The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
Mine WORKERS MEETING
NEXT MONTHS DELIBERATIONS
WILL BE IMPORTANT.
President Mitchell Will Prepare His
Report i'm This Cfty-Doings of
the Labor Unions.

Workers of North America which is to be
held in Indianapolis for ten days beginning
Jan. 10 will be one OF the most important
ever held by the organization. The great
strike recently ended in Pennsylvania and
the many other smaller strikes of the past
year, but important TO the union, will be
reported by the officers and an explanation
made of their prosecution. The report of
President Mitchell will deal with the an
thracite strike and will be long. He will
prepare 1t after his return to Indianapolis
The report OF the treasurer and Secretary
Wilson will include the reports of the
auditing and executive committees on their
work during the year. In the auditing
committees report and in the treasurers
statement of receipts and expenditures
accounting of the great amount of money
spent in the relief of the miners and fam
lilies of the workmen who were out of en-
ployment because of the strike in their dis
tricts will be some of the largest figures
ever known in a labor organization finap-
cial report.
After the convention of the miners the
joint meeting between the bituminous oper-
ators and the miners, which will determine
the scales TO be adopted for the coming
year. will be held. This meeting will be
attended by a large number of operators.
and its deliberations and agreements will
do much to prevent soft-coal strikes in
the future, 1t is thought. The work of
the arbitration board has shown that iron
clad agreements between the operators and
miners. If lived UP to by both sides, will
| do much to preclude the possibility of great
| strikes. The strike recently ended has
dary1 str Tod hat in .
coal fields of the United States can work
untold misery to thousands of people. be-
sides Gripping the business and industry
of the country. The joint meeting between
| the operators and miners will be called
| upon TO adjust some delicate questions that
| have arisen since the inauguration of the
big strike.
| The representation in the Mine Workers
convention will be based upon one vote to
each 100 members of the union in a local
| and one for each majority fraction of 100
members. No delegate will oe permitted to
! hold credentials for m2re than five votes.
| There are approximately 100000 members to
| the union and 1t is expected that there will
be 5000 votes in the convention. These
votes will be distributed among about 800
| delegates.
The referendum vote on nomination for
the national officers will be taken Dec. 10
| to 80. The nominations to each office are
made by three locals and after the &C
| ceptances of the men have been received,
their names placed the ballot. The
! result OF the referendum vote is accepted
by the convention and the elections ratified.
| Most of the nominations have already been
| forwarded to the national headquarters.
but all Of the acceptances have not been
! received. The names will not be made pub
For the positions of president, secretary
and vice president no names have been
n NJ. in oppsosition to John Mitchell
George w. Purcell, of Montgomery, w
| Va, member of the national executive
board of the Mine Workers. was in the
city Yesterday on business connected with
the West Virginia bituminous miners
Purcell is the commissary officer at Mont
gomery and on him the duty of issuing the
great amount of supplies and money to the
striking moners there has fallen. Mr.
Purcell left for his station last night.
In speaking of the situation in the soft
coal fields Mr.. Purcell said that the btu
minous miners are gradually winning a vic,
tory from the operators. Their success has
not been as great as the anthracite men
in Pennsylvania yet, but will be, he pre-
diets Some of the mine operators have
acquiesced in the terms of the strikers
there and many of the mines have beer
opened. The others; Mr.. Purcell says. will
to be held in indianapolis in January
meets, it is hoped that there will be nc
difficulties in that region to report.
The members of the auditing board of the
United Mine Workers, T. j. Fitzsimmons
of Scranton. Pa; John Mossopp. of Cam
bridge, O.. and Michael McTaggart, O.
oils for fully two weeks in going over tn,
accounts of the national organization
Their work will be finished in time to re
port TO the convention to be held in Jan
! uary All of the expenditures in the re
lief fund of the miners will have TO b'
checked and audited. The accounts of IN,
| local state and national organizations, be
| sides the claims and hundred of other &C
counts Of the union will have to be ad
justed before the report can be tabulated
The members of the committee are doin.
their work in the headquarters in the Stew
enson Building