The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-10-20
MINERS CONVENTION TODAY
MANY OF THE DELEGATES AR
RIVE IN WILKESB4RRE.

Nothing to Indicate a Rejection of
the Arbitration PIan-Thursday Still
Considered the Most Likely Day for
Resumption of Work.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Oct. 19.-Delegates
to the anthracite mine-workers conyen-
ton, which will meet in the Nesbitt
theater, this city, at 10 o'clock tO-mor-
row forenoon for the purpose of accept
ing or rejecting the proposition of Pres
ident Roosevelt to end the strike and
submit the grievances to the arbitra
tion committee appointed by him, be-
gan arriving here to-day and about one
quarter of the 700 or 800 delegates to
the convention are now in the city.
Strike headquarters, which had been
extremely quiet since the excitement of
last week, began to be livly before noon
to-day. Many of the delegates are in
structed in various features of the set
tlement but majority of them will fol-
low the advice and judgment of Presi-
dent Mitchell.
There is nothing on the surface to-
night that gives the slightest indication
that the convention will not vote to
send the men to work this week, with
the probability still in favor of Thurs
day as the day of resumption. 1t was
quite evident to observers that they
were glad to get together and decide
to return to work after the weary idle
ness of more than five months. All the
delegates who were spoken to regard
. ing !ti1e action of to-morroW's CONVEX
tion appeared to have no fear that a
hitch might occur which would disar-
range the present peaceful trend of af-
fairs, A good many of the delegates
say they have Instructions on certain
matters, which they will place before
the delegates. AS already stated in
these dispatches the principal question
outside of the great question of accept
ing or rejecting President Roosevelt's
proposition will be that of strikers get
tig their old places. A large number of
the men fear that in the general rush
to return to the mines some of them
may fail to get work. They want some
assurance from the convention that
they will be able to get the positions
they occupied before the suspension
was ordered. 1t is likely this element
from the three districts will join forces
and make concerted fight on the floor
of the convention for some specific ac-
tion. In the fact of the fact that the
operators are on record that they will
not dismss one man who stood by them
during the struggle, it is going to be a.
serious problem to solve. The debate,
it is believed, will take up great deal
OF the time of the convention, which is
expected to last not more than two
days.
The meeting, in all likelihood, will be
held behind closde doors after formal
organization is effected. President
Mitchell will be elected chairman, and
during the first session in an opening
speech to the delegates, he will lay the
plan Of arbitration submitted by the
president of the United States before
them for action. He will recommend
that it be accepted and the men return
to work as quickly as the coal compa
MES can provide work. National Secre-
tary w. B. Wilson will be selected as
secretary and he will have as assistants
the district secretaries. These secretar-
les, John Dempsey Of Scranton, John
Gallagher of Hazleton and George
Hartlein of Shamokin, will probably be
appointed on a committee of creden-
tials. They were busy at strike head
quarters to-day going over the papers.
1t is hoped by them to be able to make
a report by noon tomorrow. So far as
they know there will be no contest on
&t,a ttoy of caattpo daIoco+ac
The first delegates to make their ap-
pearance came from Bernice, a remote
point in the anthracite coal field, where
the small coal beds are of a semi-bi-
luminous character.
At noon a big delegation headed by
District Secretary George Hartlein and
Organized Paul Pulaski arrived from
the Shamokin and Schuylkill regions.
The remaining delegates, about twenty
five from that territory, will not be
able to get here until a few minutes be-
fore the convention is scheduled to con-
vene. The Lehigh Valley and the Lack
awanna contingents will be here early
/ In the morning.
The military camp in Westide Park
across the Susquehanna river from this
city, again attracted large Sunday
crowd Dress narade was held as
usual, and was reviewed by Brigadier
General Goblin and his staff. There
were no reports of violence at the gen.
erals headquarters from any part of
the region affected by the strike.
President Mitchell had many callers
to-day. Most of the delegates who ar
rived to-day called and paid their re-
spects and congratuled him on the near
ending OF the struggle.
Among Mr.. MitchelPs callers was
Mayor Samuel NJ Jones of Toledo, o.
Scranton, Pa, Oct. 19.-District Pres
ident Nichols of the United Mine
Workers, when asked to-day how long
the convention would probably last
said he expected it would adjourn some
time Tuesday. He expressed the opin-
ion that there would not be any very
great opposition to the acceptance of
the proposition.
E. E. Clark of Cardar Rapids, La,
grand chief of the Order of Railway
Conductors, who was chosen as one of
athe arbitrators of the miners strike
disputes, was here to-day. He said he
had not yet received official notice of
his selection as he had been on the road
for two weeks, but expected to find it
awaiting him when he arrived home to-
morrow. Mr.. Clark said he would GER
tainly accept if for no other reason