The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-29

There are very strong surface indi-
cations that the majority of the Ell
gineers, puinprunners, fremen and drill
men employed by the big coal com-
panes hereabouts will refuse to obey
the order issued by President Mitchell.
calling them out next Monday. IL they
are not granted an eight-hour day in
the meantime.
At n meeting of some 300 of these
company employees, held yesterday
morning In ST. David's hall West
Scranton, Il resolution was passed call
ing upon the board. whiah issued the
order calling out the men. to rescind it.
and implying that the men will refuse
to obey the order If 1t is allowed to
stand
The meeting was attended by en-
Sineers. pumprunners and firemen EN-
ployed by the Delaware. Iackawanna
and Western, Ontario and Western,
Peoples Coal, Scranton Coal. Erie Rail-
road. Delaware and Hudson and other
coal companies Select Councilman John
j. McAndrew. hosting engineer at the
Diamond colliery. presided at the meet
ing.
The question was widely discussed,
strike manifested itself No direct vote
either for or against Il strike was
taken, however. those present content-
ing themselves with the passage of the
resolution above referred TO. A COM
mittee was appointed to wait on Presi-
dent T. ID. Nichols, of this district, and
present this resolution to him. The
committee waited on him at headquar-
ters and presented the resolution.
ANOTHER MEETING SATURDAY.
Another meeting will be held on Sat-
urday morning, when the committee
will make it's report. Just what trans
pired at the conference with President
Nichols could not be learned. The lat
ter refused blank to answer any
questions dealing with the matter.
The engineers, particularly. seem to
be bitterly opposed to going out on
strike. A very large percentage of them
are old men, who have grown gray in
the service of the several companies
and who have no desire to go out on
strike at this critical moment, realizing
as they do that they might experience
some difficulty in reganing their for
mer positions.
ners at the Glenwood and Erie colleries
at Jermyn and Mayfield have had
meeting and decided not to quit work.
President Nichols was very non-com-
municative yesterday when asked re-
garding his trip to Harrisburg and his
conference with Governor Stone.
THE governor simply desired to be
Informed as to the exact situation"
q f,a 11N,l
dents Duffy and Fahy and myself. 1t
is not surprising that he should take
an interest in this great industrial
struggle which is convulsing the whole
state"
The Tribune man suggested that the
governor must have had some other
purpose than the acquiring of informa-
ton in mind when he called the district
presidents together. but President Mic
hollis declined to discuss this phase of
the question. Neither would he deny
or affirm that the conference had ought
to do with proposed legal proceedings
against the alleged combination of coal
interests.
ABOUT THE ROCKMEN.
Asked whether the executive board
had any assurance that the rockmen, |
who have separate union of their
own, would refuse to take the places of
union men if called upon, President
Nichols said:
1--WE require no such assurance. We
know that the rockmen will stand by
us. Their action in quitting work at |
Olyphant because they had received |
hints that they would be called upon
nlya
tive of their feeling"