The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-16

Advices from Hazleton, published
yesterday morning, tended to show
that sentiment had veered strongly to
concessions or strike,' and that the
only hope of turning the tide was an
out-and-out declaration by Mitchell
that he did not favor strike. Events
show that even this hope was ILL
founded: that the pro-strike sentiment
was so strong it could not be swayed
by any one man.
There was no demonstration attend
ant upon the receipt of the news. 1t
was more than half expected and the
consequences OF it's coming had been
pretty we'll discussed. People heard the
news and went their way.
The first announcement to the public
was made through an.Associated Press
bulletin to The Tribune, posted eleven
minutes after the word came out of the
convention. The afternoon papers were
waiting for the announcement and had
| extras on the street in remarltab bly,
quick time. Word of the convention =
action had spread in all directions from
| The Tribune's bulletin board. and as
| fast as boys could be heard calling out
the afternoon ."extras," they We're
bought up by anxious persons looking
for the details.
| SPREADING THE NEWS.
Four telephones in The Tribune office
We're kept busy rushing the news to
suburban branch offices to be bullet
ined. Half an hour after the strike was
declared, the news was posted on Tri-
bune bulletins in every part Of the
valley.
| 1t was a very general expression of
opinion that the strike will be q long
one. No one doubts but that the oper-
| ators and the miners each approached
the conflict realizing that the other
was not expecting a short struggle,
should one come, and on the part OF
| the miners it was scarcely doubted but
| that the operators were not averse to
| having the supposed inevitable fight
preciDitated now.
The last strike was settled by the
| owners of the mines over the heads
and against the wishes of the superin-
tendents, at the solicitation of the poll
ticians. The last strike had the SUPER
| intendents on the one side and the
| miners on the other In this strike it
| Is the owners, and not the superintend-
| ents. who are to do the fighting. In
the last strike the owners simply ac-
quiesced in the action of the superin-
tendents. This time the owners are the
parties in action.
In the last strike, also. there was the
Independent operator almost threaten
ing to take sides with the miner. There
was, furthermore, no binding unity
among the owners. Again, there was
then a rivalry between the hard and
soft coal operators.
CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED.
Now there are no politicians to make
demands that must be considered; the
independent operator has been eradi-
Gated, the companies have effected a
community of interests" and the
hard and soft coal opera tors have been
brought into relations which will re-
lieve each of any dread that a strike
will result in the other usurping it's
markets permanently.
When the miners entered on their
strike year and a half ago, there
union embraced only 5000 of the 147 ,0OO
mine workers. The union had only
few scattering locals" in the lower
regions, and it's leaders We're looked
upon with suspicion. For time. it
was feared that the tie-up in the upper
regions would go to pieces because of
the inability of the leaders to complete
the tie-up in the lower regions.
Now the United Mine Workers num-
bers in its ranks practically every man
and boy in the anthracite region who
is eligible to membership, and their
loyalty to their union is wholly re-
moved from the realm Of question by
the obedience given the call for a
suspension of work, while the suspicion
with which the leaders We're viewed
when they first went among the miners
Of the lower regions has glver away to
respect, bordering on worship. The
rank and file fairly idolize John Nit
chell.
Then again, the miners are grateful
to the union for the betterment of their
condition that came of the last strike,
and those, If there are any who might
waver in this fight because they deemed
it unwise, would be held i'm line by a
sense of gratitude.
Finally, both sides have been fortified
by steady work: the companies having
piled up coal and the men having
been given opportunity to pile up
wages. Each side is apparently ar
mored for fight to the death, and
tight to the death it likely will be.
NO AGGRESSIVE STEPS.
AS yet the companies have taken no
aggressive steps. 1t is reported that
they have secured and assembled
sufficient force of competent men to
man their boilers, engines and pumps,
IL 1t Is found necessary to do this, but
this report has not been confirmed.
That they have not sat idly by. content
to await the emergency before making
IL move TO meet 1t, is hardly probable.
The larger companies are polling
their office employees, to find out how
many will agree to act as special Off
GERS, in case their services are needed,
so as to avoid the possible necessity OF
securing coal and iron police.
In the shops, men are being laid off
as fast as they finish the work on hand,
and every day adds TO the list of idle
trainmen. 1t is estimated that $4,000
men. not mine workers, will be thrown
idle by reason of the strike.
The number OF miners who are idle
is about $4,000. or this number, $4,000
are in the I.ackawanna and Wyoming
valleys, and more than half of this 75,-
900 in Scranton and its tributary re-
gion.
A local coal famine is one of the
consequences of the strike that will
likely first make itself felt in the way
OF hardships. Already the dumps are
alive with women and children picking
coal.