The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-11
MINERS STRONGLY URGED
TO ACCEPT ULTIMATUM
OF THE MINE OPERATORS
Circular Letter Prepared by Off
cialS Is Sent to Locals OF Soft
Coal Districts.
INDUSTRIAL DEPRESSION
Letter States that the Apex of
Business Activity Has Been
Reached.
CONDITIONS SET OUT
1t Is Acknowledged that There Are
Weak Spots in the Miners
Organization.
CONDITIONS SET OUT


ultimatum OF the operators be accepted"
This statement is the keynote CT the cir
cular letter prepared by President John
Mitchell. Vice President T. L. Lewis aud
Secretary W. b. Wilson In accordance with
the instructions of the special convention.
which adjourned last Monday The letter
recommends strongly that the compromise
of the operators be accepted and warns
the miners Of the dangers which would
be met should a strike be called at this
time. Several hundred of the letters were
mailed yesterday from the headquarters in
the State Life building TO the locals OF the
soft coal districts, whose members will be
given vote on the proposition next Tues
day. With the letters are instructions TO
the secretaries Of the locals that they read
the recommendatio TO the members be-
fore the vote is taken.
The ballots that will be used by the 49,
600 miners i'm voting on the $50 per cent.
reduction and two-year contract were
also mailed to the locals yesterday. Most
of them will be received by the men this
morning.
CIRCULAR LETTER.
The circular letter written by the ma
tional officers of the United Mine Workers
reads as follows:
Ito the members OF the local unions Of the
United Mine Workers of America:
AT the recent special convention of the
United Mine Workers of America, which
had under consideration the ultmatum of
the operators, resolution adopted
referring the entire proposition 10 the
members Of those districts whose contracts
expire April /, 1904. for their acceptance
or rejection, and the national officials were
authorized TO send out 10 the local unions
such recommendations. relative TO the best
pO1CN TO pursue IN the Crisis that now
confrontS us, as in their judgment, would
most thoroughly promote the present and
future welfare of the organization and its
members. Pursuant TO tnese instructions
we herewith submit for your consideration
our recommendations. together with a brief
summary OF our reasons for arriving al
mo one who is familiar with the past
history of the United Mine Workers OF
America will charge us with being afraid
TO strike, if. in our judgment strike
would accomplish beneficial results but
when il is proposed TO risk all that our
organization has gained ror the mine work
ers in the past seven years by means OF
conciliation, arbitration and strikes, on the
issue of a single conflict, when the differ
ence between US and our employers Is but
cents per ton on a run-of-mine basis
and cents per ton on a lump-cosl ba sis.
we believe ii is time to stop and carefully
consider the possible consequences OF such
an important act.
"Since 1897 our organization has been rid
ing on the crest OF an Industrial boom. IL
cial strength, which in connection with
conservative policy, has enabled II 10 in
crease our wages in the competitive field
an average OF over 20 per cent. II has
firmly established within the central coal
field and adjacent districts uniform eight
hour workday. II has secured the check
off system by which every person working
in and around the mines Is required to
pay his pro rata share towards maintain
ing the organization which has secured for
him such improved conditions of employ
ment.
INDUSTRIAL DEPRESSION.
lit is conceded on all sides that the apex
of industrial activity has been reached.
and we are slowly moving toward an in
dustrial depression. The operators came
into the joint convention asking for a re-
duction in wages of Is per cent. Their
proposition was opposed by us with all
the information and all the skill at
command. AS an ultimatum from which
they could not be moved they offered us a
reduction from present scale of prices Of
sos per cent.
1--WE know how hard il is TO be COM
PEELED TO accept a reduction in wages, but
il is better TO accept slightly lower rate
and hold your organization intact ready
which the future OF the trade may show.
| than to be forced TO accept a greater re-
duction at the end of a disastrous strike
| that may leave our organization so weak
ened and demoralized that it would be uu-
able to cope with the vast combinations OF
capital now engaged in the coal trade
mo chain is stronger than the strength
of it's weakest link We have some weak
links in the chain of cur organization
IF a strike is inaugurated We have no
| assurance that we can control the situa ton
! in West Virginia outside of the Kanawha
| field and a few opera tions on the Balti-
more & Ohio road. Neither can the Irwin
! Connellsville nor Klondike fields in Penn
| sylvania be depended upon 10 cease work
| If a general suspension is declared. On
the contrary. the indications are that they
/ will continue TO work, and while such
/ action on their part might not materially
/ injure us in the face OF advancing prices.
| IL would be a serious menace 70 our sue
! cess when the market is on the decline.
/ Men who will strike and suffer all the
! hardships of long struggle when they
/ hesitate. weaken and finally return 10 work
/ when day after day coal is being pro-
/ duced and shipped past their own doors into
the markets which they formerly supplied
/ With large numbers Of men In western
/ Pennsylvania unfamiliar with the prinei-
\ pies of trades Unionism IL could not be
depended upon TO remain solid during .
1 long conflict under conditions OF this kind.
/ II our forces in that field are defeated and
/ lower wages and worse conditions are
forced upon them @ M IL 1,6 w9nld s be mPoss,hIe ~
tain even the rates that are now being Of
/ fered and with weakened organization
| we would be confronted with the possibility
that some OF the operators may seek 70
widen the differential between pick and
/ machine mining
s'The experiences Of the past have shown
conclusively the folly Of striking when the
/ markets are going down All we have TO
| do is TO remember the anthracite strike Of
ISIS. the dissolution OF the joint agreement
| of lSS9 the coke strike OF 1891 and the gen
| eraI suspension of 1894 in order 10 be con-
vinced OF the truth OF this statement We
| are now upon the or a presidential
/ election and these years are prOVerbially
| dull because OF the commercial disturb
ances which they produce A two-year con-
/ tract would carry US beyond the period OF
! the election and the unsettled industrial
/ conditions that follow In its wake In addi-
/ ton 10 that IL would cause contracts
/ 10 expire at the same time the anthra-
cite award and place Us then In position
| TO act with greater unity. II We desired.
| than we could any other time. When We
| consider that the price offered 20 us In
! a two-year contract is the highest price
/ we have had in many years. except the
I present one, we repeat that II would be
| the most serious mistake our organization
I has ever made take the chances OF los
I ing the scale we are offered. the eight-hOur
workday. the 7-cent differential between
/ pick and machine mining. already estab-
| lished In some States, the check-on sys-
| TEN. the Joint conference movement and
! the organization which has enabled us TO