The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-08-30

| the Avondale coliery, near Plymouth
were union miners.
Everyone of the men now working
at that collery," said he to a Tribune
| man. "is an old employe of the com
pany. We aren't taking any chances
with greenhorns these days, and con-
sidering the fact that there Is only Il
limited number of men working at the
coliery, we must have good ones.
I'VE wont allow any man to cut coal
for us unless he can show his miners
certificate. All of the men working at
the Avondale are able to do this. We
aren't importing men. In fact we
haven't single import in our employ
today. They are all old hands, who
have summoned up the requisite nerve
to report for duty. Fully eighty per
cent. of the men would be glad to re-
turn to their duties, If it We're not for
fear of intimidation and persecution
Superintendent G. G. Rose of the coal
department of the Delaware and Hud-
son Railroad company expressed him
self in Il similar strain. He declared
that he had heard reports of weaken
ing among the company's, striking en-
ployes in Olyphant, but said that no
official confirmation of the rumor had
come to his office.
While the report circulated after
Tuesdays meeting at Olyphant, that
the miners there had decided to re-
turn to work. has been repeatedly de-
MED at district headquarters of the
mine workers, nevertheless there are
those who claim that this is the
weakest hold of the strikers in this
district.N More frequent mass meetings
are held there for the purpose of put
ting heart into the men, than in any
place in the vicinity. In fact another
meeting has been called for this after
noon.
MASS MEETING AT MINOOKA.
Last night a mass meeting was held
at Minoolia, and others will be held to-
day at Olyphant and Jessup. The mass
meeting which was to have taken place
yesterday afternoon at St Mary's hall,
North Scranton, has been postponed,
for an indefinite period.
President Adam Ryscavage of
this district. and several members of
the district board were in the city yes
terday, in conference with President
Nichols. The latter stated that mere
routine business was transacted.
A prominent coal operator said yes
terday:
'ln today's issue of your paper you
say. 1T may be true that the numerous
local miners strikes last year, in con-
sequence of the refusal of operators to
permit union representatives to stand
at the mine entrances to enforce inspec-
tion of the working cards, were due to
individual and local feeling, and were
not in pursuance of a policy having the
sanction of the entire organization.
Our information on these points is not
exact AS YOU failed to recall it, let
me remind your readers that at the
first district miners convention at Ed
wardsvile. in January, 1901, they
passed this resolution: THAT it be-
comes compulsory on the part of any
man employed in and around the mines
to become members of the United Mine
Workers of America; also, at a joint
meeting of Districts l, and 8, at
Shamokin in March, 1902, at which con-
vention John Mitchell presided, they
passed this resolutions: 'That at any
collery where employees refuse to be-
come members of our organization and
wear the working button, the local
governing said colliery governing,
that's the. word they use) after using
all persuasive measures to get such en-
ployes to join and failing in such, shall
have full power to suspend operations
until such employees become members
of the organiZat ton" And yet John
Mitchell in his answer" as he calls it,
to Abram S. Iewitt's able and truth
full statement, has the braZen effrontery
to assert that the members of the min
ers' 'aniZation have never sought to
proven, /non-members from working
with them the mines. and they had
no intentio, /of seeking to abridge the
right of any mine worker to become or
not to become member of the organ
ization in the future.
THE RESOLUTIONS.
What a monstrous statement, when
he knows of those Edwardsvlle and
Shamokin resolutions above quoted,
and also we'll knows that that very
has been enforced to the
utmost of their ability ever since
the strike of 1900. And now they un-
dertake by force to prevent any nom
union man from working in or about
the mines, and all without one word of
protest from John Mitchell. Nice man
he and his satellites to govern the col
leries,' millions of dollars worth of
property, in which they have not in
vested penny
"One other question, briefly. A great
deal is said and printed about the
great proportion of the mine workers
belonging to the union. The answer is,
rot from choice, but by force and in
timidation, and kept in in the same
way, and all under such plans as set
forth in the above-quoted resolutions.
And now II is only force, intimidation
ana rear that keep vast majority of
them from returning to their work. This
is the plain, unvarnished truth, and
fdlly believed by every unprejudiced
person living in the coal regions Is it
any wonder that the coal operators re-
fuse to deal with uch union as John
Mitchell conducts?"
A special meeting of the Marvine coll
liery local Will be held at 9 o'clock to-
morrow afternoon at st. Marys hall,
North Scranton. Arthur Dowd, of Sec
ond street, Jermyn, engaged in an al
tercation with non-union workman,
Thomas Carey, of Scott, at the st.
George hotel Thursday night, and for
awhile small riot seemd eminent.
Dowd asked the bartender not to sell
any drinks to Carey and claims that