The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-09-12
MINERS ARE FIRM.
District President Nichols Says They
Won't Give Up While They
Have Bread to Eat.

"As long as the miners have bread to
eat" said District President Nichols,
yesterday. they will stay out for the
demands they have made, and 1 can
say to you positively they will never
want for bread. There Is no effort re-
quired to keep the men firm. They are
more determined now than they ever
were. The relief fund Is growing daily
and we are in a position to continue the
fight indefinitely. The miners realize
that this Is the greatest industrial
battle ever waged and are content to
make every sacrifice to win 1t. l do
not know how the strike will end, but
do know that it will not be termin-
ated by a surrender Of the strikers"
Mr.. Nichols further states that the
strikers are not at all concerned about
the collieries that are reported to be in
operation.
"Only two OF these collieries," Mr..
Nichols said. SHOULD be rightly said to
be in operation. These are the Oxford
and the Dodge. The others are simply
making a pretense of operating. So we'll
satisfied are we that this is so that we
propose to make a tabulation of their
output and give it to the public. We
will probably have it ready for publi-
cation next Monday"
In regard to the rumors of settlement
propositions, Mr.. Nichols said:
I'VE know nothing of any such propo-
sitions other than what we see in the
newspapers. The ground on which Sem
ator Platt's prediction was made Is as
much mystery to us AS it is to the
general public. 1 am also ignorant of
any arrangement for meeting of the
national and district presidents with
Governor Stone or his representative"
Assistant Superintendent Tobey. of
the Delaware. Lackawanna and West
ern mining department. said yesterday
that his company has collieries in oper-
alton which are doing better than either
the Oxford or Dodge.
Regarding the rumors of concessions,
Mr.. Tobey said:
1T would be a public calamity for
the operators to grant even the slight
est concession. Concessions now would
mean more demands next spring, and
more demands next spring would mean
another strike. A victory by the miners
would also mean the encouragement Of
strikes among many other unions. Even
though the operators were disposed to
make concessions, they would be con-
strained to refuse by consideration of
the influence it would have on the gen.
eral business world. Incidentally, let
me say, the operators are not disposed
to make any concessions"
Complaint was made at police head
quarters last night from the Mt. Pleas
ant washery that some one was firing
on the men employed there. Patrolmen
Karius and Goerlitz investigated and
found Tommy Sampson, of Raymond
court, and several other small boys dis
charging blank cartridges from toy
pistol in the vicinity of Mifflin avenue
and Linden street. The boys We're
locked up, and will be given hearing
this morning.
The Ontario and Western company
yesterday started up It's Johnson col
liery at Priceburg. This Is the first coll
liery this company has gotten in oper-
alton.
The coal companies with headquar-
ters in Scranton now have thirteen COL
lieries and twenty washeries in oper-
alton.