Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-15
THE COAL STRIKE
Opinion by One Who Has
Just Been in the District.
A CASE OF ENDURANCE
MINERS WANT TO STARVE THE
ANTHRACITE MARKET.
Operators Trying to Make the Miners
So Hungry They Will Go
to Work.

to Work.
Mr. Otto Carmichael. Washington CORE
spondent of a group of prominent western
papers, has just returned from trip
through the anthracite region, where 141 600
coal miners are on strike. Mr.. Carmichael
ent~through the last great strike and Is
very familiar with all the conditions. In
an interview sought by a Star reporter to-
day Mr.. Carmichael gave interesting
summary of his observations upon this
trio.
The hard coal strike" he said, has
reached the stage where it's progress Tor
some time will be marked by the slow pro-
cesses of starvation. The miners seek to
starve the anthracite market and the opera
tors are trying to make the miners so hun
CRY that they will be compelled to go to
work 1t is now a question of endurance
along these lines.
while one cannot be certain as to what
will be done in the convention of miners at
indianapolis the probabilities are that the
strike will not be extended to the soft coal
districts. The leaders are all opposed to
such course, although they are not COM
hitting themselves in advance The leaders
privately admit that the convention may be
stampeded by some speaker, or may run
from their control from other reasons, but
they do not expect this. My opinion is that
the Mitchell influence will dominate the
convention and that the proposition to ex-
tend the strike will be Overwhelmingly
voted down
Question Of Aid to Strikers.
THE I.ext question to come up will be
the giving of proper aid to the striking
miners I think the hard coal strikers
themselves will prefer the pecuniary as
Hn
have plenty of work and long time
tracts with their employers, to sympathetic
strikes in the bituminous districts. There
will be some who favor the heavy assess
ment of IA week on all working miners to
furnish assistance to the strikers. The more
conservative will advocate the payment of
81 each by those a work. 1t Will be claimed
that the 81 assessment will be paid and the
81 one avoided 1t is not very profitable to
speculate as to how much money will come
from these assessments and how substan-
tial will be the relief afforded
There are 147, 900 miners on strike In the
anthracite region and of these only 80 900 or
10000 are members of the union Yet in es-
TINA ting the relief to be given the entire
number must be considered. The union
cannot hold out II the non-union mon re-
turn to work. To put it better the strike
can be maintained, unless the distress be
comes unbearable. as long as the strike
spirit Is maintained throughout the hard
coal district. If the bituminous workers
give SledIy even lnOuSn NOT large Hnatl-
cial support it will be sufficient 20 sustain
the confidence of the idle men in ultimate
success and they will keep up the strike at
great personal sacrifice.
There will be represented at the conVen-
ton by delegates perhaps 100000 soft coal
mine workers. Represented Is perhaps 4
strong word to use, for of this total only
about half are paid up members of the
unions. Many who are not members will
pay. In print the leaders talk of getting
nearly 100000 week in aid. They will do
well if they get $4,000. If they can get even
less and get it regular 1t will sustain the
A Game Lot.
These hard coal miners are a game lot
1t is tradition that the soft coal miner is
a gutter. That may be so, but the hard
coal fellow is not 1t is his own kind
of heroism to lie down and grow weak from
hunger and listen to children cry from
the pains of starvation while he waits for
victory. He is usually not driven to work
by the pangs of hunger or the pallid face
of his wife. VINO is usually more fiercely
In earnest than the man, but by lack OF
hope of winning. AS long as there is hope
he will starve. When he is convinced that
in the end he Will be beaten he will go to
work. The loss of hope is marked by the
struggling return to work and the NUT
terings of discomfort with leaders. This
has not begun yet. One hundred and FORTY
seven thousand men quit work nine weeks
ago, and that same number are still idle.
Only few 'washeries' are working. The
output OF hard coal is infinitesimal.
The Mine Owners.
With the mine owners the strike Is
merely proposition to strengthen the
United Mine Workers of America Presi-
dent Baer of the Reading knows that he
could settle the strike by making slight
concessions to the individuals
He also knows that the union would take
this as victory, just as they aid two
years ago when the concessions were made
20 individuals. He knows that the union
would come at him in two years for greater
concessions. While it might be desirable
from a standpoint of present profits to
make the slight concessions, say 5 per cent
raise, and shortening hours of engineers
and firemen. and end the strike, it would
give the union an undesirable tendency. The
operators say that two years ago they were
prevented making this fight to a finish by
Senator Hanna. who claimed that the cleo
tion of Mckinley was endangered. Presi-
cent Baer frankly says that now no poll
tics are involved He does not if the
next Congress is democratic and would not
he displeased 10 see democratic President
Baer himself is democrat.
1t is known that the Civic Federation has
recently sent personal representative
across the ocean to present the situation to
Morgan, the real master of the situation.
The best Informed in the coal fields do not
gan told Baer he would keep his hands off
For this reason it is felt among the opera
tors that the strike has become a question
of endurance, and that there will be no out
side Interference.
How long will the operators endure the
cessation of supply?. Until frost comes
Anthracite coal Is the fuel Of luxury Its
use Is compelled in fastidious cities, where
there Is pride in clean, white buildings 1t
is used IN homes where they can afford to
not burn soft coal. The operators claim
that their supply on hand. in cars on sid
ings, in cellars and storehouses will be
sufficient. with slight achievements. to
take care of the necessities until cold
weather. 1t will be close work to make
ends meet. but with the additions from a
few washeries and from few mines which
may start up here and there, the opera tors
hope to get along.
Policy of No Trouble.
1T will be the policy of the miners to
have no trouble. With the above in view.
they prepare for a struggle through August
and Sept ember with a rapid breaking In
October. They will import no help. In fact,
the system in Pennsylvania Of licensing
miners makes this djfHcuIt