Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-10-23
MINERS GET READY
FOR CONVENTION
Locals Select Delegates to
Meeting to Be Held at
Wilkesbarre,
LIKELY TO FOLLOW MITCHELL
General Opinion Prevails That Advice
Of Leader Will Be Endorsed and
Men Will Accept Proposal to Re-
turn to the Galleries.

unions Of the mine workers have
elected delegates to the peace con-
vention, which is TO meet in the Mes
ports received are that the great ma
!ority of the delegates have been in
structed to follow the advice of Presi;
dent Mitchell. Some of the locals dis.
cussed at length the possibilities Of
all the strikers not getting their old
places. and many not getting work at
all, and this will be the chief point
of controversy at the convention. AL
ready It has caused much trouble and
II is expected to cause more before
the convention asse mbles.
The operators have taken a decided
stand against displacing the 1900
nonunion workers, and will not have
places for as many of the strikers as
they previously employed. 1t is APP
parent that number will be without
places, and, while the union will care
for them, they will not get work.
Mitchell Is Reticent.
President Mitchell defined his atti-
tude in his address to President
Roosevelt in which he says: II win
recommend at the convention that all
men now on stI ike return to their po-
sitions and working places formerly
occupied by them"
Mr. Mitchell would not discuss this
feature. He said: "All have to say
on the matter is embodied in the
statement"
1t is understood that while he re.
allies that this is one of the weak
points in the arbitration proposition.
he believes that the companies will be
able to employ all the men who want
to work, and that in the course of two
| or three months conditions will ad
just themselves.
The district officers would say little.
One declared, when asked IL the con-
tention would not cause trouble:
Eyes, and it will come In great big
chunks" Another said: The union
will take care OF all men who don't
get work. They win not be deserted"
Pumpmen to Suffer.
President John Fahy Of District No.
1 pass Tue Whoic ndlbCi ny
to the convention"
| President Duffy of District No. z
would have nothing to say upon it.
Other officers admitted that they ex-
| pected there would be much talk in
| the convention about it, but that the
convention would follow Mr.. Mitchell's
recommendation and vote to resume
/ work.
These who will suffer most are the
| engineers, firemen and pumpmen.
| whose places the operators had to fill
| in order to save their mines. They
now have $500 working. and all Of
these will be retained, so that there
will be places for only about 5000 Of
| the 1000 strikers of these classes.
The others cannot go into the mines.
and there is apparently no work for
| them. The actual miners will not suf-
fer; all of them will be assured places
but the company hands and laborers
will not be so assured.
| Plenty Of Cars.
The operators explain the situation
briefly. One said: There are about
| 900 non-unionists in the collieries
| and they have stood with us during
the strike, helped TO keep our mines
from being damaged. and aiding in
sending out coal. We are not going
to throw them over. They will re-
main where they are and Wen see
that they are properly protected.
| LAS to the strikers. there will be no
discrimination between union and
nonunion men. We will take back all
we need and give them the places for
which we think they are best fitted.
We cannot take all of them back. but
the force will be increased as we
need 1t"
The railroads were busy gathering
cars for the mines and placing them
at the sidings. There are enough
"empties" in the region to carry more
| than 100000 tons to market, the
largest number of coal cars ever col
lected in the coal field.
Blaeksmiths Go Back.
Blacksmiths returned to work to
sharpen tools and aid In repairing
about the collieries. They had the
permission of President Mitchell.
T. II. Watkins of Scranton. appoint
ed on the commission of arbitration
by President Roosevelt. has decided
to accept.
Il feel highly complimented." said
Mr.. Watkins. ito be one of those to
whom the President has committed
this important task. Just at this time
It entails a great personal inconveni-
ence, but l feel that this and other
like considerations must be subor.
dinated to the duty which the nom
nation imposes. | will certainly 40
cept the position and consider myself
duly honored by being associated in
such an important work with such
eminent men,"
BRYAN Makes Denial.