Morris tribune., 1902-11-01
NEWS OF THE WEEK
MINERS DECLARE STRIKE OFF

With a shout that fairly shook the
convention building at Wilkesbarre the
representatives of the 147,000 mine
workers, who have been on strike since
last May, officially declared off the
greatest contest ever waged between
capital and labor, and placed all the
questions involved in the struggle into
the hands of the arbitration commits
sion appointed by the president of the
United States. When the news was
flashed to the towns and villages down
in the valleys and on the mountains of
the coal regions the strike-affected in
habitants heaved sigh of relief The
vote to resume coal mining was a
unanimous one and was reached only
after a warm debate The principal
objection to accepting the arbitration
proposition was that no provision was
contained in the scheme to take care
of those men who would fail to get
back their old positions or would be
unable to get any work at ALL The
engineers and pumpmen get better pay
than other classes of mine workers
| and they did not wish to run the risk
of losing altogether their old places
and be compelled to dig coal for liv-
ing. This question came up the pre-
vious day and was argued right up to
the time the vote was taken. No one
had definite plan to offer to overcome
the objection and the report of the
committee on resolutions that the
strike be declared off and that all is
sues be placed in the hands of the arbi-
tration commission for decision was
adopted without the question being set
tied. A few moments before adjourn
ment, however, a partial solution was
reached, when a delegate in the far
thest corner of the hall moved that
the problem be placed in the hands of
the executive boards for solution and
his suggestion was adopted.
The resumption of mining through
out the anthracite region Thursday
was not as general as was expected.
Unlocked for difficulties were encoun-
tered in the shape of water and ac-
cumulated gas, and dangerous roofs,
which threatened to fall and entomb
the workers, were also discovered in
many of the collieries The mine SUI
perintendents would take no chances
and the mining of coal was put off
until all parts of the underground
workings can be made safe. This will
take few days yet and in some cases
it will take weeks before some of the
mines can be put in full operation.
President Morton of the Internation-
al Association of Stationary Engineers
and Firemen states that all members
of the association all over the country
will be ordered to refuse to handle any
anthracite coal until every member af-
fected by the anthracite coal strike is
reinstated on the basis on which the
miners returned to work.
The coal strike commission has de-
cided to begin it's work Thursday morn
ing at o'clock, the first days of the
investigation to be devoted to physi-
cal examination of the mines and
homes of the miners, starting in the
vicinity of Scranton. The anthracite
field will be covered
At the request of the members of
the anthracite coal strike commits
sion and with the assent of both the
operators and the miners President
Roosevelt has appointed Carroll D.
Wright, recorder of the commission,
a member of that body.
The employees of the G. B. Markle &
Co.'s collieries and the men working
at the Drifton mines of Coke Bros. &
Co. have voted to continue on strike
until the conditions on which they are
to be taken back by these firms are
withdrawn.
General orders for the withdrawal
of the troops in the anthracite coal
regions have been issued by Governor
Stone. The orders do not state the
time and manner of withdrawing the
troops.