The daily tribune., 1903-09-10
JOHN L. AWAY FROM HOME
Stuffs a Chieftain Reporter With a
Lot of B0sh.

Stuffs Chieftain Reporter With a
Lot of Bosh.
District Organizer John Gehr. of
the United Mine Workers Of America.
passed through Pueblo yesterday en-
route from Florence to Trinidad,
where he goes to complete final ar
rangement for the big struggle Of the
miners for the eight-hour day, says
the Pueblo Chieftain. He talked
quite freely with Chieftain reporter,
but was very reticent when question
ed regarding the much talked of strike.
mo, do not know when the strike
will be declared,'' said Mr.. Gehr in
response to question. My trip to
Trinidad has practically no sigDlfi-
oanee except to confer with some of
the local organizers there. Things
are beginning to assume decidedly
| war like hue, am free 10 admit
1 We hope to reach an agreement with
out resorting to drastic measures, but
at this time it looks decidedly serious.
Representative from our organization
and the operators will meet in Denver
Thursday for the purpose of discuss
| ing the situation in it's every phase.
| What the outcome of this meeting
will be do not know, but the action
taken Thursday will decide what
course we will pursue. Until after
that meeting / can say nothing re-
garding the time when the strike will
be called
In case strike is declared the
miners will in all probability he
called out about September 20.
Should it he delayed longer than that
time. nothing will be done until after
the middle of October. when il a set
Element is not reached. all the miners
in the three states and one territory
embracing the western jurisdiction
will be called out. This Will effect
in the neighborhood of 100, 600 miners,
while the coal and fuel companies op-
Grating in this territory and which
will be seriously effected by the strike,
will pumber up into the hundreds.
The Colorado Fue, and Iron company
is the largest corporation in the
entire jurisdiction and will of course
be effected the most.
In Colorado the Colorado Fuel &
Iron and the Victor Fuel companies
are the strongest and the ones most
feared by the miners union. These
two companies have been storing coal
at various points in the state easily
accessible, and large quantities of
coal and coke are now stored i'll Pueblo
Denver and numerous other points.
"The men over the entire jurisdic-
tion are showing decidedly restless
spirit said Mr.. Gehr, and they
are bound to force the issue on the
eight hour day. Unless some agree
ment is effected soon the men will 30
out without the sanction of the union,
and will be unable to keep them un-
der control. All they want is the
eight hour work day, the bi-monthly
pay day and fair system of weights
Under the system now in vogue in
large number of the camps company
man stands on the tipple and guesses
at the weight as the cars come out of
the mine. This Is not fair to the
men, and what they want is. nothing
but fair system from start to finish.
''We are prepared for long strug-
gle. and every thing necessary for the
success of the strike has practically
been arranged. Tents, provisions,
and what is more valuable than either
of these, plenty of money, is at the
disposal of the union to prolong the
struggle should it be necessary. This
is going to be long and bitter fight,
and neither will back down until one
or the other has won, beyond the
shadow of doubt. Don't think I am
Dragging when l say think we will
WIN, but we have everything neces-
sary to success, and / believe right
will prevail in this as it has in all
other conquests
1.-The Trinidad district is the worst
in the state, and we will have the
greatest trouble there, as the men are
not organized as thoroughly as they
are in other places in the state. But
they all want the eight hours and the
twice month pay day, and l believe
will stand with us in strike for the
betterment of these conditions That
is all can tell You until after the
conference in Denver Thursday"
The Fremont county miners are in
no better shape to strike than are the
workers in the southern coal fields.
In fact it is inrimated that if strike
We're ordered that there would be but
few men at Rockvale respond to the
call. They don't want to strike; they
want to he left alone