The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-18
IT COMES ATLAST
Long Expected Call of President
Mitchell Issued
For Convention of United Mine
Workers of America.
NAMES INDIANAPOLIS.
Delegates Will Represent About
100000 Men.
Object is to Call Ont the Miners
of Soft Coal.
NAMES INDIANAPOLIS.

Wilkesbarre. Pa, June 1s.-The long
expected call for a special national con-
vention of United Mine Workers of
America was issued today by National
President Mitchell at strike headQuar-
ters to be held at Indianapolis at the
earliest possible date. The date of the
convention will be fixed by w. b Will
son. national secretary at Indianapolis,
who has charge of the machinery by
which a convention is arranged.
The convention will be held for the
purpose of discussing the advisability of
involving all the soft coal miners in the
United States in the struggle now going
on in the anthracite coal fields.
Under the constitution of the union
five districts must request action before
the national president can issue a call
for national convention. The five dis
tricts that applied for the convention
We're the three anthracite districts, the
Michigan district and the West Virginia
district where a strike is now on. Pres
ident Mitchell has had the consent of
the nYe districts for some time but for
some reason did not see fit to issue the
call until today. The request for the
convention was made at the Hazelton
meeting four weeks ago last Friday.
President Mitchell was extremely un-
communicative as to what the proba-
BILE action of the convention might be.
If the delegates should decide to inaug-
urate a national suspension Of coal min
ing everybody at strike headquarters
believes it would have a disastrous ef-
feet upon the industries of the country.
The supply of coal would become so
short that large and small industrial es-
adjustments would be compelled to sus-
pend operations and many others would
also seriously suffer.
There are approximately about 450 600
coal miners in the United States. OF
these about $50 600. Mr.. Mitchell says,
are affiliated with the union and an ad-
ditional $4,000 comply with the legisla-
ton of the miners organization. It is
utterly impossible at this distance to
forecast what the national gathering
will do because not one delegate has yet
been elected. The anthracite delegates
will go into the convention with 142 90
striking hard coal miners at their back
for a general strike. The West Virginia
delegates will have approximately Is 900
behind them for a strike and in Michi-
gan. where the union has been having
trouble the delegates will also be in
structed for a national suspension. Cen
tral Pennsylvania will contribute GER
tain number of delegates who will want
a general strike as will also Kentucky.
It remains for western Pennsylvania
Ohio, Illinois and Indiana to offset this
as it is unofficially understood that the
miners in those sections are not very
enthusiastic for a general stoppage of
coal production.
There is a strong belief here that
President Mitchell has some plan to
submit to the delegates and this belief
is strengthened by the fact that he de-
layed the call so long. He had a con-
ference with President Patrick Gilday
of the central Pennsylvania bituminous
district on Sunday, and has been in fire.