Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-06-19
mine WORKERS MILL MEET
National Convention Of Mine Workers
is Called to Meet at Indianapolis
at Early Date.
Object of Meeting is to Discuss Advis-
ability of Calling Out Bituminous
Miners.
Hoped Thus to Assist the Anthracite
Menout on Strike to Gain their
Demands. s

Demands. -s
Wilkesbarre, Pa, June 19.-The long
expected call for a special national
convention of United Mine Workers of
America was issued during the day by
National President Mitchell at strike
Headquarters, to be held at Indianap-
oils at the earliest possible date. The
date of the convention will be fixed
by w. B. Wilson, national secretary
at Indianapolis, who has charge of the
machinery by which a convention is
arranged. The convention will be held
for the purpose of discussing the ad
visibility Of involving all the soft coal
miners in the United States in the
struggle now going on in the anthra-
cite coal fields.
Under the constitution of the union
five districts must request action be-
fore the national president can issue
call for national convention. The
five districts that applied for this con-
vention were the three anthracite dis
tricts, the Michigan district and the
West Virginia district, where strike
Is now on. President Mitchell has had
the consent Of the five districts for
some time but for some reason did not
see fit to issue the call until now. The
request for the convention was made
at Hazleton' four weeks ago last Fri
day. see
President Mitchell was extremely
uncommunicative as to what the prob
able action of the convention might be.
If the delegates should decide to inau-
gurate a national suspension of COM
mercial mining everybody at strike
headquarters believe it would have a
disastrous effect on the Industries of
the country. The supply of coal would
become so short that large and small
industrial establishments would be
compelled to suspend operations and
many railroads also would seriously
suffer. ~.
There are approximately about
100000 coal miners in the United
States. OF these about 100000, Mr..
Mitchell says, are affiliated with the
union and an additional $4,000 comply
with legislation of the miners organi-
zation. It is utterly impossible at this
time to forecast what the national
gathering will do, because not one del
egate has yet been elected. The an
thracite delegates will go into the con-
vention with $4,000 &
Striking Hard Coal Miners
at their back for a general strike.
The West Virginia delegates will have
approximately $4,000 behind them for
strike, and in Michigan, where the
union has been having trouble, the
delegates will be instructed for a ma
tional suspension. Central Pennsyl-
vania will contribute a certain number
of delegates who will want a general
strike as also will Kentucky. It re-
mains for Western Pennsylvania, Illi-
nois, Ohio and Indiana to Offset this,
rs it is unoficially understood that the
mines in those sections are not very
enthusiastic for general stoppage of
coal production. There is strong be-
lief here that President Mitchell has
some plan to submit to the delegates
and this belief is strengthened by the
lfact that he delayed the call SO long.
He had conference with President
Gilday of the Central Pennsylvania
bituminous district and has been in
communication with other soft coal
4 leaders. The great barrier to be over
1 come in the campaign for a national
suspension is the yearly wage scale
agreement that many of the soft coal
miners have with the companies.
These agreements are looked upon as
contracts, and large percentage of
miners in the West are rather averse
4 to breaking them. The principal bone
/ Of contention in the anthracite region
Is for yearly wage agreement. Those
who are opposed to general strike
use the argument that if the soft coal
! miners break these contracts and go
on strike to help the anthracite men
they would be losing in the West what
the hard coal miners are fighting for
1 in the East. Some of the national
4 leaders who have discussed the subject
with the Associated Press representa-
the life Of the organization was in dan
ger they would not hesitate for a mo-
ment to call convention. Il
It is not improbable that the con-
servative men in the convention will
be able to prevent general suspen-
SIGN and carry through the convention
some sort of a compromise.
One plan that Is talked Of is to have
only. the Central Pennsylvania and
West Virginia men help the anthracite
workers and another is to have all the
soft coal miners suspend work Ger.
i tain number Of days each week. Fail
4 Ing to gain anything by either Of these
two moves then, as final card, stop
the production altogethe q,
FORTUNE WITH A BRIDE.
Senator Hanna Gives Daughters Hus-