Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-18
CALL TO ALL MINERS
National Convention to Be
Held Soon.
ISSUED BY MITCHELL
EFFORT TO BE MADE FOR GEN
ERAL STRIKE.
Soft Coal Workers Will Be Asked to
Help Out the Anthracite
Men.

Help Out the Anthracite
Men.
WILKESBARRE, Pa. June 1S.-The long
expected call for a special national CON
vention Of United Mine Workers of
America was issued today by National
President Mitchell at strike headquarters,
to be held at indianapolis at the earliest
possible date. The date of the convention
will be fixed 10y W. 3. Wilson. national
secretary, at indianapolis. who has charge
Of the machinery by which a convention is
arranged.
The convention Will be held for the pur-
pose Of discussing the advisabiIity of in
volving all the soft coal miners in the
United States in the struggle now going on
in the anthracite coal fields
Under the constitution of the union five
districts must request action before the ma
tional president can issue call for a ma
tionaI convention. The five districts that
applied for this convention were the three
anthracite districts. the Michigan district
and the West Virginia district, where a
strike is now going on. President Mitchell
had had the consent of the five districts
for some time. but for some reason did not
see mt TO issue the call until today. The
request for the convention was made at
Hezleton four weeks ago last Friday.
President Mitchell Reticent
President Mitchell was extremely uncom-
municative as to what the probable action
Of the convention might be- II the dele
gates should decide to inaugurate a ma
tonal suspension of coal mining everybody
At strike headquarters believes it would
have n disastrous effect on the industries
OF the country. The supply of coal would
become so short that large and small in
dustrial establishments would be compelled
to suspend operations and many railroads
would also seriously suffer.
There are approximately about 10000
coal miners in the United States. OF these
aEout 100000 Mr.. Mitchell says. are af-
filiated with the union and an additional
JoHO comply with the legislation of the
miners organization.
1t IS utterly impossible at this distance
to forecast what the national gathering Will
Go because not one delegate has yet been
elected The anthracite delegates will go
INTO the convention with $4,000 striking
hard coal miners at their back for a gem
eral strike. The West Virginia delegates
VIII have approximately 5000 behind them
Tor strike, and in Michigan where the
union mas been having trouble. the dele
gates Will also be instructed for a national
suspension. Central Pennsylvania will CON
tribute a certain number Of delegates who
VIII want general strike, as will also
kentucky. 1t remains for western Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana to offset
this, as 1t is unofficially understood thar
the miners in those sections are not very
enthusiastic for a general stoppage of coal
production.
Mitchell Has a Plan.
There Is strong belief here that Presi
dent Mitchell has some plan to submit 70
the delegates, and this belief is strengthened
by the fact that he delayed the call so long.
He had conference with President Pat
rick Gildday of the central PENNSYLVANIA
oltuminous district on Sunday and has
been in frequent communication with other
soft coal leaders in the west.
Ihe great barrier 10 be overcome in the
campaign for a national suspension is the
yearly wage scale agreement that many of
the soft coal miners have with the COM
panles- These agreements are looked upon
as contracts, and a large percentage of
miners IL the west are rather ayersa to
breaking them The principal bone of con-
tention IN the anthracite region IS for a
yearly wage agreement. Those who are
opposed to a general strike use the argu-
ment that If the soft coal miners break
these contracts and go on strike to help
the anthracite men they would be losing
in the west what the hard coal miners are
fighting for in the east. Some of the ma
tional leaders. who have discussed the sub
tect with the Associated Press correspond
ent at strike headquarters, say that If the
life of the organization was in danger the
convention would not hesitate moment
20 call for a national strike.
II is generally accepted by the strikers
that the real object of the anthracite coal
operators is TO break up the union in this
part OF the country at least.
II IS not improbable that the conservative
men in the convention will be able to pre-
vent general suspension and carry
through the convention some sort of d COM
promise
One Plan Discussed.
One plan that is talked of is to have only
the central Pennsylvania and West Vir-
eyf,,fo HorrD he
another plan is to have all the soft coal
miners work only certain number of days
each week. Failing 10 gain anything by
either of these two moves, then, as a final
card. stop the production altogether. All
The coal that is now coming east is from
central Pennsylvania, West Virginia and
Maryland.
A delegation of Illinois leaders will be
here tomorrow. Il is said they come mere
ly 20 talk over q local difference in III
nois.
There will he about l 600 delegates in the
convention. Each local union will have
one vote for each 100 members or fraction
of thar number and an additional vote for
each majority fraction. Ten delegates can
be sent 10 the convention, Vet the delega-
tiOn may have but one vote among them.
National Secretary Wilson has already
started TO send out the call for the CON
vention. The call is sent direct to every
local union and does not first go through
the district offices.
An effort was made to get an idea from
Mr.. Mitchell when the convention would
be held. but he positively refused TO make
any guess. He said Mr.. Wilson would be
the one TO announce that.
SHAMOKIN. Pa. June 1s-LocaI engi-
neers who went on strike at colieries oper-
ated by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal
and Iron Company were notified last night
BY the foremen that unless they reported
at once for duty their Places would be filed
with non-union men who would not be dis
charged at the end of the strike. DESPITE
the notice it is stated that none Of the en-
Kineers went TO work today.
Famine Expected in India.
BOMBAY. June 1S.-The meteoroIoeieaI
department predicts n deficiency OF rain
almost everywhere in the Bombay presi-