New-York tribune., 1902-05-25
LONG STRIKE EXPECTED.
MITCHELL GOES WEST-HE WILL HEAR
REPORTS FROM SOFT COAL REGION
MEN SEEKING WORK WHER-
EVER THEY CAN FIND IT.
tBr TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBusE.I

(BT TELEGRAPH TO TIE IRIBUsE.l
Wllkesbarre, Penn. May 24-What offers Of
peace what attitude on the part OF the soft
coal workers, what plans for national strike.
President Mitchell Of the United Mine Workers
may bring back with him from Indiana polls he
would not say. He started this afternoon, and
will be away until next Friday. Instead of Wis
ting his family in Spring Valley ILL.,, they will
meet him at Chicago where he goes directly
from here. Most of his time he declares he will
spend in routine business but IL is understood
that he will hear the reports OF a number Of
soft coal district leaders TO the feeling in
their sections regarding the national strike. On
what he learns he will determine his future ac-
ton regarding the calling of national conven-
ton. This call, he declared this afternoon
he stepped on the train. would not be issued
until he returned from the West, but he still
declined to say if he had received any call from
the West Virginia district A leader who is
close to him says that he has it, however, and
that he is biding his time about calling a con-
Yention.
While he Is gone District President Nichols
will have charge here, and will continue the
work OF polling the firemen engineers and
pumpmen now at work. in order to discover how
many will strike June ,. unless at that time
the companies grant them an eight hour day.
The fremen are practically unanimous in their
willingness to strike. but the engineers and
pumpmen are not. They take the position that
they have steady jobs both in brisk and poor
times. good wages and no grievances and they
do not know why they should throw over good
thing.
The companies making similar poll. and
expect TO have the result by Tuesday or
Wednesday, at the latest. The general supern
tendents have nearly all completed such an ex-
animation Of the mines that they are able to
ell he u-itb IN
Ing, and can inform their presidents of the num-
ber OF men required to keep the water down. the
mines which may be allowed TO flood without
damage, the amount of coal and every detail
which will show the heads of the companies
the exact conditions confronting them in the
event of the pumpmen, engineers and fremen
going out Already they are beginning to lay
off men whom they cannot depend, and maxi
ing all the preparations for shutting down the
mines. They will what boiler coal they
have on hand and then. If the strike lasts long
enough to exhaust it, get their supply by wash
ing from the culm.
Agents from soft coal districts are appear
ing throughout the region, and, while some OF
them are sanctioned by the union. many come
from districts where there strikes. and want
men TO take the places of union workers. Some
who are dissatisfied with the strike want to go,
but the miners leaders are active in putting the
situation plainly TO the men and telling them
they are violating union principles by going
that this afternoon before he left for the West
he issued this statement. and had II distributed
by his leaders:
Priests are requested TO announce from their
pulpitS tomorrow that mine workers shall pay
no attention to agents now here from West Vlr-
ginia or any other field as they come from
organized places where strikes exist. Con-
suit district officers before entering into nego-
tiations with them"
Many OF the strikers searching for work
out OF this region. II ii is impossible to find II
here, and not only the foreigners. but the Eng
lish speaking people. are going away. To-day
MY young men of the Holy Saviour Church
congregation. under advice OF Father Curran,
left town for Philadelphia, having obtained the
promise Of work on the Pennsylvania Railroad
tunnels being constructed there. They will send
home what money they can save TO the older
folk Others are preparing 20 go to Pttsburg
and Buffalo, and every indication is that In
the event the peace negotiations fail II will be
q long and hard fought fight. The operators do
not expect 10 sec II end before next fall and
President Nichols OF this district is OF the opin-
ion that IL Will be al least a couple OF months
before the operators give in. The opening of
employment bureaus and the advice OF ali the
leaders 20 their men TO get work wherever
they can show what they expect.