immediate re-
Sion. thryiivc at the Mt. l.oolsoul; ff-
teen at the Harry T., and five at the
Forty Fort.
Last week these fifty men were dis
missed. They claimed their dismissal
was the result of a blacklist. The mat
ter was laid before the executive
board of the United Mine Workers of
District No. / and it was decided to
take a stand against the dismissals.
the Mine Workers sought an interview
with Superintendent S. B. Thornc, but
Mr. Thorne declined to meet him.
He. however. welcomed committee of
the companN's employees and carefully
went over the whole ground with tham
He said he would consult the foremen
at the collicries regarding the condition
under which the men were hired and
~ i1n. l.,
When this was reported back to the
executive board it was decided to give
the company until Wednesday to REIN
state the dismissed men. If it. fails to
do 50 by that time all the United Mine
Workers in the employ of the COM
ranE at it's eight cOllieries will be
called out.
The collieries operated by the COM
pany are the Mt. Lookout. at Wyo-
ming; the Harry T.. at Brodericks: the
Forty Fort, at Forty Fort: the Baby
Ion. a Duryea: the Sterrck Creek. at
Peckvi!le: The Lackawanna, at Oily
phant; the Edserton. at Archibald. and
the Northwest. at Simpson. In speak
ing of the threatened strike, President
Nichols said last night:
The United Mine Workers have for
some time past been acting with grea,
lcniency towards the operators. We
have made sacrifice after sacrifice in
the interests of peace and in the hopes
of bringing about harmonious relations,
granted several concessions that we
felt we were not riehtfully called upon
To make.
-Four men We're discharged at the
woodward for refusing to take the
place of striking iircmcn. We discussed
the matter at II convention and decided
not to allow the men to strike The
companies later on demanded that fire
bosses, driver bosses ana some other
employees should give mp their member
ship in the union. This was considered
at the IlnHleton convention and we al
lowed il. Then the Lehish Valley conf
pany demanded that all engineers fire
men and pumD-runners should with
draw from the union. At q district con-
NeniOn ii was decided to instruct the
locals TO refuse to grant these with
draWals. Some of the locals negligent
ly. or otherwise, allowed these men to
Withdraw. The executive board dis
cussed the advisablity of ordering them
back into the locals. but as this was
liable To stir up Il lot Of trouble, we
concluded TO let the matter drop Tor The
present.
'These concessions on our part were
evidently taken by the company as IL
confession of weakness. and as n con-
seuue No" we find Il company here and
there disposed to Try for a mile because
it Was given an inch The time has
come for the union To make II stand
against these attempted encroa chments.
ana show that II was through no feel
lng of weakness on the part Of the
union that it has been avoiding con-
NETS. w" propose 10 maintain our
rights, no matter what it costs. \ stand
must he made sometime, and We feel
III" time is at hand, With the black
list as an issue, we have no worry as
t" where public opinion win be, IN ease
4 conflict should come"