Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-26
The Coal Strike Issues.

With the advent of October the mining of
anthracite coal will have been suspended
five months. Millions of people with win
ter on their heels are without coal. Even
though the strike should be declared off
today normal conditions could not obtain
In the coal market for weeks, and perhaps
months A demand which usually extends
itself over season will seek to be satisfied
in a day. Railroads. already taxed by an
unusually heavy fall traffic will be called
on to handle tonnage of coal that should
have been moving from the mines to local
depots all summer. Congestion will result.
Buyers will bid against each other and
there will be high premium on speedy de-
Livery. Prices will be abnormal. Thus the
effect of the strike will be felt long after
the labor trouble is adjusted or the miners
or the operators have submitted.
And yet coal consumers do not even know
what all the trouble is about. There are
two sides and each side has flied a state
ment of the case. These statements con-
fiict. The court of public opinion cannot
harmonic them. nor can it determine which
statement is the correct one.
According to the mine owners, the mine
workers, through their president, Mr.. John
Mitchell. demand
FIRST, recognition VI liIe uIlloll DIS tiiC W
resentative of the strikers.
Second an eight-hour work day, and
Third. an increase of wages.
To the first demand the operators reply
that they will not recognize the union as
party in the negotiation. They will not ar
bitrate and will make no agreement with
the union. They have said that they are
willing to hear their own employees on hours
will mako all concessions
which. after discussion. shall appear rea-
sonable.
President Baer on February Is, in a let
ter to the mine workers, wrote:
I'VE will always receive and consider
every applica ton of the men in our en-
ploy. We will endeavor to correct every
abuse to right every wrong, to deal justly
and fairly with them and to give every man
a fair compensa ton for the work he per-
forms Beyond this We cannot 60
On September 3 Mr. Baer again said in
public statement: ut is, by reason of vary
ing conditions at each mine, impracticable
to adopt uniform scale of wages for the
whole region; but at each cofliery every
complaint and grievance will be taken up
and Investigated by the superintendent and
adjusted when ii is just"
The operators say that if they granted
the demand for union recognition they
would have to admit.
First that every workman whose name
is not on the union rolls as member IN
good standing shall be Discharged;
Second that no nOn-uEion men shall
hereafter be employed;
Third. that if union man shall hereafter
be dismissed for any cause, he shall be re-
instated on demand of the union or it's rep
resentative: and fourth. that the foreUen
and superintendents shall be agreeable to
the union.
on the other hand the mine workers say
this is not a fair statement of the case.
Their statement is that on February IA
the United Mine Workers sent a letter 10
the coal producing companies inviting them
to confer over the wage scale for the year
beginning April /, 1902. The companies de-
clined to discuss the question. a conVcn-
ton of the men was held and the following
demands were made:
First an increase OF 20 per cent in wages
TO al men performing contract work;
Second. eight hours to constitute days
work for all persons employed by the day
or week without any reduction in their
present wage rate; and
Third coal to be accurately weighed and
paid for by weight wherever practicable.