Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-29
STRIKE EPIDEMIC RACES
Coal Miners Threaten to Tie Up Vast
Resources.
MEN ARE DAILY GETTING MORE IMPATIENT
Pending DimcuIties Involve Two Hun
dred Thousand Miners, who Are
Backed by h National
Mine workers Union.

INDIANAPOLIS. March 2s.-A special call
was issued from the national headquarters
Of the United Mine Workers Of America
here this afternoon by President John
Mitchell, and Secretary w. r. Wilson for
a meeting Of the national executive board
in this city on Monday. April I. While not
stated in the call. IL is given out by Mr..
Wilson that the meeting is to consider both
the anthracite situation in Pennsylvania
and the situation in the soft coal fields of
Virginia and West Virginia, where strikes
involving upward Of It's, 900 miners are i'm
minent. 1t is expected thai the situation
In the east involving vast interests both to
the miners and operators. demands the con-
sideration Of the executive board.
President Mitchell will return to head
quarters next week and will attend the
meeting OF the executive board, Of which
both he and Secretary Wilson are mem
bers ex-oficio. The executive board under
the change made az the national convention
Of mine workers here in 1901 will after
April l consist of twenty-three members,
those outside OF the national officers being
elected by the twenty districts OF the or
ganlsation.
The advisability OF calling a strike in
Virginia and West Virginia has been pu,
entirely in the hands Of the board. A final
demand is to be made. upon the operators
for a conference and II refused the strike
IL to be called
Trouble at Altoona.
ALTOONA, Pa, March 2s.-The refusal
OF l.. w. Robinson OF the Rochester and
Pittsburg Coal and Iron company to sign
the miners scale agreed upon here yester-
day by the miners and the rest Of the oper-
ators Of district No. 2 may cause a strike oil
Robinson's several thousand men on April
l. Robinson's men allege that he departed
from last years scale In compelling the men
to push to the headings heavily loaded cars
instead of employing mules and insisted or
the same conditions for the next year. II
was his contention that held up the conven-
ton and delayed the signing Of the scale
by the other operators and miners. The
Robinson miners will hold mass meetings
in Punxsutawney and sykesville on April /
The Robinson field includes mines al
Punxsutawney, Dubois, London Mines
Rothmel, Soldiers, Reynoldsville, Heynetia.
Eleanor. Adrian, New Florence, Elk Run
Walston and Yatesboro.
The United Mine Workers will give mora
and financial assistance to a strike in this
field II it is declared.
Pittsburg and Saginaw.
P~ITTSBURG, Pa, March 2s.-The Goa
miners employed In the Allegheny and
Klskinetas valleys have a strike ordered or
April 1 against the companies refusing Il
sign the scale. About $500 men and five
companies will be effected.
SAGINAW, Mich, March 2s.-The United
Mine Workers Of Michigan have been called
out for a general strike April 1 on accoun
Of the failure Of the operators to adopt /,
wage scale and adjust their differences dur.
ing their recent meeting here. The cal
effects twenty-one unions throughout Mich,
kigan, with a membership of $500. ,
MARION. ILL.,. March 2S.-An aEreemen.
was reached and contracts signed today b,
miners and operators Of the Seventh sub
district, who have been in session here fol
three days. This avoids the threatened
trouble In this district for another year.
Brewery strike az an End.
CINCINNATI. March 2s.--Fhe Brewers
exchange Of this city today telegraph,
President Samuel Gompers of the American
Federation of Labor at Chicago as follows
The press here interprets your decision il
the controversy between engineers and fire
men and brewery workers as sustaining tn
charge of conspiracy between the brewer
OF this city and engineers and firemen. Thi
impression may prove a serious obstacle [,
amicable settlement between proprietor
and brewery workers now in progress, as /
casts disgraceful imputation on the pro
p%rietors. Believing this Interpretation o
your decision is totally incorrect we re
quest you in the interest of all parties L
wire us whether 1t Is so or not. We desir
your authority to publish your answer
President Gompers replied as follows:
I am not responsible for improper inter
probation OF my opinion. Having omitte,
any reference to conspiracy therein an in
| ference of conspiracy is unwaFranted. ii
the interest of all parties l urge you 4