The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-21

per capita tax. so that the membership
canTot be accurately calculated, and he
condemned this method Of business.
HOPKINS COUNTY STRIKE.
The strikes Of the last year were dealt
with briefly. The Hopkins county. Ken
lucky. strike began Nov. 26. 1900. and the
settlement Is still remote. Regarding this
strike ne says:
For many years the operators Of that
neid have dominated the political moral
and civic life OF the residents OF Hopkins
county. they have not. only named the off,
cfals or county and city. but they have
also executed the laws 10 suit their own
convenience. Invested with this power, II
can readily be seen that the contest be-
tween the mine workers and these unfair
and INSCRIPTIONS operators was, TO say the
least an unequal one. SO nagrant were the
violations OF law on the part Of the coal
companies that the respectable citizens Of
Hopkins county. no longer willing TO sub
nit 10 the encroachmentS or the operators
and their hired satellites. rose up en- masse
at the election last fall and placed In posi-
lions OF authority a set of officials pledged
10 administer and execute the law with
entire impartiality. Just soon as the
coal companies ascertained that they could
no longer use the county officers 70 assist
them In carrying out their campaign or In
timidation, pillage and murder, they sur
rendered their charters TO the State OF Ken
lucky and Incorporated under the laws or
Delaware. their purpose in taking this
action being 10 bring them under the juris
dictiOn Of the federal courts. so that they
could have the assistance of federal in
functions, which the judge Of the United
States Federal Court appeared not only
willing but anxious TO issue"
At present. he said. there are 1000 per-
sons in the field dependent on the organ
ization for support.
The Southwest strike" which began
March ], 1899 and ended Aug. l, 1901, he
said. had been partially successful. twenty
five coal companies signing the agreement
The report condemned the De Armitts,
who recently purchased a large tract OF
coal land in Ohio and published the state
ment that they would hire men for 121k
cents on the ton cheaper than the union
scale He said- he believed the attempt
would fail.
On account of these strikes and several
smaller ones, he said. the organization had
expended over 100000 for strike benefits
IN WEST VIRGINIA.
The special effort to organize West Vir
ginia. he said. was not as successful as ex-
pected. but forty-fve new unions were or
ganized. making a total of eighty locals
with a membership of 5000. He said the
organization had much trouble in organic
ing that district on account of miners be-
ing discharged for joining the union.
Conditions in the anthracite field. he
said. were very encouraging. but there
were some matters that needed adjustment.
Instead of declaring strike when the oper-
ators OF that field refused to meet the
mines he said a committee had been ap-
pointed TO wait upon the operators and
they had succeeded in getting a promise
from the president of the Erie Railroad
that the scale then in force would continue
one year and the hope that future set
Elements would be made in joint confer
ence- Concluding his reference to the an
thracite field the presidents report said:
Il am Of opinion that the question of an
eight-hour wOrk-day. recognition of our or
R9niZariOn and minimum daV scale
should be the paramount issues in the an
thracite Eeld and / believe that L voice
the sentiments OF All anthracite mine work.
ers when / say that they are ready and
willing TO take any step this convention
may determine upon to attain these ends"
Owing TO the large organization the re-
tiOnal officers by direct vote instead of
delegate vote in the convention.
During the last year President Mitchell
said he had made an effort TO obtain re-
liable data regarding the coal trade and
found that at no time had prices remained
stable To keep in touch with the coal
trade he recommends the creation of a de-
partment OF statistics, in order that ac-
>curate data may be compiled each year.
RUN-OF-MINE SYSTEM.
The report demands the establishment of
a run-of-mine system for all States in the
agreement. He says:
las 1 said in my last report, the equity of
this demand has been recognized by every
wSTSplature in the cOal-producing States;
the justice OF our claim has been demon
strated in convention after convention; and.
while we have so far failed to secure the
general adoption of an honest and fair
method Of weighing and paying for the
product OF our labor, / believe that we
should make this question paramount to all
others. and i should. therefore, recommend
that the scale committee be directed 10
formulate scale based upon single run
of-mine standard"
revision of the machine mining scale
is recommended in order TO establish more
equitable differential between pick and ma
chine mining.
The report says the Jurisdiction of the
United Mine Workers over all employees in
and about the mines is necessary and rec
Ommends that the coal hosting engineers