The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-14
MINERS CONFER IN SECRET.
Two Executive Sessions mt the HaxIe,
ton Convention

Two Executive Sessions mt the HaxIc.
| ton Convention.
| HAZLErON. Pa. March i3.-The Mine
| Workers Convention settled down to
business this morning by electing John
| Mitchell Permanent President: John Gal
! lagher. Secretary: George Hartlein. AS
| sistant Secretary: +. u. Kapp. Sergeant
alarms. and John Sharp. Doorkeeper
The Committee on Credentials reported
that there were 600 delegates present.
| representing $40 locals. This makes the
! largest attendance at any convention OF
mine workers ever held In the anthracite
field
Mother Jones. who figured so promi-
nently in last years strike. made her
appearance and was greeted with great
applause. There was only one contest
for a dele6ates seat. and that was in the
case of Thomas Davis and Hugh James.
who each claimed to be a delegate from
Local 1852 of Scranton.
The committee reported that two ses-
sIons would be held daily. President
Mitchell then read the call for the con-
vention issued to the locals of this
gion at Indianapolis in February.
which stated that the object of the con-
vention was the agreement of a wage
scale for the ensuing year. and asking
the operators to meet the miners in joint
conference.
Mr.. Mitchell also said that invitations
had been sent to the presidents of the
niiie anthracite coal carrying roads. ask
ing them to meet the men in joint con-
ference. Only one reply had been re-
ceived, and that was from the president
of the Delaware and Hudson Company.
who said that so far as he knew no
m no nth oil GalI had tot
in asking for conference: that he saw
no necessity for the holding of one; that
II employees of the company had any
grievances to make they could do so by
comforting with it's officials: that he did
not share President Mitchelrs views on
the mutual benefit to operators and mir
ers resulting from a conference; the.
since the settlement of the trouble last
autumn petty strikes had increased in
number; that during the last year the
company had paid to its employees &c.
$4,000 and the stockholders had received
sl,JO,90c in dividends, tending to show
that the proportionate profits of holders
of stock are small; that conference was
a cause for disturbance in the coal trade.
and that the losses incurred through such
disturbances would not be balanced by
the results accomplished
At this point IN the proceedings. on mo-
ton of a delegate to that effect the con-
vention went into executive session. Dur
ing the noon recess President Mitchell
was asked whether he believed a strike
would ensue. He replied:
mat Is matter which has not yet
been officially considered by the conven-
ton. therefore l have nothing to say re-
sarding the outcome
When asked whether he would affirm
the statement attributed to him, to the eff
feet that the posting of the notices by
the companies agreeing to pay the in
creased wages demanded by the miners
was sufficient recognition of the organ
ization. he replied:
We want a conference with the opera
tors so that an understanding can be
reached for the ensuing year. and that
certain grievances complained of may be
on an amicable basis. A joint
conference is the only up-to-date method
Of settling labor troubles. / am pleased
with the unanimous manner in which the
placed itself against cornpul-
sorry arbitration.
The afternoon session was also execu-
tive, but at its close it was given out
that the following committees had been
appointed:
Scale Committee-District No. I. Theo-
iore Pollock, Glen-Lyon; John Burney.
Providence; W. Collier. Oily
plant; Martin Battle. Carbonate; ! Brit
tan and B. Davis Wnkesbarre; .Jures
Smith. Dunmore; District No. !. W. II.
Deltein, Nuremberg; James Cavanaugh.
Frank Ray, Jeddo: John Ar
bicllle. West HaZleton; Daniel Boyle.
Freeiand; Thomas Duffy, McAdOo: Dis
trict No. 3. James Fennell, Lykens;
Charles Palmer. Shenandoah; Frank G.
Boyle VAUDEVILLE; William Tilley. Sha-
mokin: Martin Walsh. Glen Carbon:
Thomas Davis. Pottsyille; William Mar
tin. louisville; John Brickerwicz, Shen-
lndoah; John Missurkey. st. Clair; Leon
rasso. Mahanoy City.
Resolutions Committee = George W.
Hartlein, Tresfield; William Mulcahey, J.
2. Gallagher. Joseph Gallagher, ]. T
Dempsey. and Arthur James.
Press Committee-John Mitchell, George
W. Harlem, and I. P. Gallagher.
AT the close of this afternoons session
the convention adjourned until o'clock
tomorrow morning to give the scale COM
mittee an opportunity to prepare a re-
port for tomorrow's session.
President Mitchell tonight issued
statement giving out the proceedings of
the convention above reported. and
adding that the convention adjourned to
permit the scale committee to assemble
in the hall and formulate scale Of
wages for the ensuing year.