The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-11
QUESTION OF A COAL STRIKE
(continued from First Page.)

improvements which the future of the trade may show than to be forced to accept a greater reduction at the end of disasterous strike that may leave our organization so weakened and demoral- ized that it would be unable to cope with the vast combinations of capital now engaged in the coal trade.
 If strike is inaugurated, we have no assurance that we will be able to control the situation in West Virginia outside of the Kanawha field and few operations on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Neither can the Irwin, Con- nellsville nor Klondike fields in Penn sylvania be depended upon to cease work if a general suspension is declared. On the contrary the indications are that they will continue at work and while such action on their part might not ma terially injure us in the face of advanc- ing prices, it would be 8 serious menace fo our success when the market is on the decline. Men who will strike and suffer all the hardships of a long strug- gle when they know that others are striking also, will hesitate, weaken and finally return to work when day after day coal is being produced and shipped pas. their own doors into the markets which they have formerly supplied. With large numbers of men in vest ern Pennsylvania unfamiliar with the principles of trades unionism it could not be depended upon to remain solid during long conflict under conditions of this kind. If our forces in that field are defeated and lower wages and worse conditions are forced upon them it would be impossible for the miners in the other fields to maintain the rates that are now being offered, and with a weakened organization we would be confronted with the possibility that some of the operators may seek to widen the differential between pick and machine mining.
 The experiences of the past have shown us conclusively the folly of striking when the markets are going down. All we have to do is to remem- Der the anthracite strike of 1875, the dis solution of the joint agreement of 1889. the coke strike of 1891, and the general suspension of 1894 in order to be con- vinced of the truth of this statement. We are now upon the eve of a. presiden- tial election and these years are prov erbially dull because of the commercial disturbances which they produce A two year contract would carry us be- yond the period of the election and the unsettled industrial conditions that fol- low in it's wake. Tn addition to that it would cause our contracts to expire at the same time as the anthracite award and place us then in position to act with greater unity, if we so desired than we could at any other time. When we consider that the price offered us in two year contract is the highest price we have had for many years with the exception of the present price. we re- peat that it would be the most serious mistake our organization has ever made Ito take the chances of losing the scale we are offered, the eight hour work day, < the per cent differential between pick and machine mining already established in some states, the check-off system the joint conference movement and the or {, ganization which has enabled us to se- cure these things and many other rights and privileges which we did not for merly posses in an attempt to maintain a rate ot three cents and five cents per ion greater than we can secure by peaceful methods. This is all we car hope to gain by strike and the possibil- ltles of loss are so much out of propor- tlonto the amount that can be won bv 2 suspension that we earnestly urge yo1 to vote in favor of accepting the ulti. lnatum of the operators rather than en. ter into a strike at this time"