Evening journal., 1902-06-19
SOFT COAL MBN
MAY BIB INVOLVED
Mitchell Calls for National
Miners Convention
Should General Strike Result, the
Industries Of the Country Would
Become Paralyzed

Wilkesbarre, Pa, June 19.-The long
expected call for special national
convention of the United Mine Workers
Of America was issued yesterday by
National President Mitchell at strike
headquarters, to be held at indianapolis
on July II. The time for the conyen-
tion was fixed by w. B. Wilson, ma
tional secretary at Indianapolis, who
has charge of the machinery by which
a convention is arranged.
The meeting will be held for the pur-
pose of discussing the advisapility OF
involving all the soft coal miners in
the United States in the struggle now
going on in the anthracite coal fields.
The call for the convention was made
by five districts, the West Virginia and
Michigan, bituminous districts and the
three anthracite districts of Pennsyl-
vania.
If the delegates should decide to in
augurate a national suspension of coal
mining it would have a disastrous eff
feet 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
would also seriously suffer. There are
approximately about 100000 coal min
ers in the United States. OF these
about S5O,OOO, Mr. Mitchell says, are
affiliated with the union, and an ad-
ditional $4,000 comply with the legis-
lation of the miners organization. The
anthracite delegates will go into the
convention with 142,OOO striking hard
coal miners at their backs for a general
strike. The West Virginia delegates
will have approximately $4,000 miners
behind them for a strike, and in Michi-
gan. where the union has been having
trouble, the delegates will also be in
structed for a national suspension. Cen
tral Pennsylvania will contribute a GER
tain number of delegates who will
want a general strike, as will also
Kentucky. 1t remains for Western
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and In
diana to Offset this. as it is unofficially
understood that the miners in those
sections are not very enthusiastic for
a general stoppage of coal production
Central Pennsylvania, with its $4,000
soft coal miners, practically holds the
balance Of power between the districts
which are on strike and those in which
peace prevails.
There is a strong belief here that
President Mitchell has some plan &c
submit to the delegates, and this belief
is strengthened by the fact thai he de.
layed the call so long. The
great barrier to be overcome in the
campaign for a national suspension Il
the yearly wage scale agreement thai
many of the soft coal miners have witt
the companies. These agreements are
looked upon as contracts, and a large
percentage of miners in the west are
rather averse TO breaking them. Th'
principal bone of contention in the an
thracite region is for a yearly wag,
agreement Those who are opposed t
a general strike use the argument tha
If the soft coal miners break these con
tracts and 60 on strike to help the ssl
thracite men they would be losing il
the west what the hard coal miners
are fighting for in the east.
1t is not unlikely that the conserva
tive men in the convention will be abl'
to prevent a general suspension an,
carry through the convention some sor
of a compromise. One plan that Il
talked of is to have only the Centra
Pennsylvania and West Virginia mel
help the anthracite workers, and an
other plan is to have all the soft Goa
miners work only a certain number o
days each week. Failing to gain any
thing by either of these two moves
then, as a final card, stop the produc
tion altogether.