The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-10
STRIKE QUESTION
UP TO THE MINERS
District Officers Want Them to Decide for
ThemselYes-Work Temporarily Sus-
pended Operators Won't Arbitrate.

II is now up to the Individual miner
to decide whether or not the United
Mine Workers of the Anthracite region
shall enter upon u duel to the death
with the operators.
In response to the proposition from
the miners executive committee that
the questions ut Issue should be SUBJ
.nitted to arbitration. the operators
SUBJ committee sent word that they
could not agree to what the miners
proposed.
The miners committee thereupqN de-
cided to submit to Il general conven
ton of the miners the question as to
whether or not Il strike should be re-
sorted to. and pending the settlement
of this question it was ordered that all
work be suspended.
The action by The committee is taken
to be "A compromise between the ardent
pro-strle men who We're in the major
iy in Shamokin and here, and the AM
ii strike men including the leaders, eX-
cepting possibly District President
Nichols
Incidentally the convention of locals
called for Wednesday is considered in
the nature of a string by which the
strike order can be taken back should
events of the interim warrant it.
The miners executive committee of
the three districts met yesterday morn
ing and had a three-hour session. At
its conclusion President Mitchell gave
out the following statement:
"Replies to our proposition to submit
the entire question in dispute to an
N al of
been received from President Baer. of
the Philadelphia & Reading, Chairman
Thomas of the Erie railroad: President
Truesdale. of the Delaware, LackaWan-
M and Western. and President Oily
phant. Of the Delaware and Hudson,
all of whom refuse to join us in the ad-
iustment of the differences between us
by the methods we propose.
The executive committees are now
considering the chances Of success or
possibilities of defeat should q strike
be naugurated.
"a decisive vote on the question Will
be taken this afternoon
At 1880 o'clock the committeeman
again assembled and remained in ses-
sion until 1880 o'clock when the session
concluded. President Mitchell prepar-
newspaper men at the st. Charles ho-
tel. read to them as follows from
typewriter paper:
The Strike Order.
To the Anthracite Mine Workers of
Pennsylvania:
conference.-the executive COM
mittee of the Anthracite Mine work.
ers who were delegated by the
Shamosin convention to represent
you in the negotiations with the
railroad presidents and mine opera
tors for the purpose of obtaining in
creased wages, shorter hours and bet
ter conditions of employment have
exhausted all peaceful, conciliatory
and honorable means at their COM
mand and have failed to secure any
concessions of tangible nature, and
while under the resolutions, adopted
ity was vested in the executive COM
negotiations, to inaugurate strike
at whatever time, in their Judgment,
held out the greatest promise of sue
serious deliberation, feel that in JUS
CiCS u Ille WOlhcIS
and those dependent upon them, be-
fore a general strike is inauguarted,
the question should be further con-
sidered by a delegate convention, i'll
which representatives from the vari-
Gus local unions shall be fully in
structed by their constituents and
prepared to vote i'll favor of OF in OPP
position to a complete cessation of
work.
In the meantime all persons EN-
ployed i'll or around the collieries,
strippings, washeries and breakers
are instructed to temporarily alb
stain from working, beginning with
Monday, May 12, and continuing
thereafter until final decision is
reached by delegate convention,
which will convene, Wednesday
morning, May IA, at Hazleton, Pa.
The basis of representation in this
convention shall be one vote for each
one hundred members and one vote
for each additional one hundred
members, OF majority fraction there
of.
The executive committee recon-
mend that special meetings of all
local unions be held on Monday af-
ternoon, May ~, for the purpose of
selecting delegates and considering
the question involved, and it is
especially recommended that specific
instructions be given to delegates as
to how they shall vote on the PROPOSE
tion to inaugurate strike or con-
tinue work under present conditions.
The instruction for all men to sus-
pend work OH Monday does not in
clude firemen, engineers, pumpnlen
and other labor necessary to preserve
the properties of the operators.
The order is signed by all the district
presidents and secretaries and National
President Mitchell
Receiving the News.
There was big crowd about the st.
Charles when the order was given out,
and the proverbial dropping of a pin
would have been distinctly audible ut
any time. President Mitchell. standing
in the center OF the crowd on a chair,
read the statement.
Immediately up0n the conclusion OF
President Mitchell's reading the crowd
scattered, ana In AN incredibly short
space of time had spread the news all
through the valley,
Never in The history of The Tribune