The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-28
Operat02s and Miners Grid Up
Their L0ins for the Great CONTEST

CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PAGEO
Ill.,; Charles Shuler. .Gnchrist III. Ninth
district-Randolpn Smith, Flora, Ill; j. I.
Williams, St. Louis, Mo; =. +. Bush, St
Louis, Mo.
MITCHELL LEADS MINERS.
The miners. of course, are led in their
fight by President Mitchell and Vice Presi-
dent Lewis. To take care of the miners
end OF the scale matters. President Mitchell
has appointed the following scale commit
tee, which bears the same relation to the
minrrs organization that the operators
general scale committee bears TO the coal
producing interests:
Thomas Reynolds. District No 70: w. II.
Haskins. District No. s; George HargrOve,
District No. L; Patrick Dolan. District No.
g. William Wilson, District No. S; Edwin
Perry. District No. -: John Fahy District
No. .; Edward Flynn, District No. 20;
George Richardson, District No. Il; T. d.
Nichols, District No l; George Colviue,
District No. p; Stephen COrven. District No.
n, Peter Hanraty, District No. II; c. ".
Wells, District No. %; Patrick GSilday. Dis
trict No. ?; Daniel Young. District No. 16;
kennedy, District No. II; w: II. Dettrey,
District No. z; Il. j. Smith District No 10;
VI. r. Purcell, District No p.
At the Claypool Hotel last night Indiana
operators were in the majority. Indeed
II was hard 10 find many OF the Ohio coal
men, as they spent a good part of the day
weight. At 100 o'clock a call was given
through the lobby that all Indiana opera
tors would meet at once in Room 6lS, and
Immediately the lobby was emptied and the
operators got down TO business. The meet
ing was preliminary and was for the or
ganizati0n Of committees and the talking
over of business.
INDIANA OPERATOR TALKS.
J. c. Kolsen, of Terre Haute. president
Of the Indiana Operators Association, was
about the hotel lobby last night. He
evinced his usual good humor and was
shaking hands with the new arrivals as
fast as they emptied their hands of suit
cases. Mr.. Kolsen said, when asked about
the conference "Of course, we are here
to agree upon a wage scale for the coming
year, but until that is fought out to a fin
ish no one knows what it will be. L be-
lieve there is more interest being taken
in the scale TO be adopted than ever before,
and there are more operators attending the
conference than L have ever seen. Whether
it will be a long fight or whether We will
come to terms in short order l cannot tell
l hardly expect the latter, for from all that
I have heard, IL seems the Eastern opera
tors must fight for a reduction. 1t may take
until the last of next week before we
can decide upon the scale"
do you think the times and prices of
coal warrant a reduction" was asked Mr..
Kolsen.
TT seems to me they do, especially in
Pennsylvania and Ohio. where outside COM
petition is cutting into the trade of the
operator. l understand that in some parts
of Virginia and elsewhere just outside the
competitive limits operators have made
reductions and the miners are still work.
ing. This means that unless similar reduc-
tions made in the competitive fields the
operators cannot expect to compete with
outside companies and hence their business
will be badly hurt. What the reduction
may be would be about the hardest thing
in the world to tell. Fhe miners, you
say. declare that they will not accept a re-
MAY COME TO STRIKE.
'It may in that case, come to a strike
if the operators are situated so that this
competition is materially hurting them. OF
course a reduction in one part of the COM
petitive district means reduction in the
other part, as the scale is upon one basis.
1t is certain l think that the miners will
not get an increase, and / understand they
are not going TO ask for one. They will be
very lucky, indeed, If they secure the re-
affirmation of the agreement of last year.
John p. Reece, of Albas Ia, a commits
siOner of the Iowa coal operators, and for
merly president of District Is, when men,
Der of the national executive board of the
United Mine Workers, is in indianapolis to
attend the joint convention on behalf of the
Iowa operators. Mr.. Reece has with him
instructions to make every possible effort
az the conference to secure place for Iowa
in the competitive district. In the past
three years Iowa has been making attempts
to become one of the competitive States
but heretofore ii has been refused adms-
sion Mr.. Reece said last night that he
believed Iowa would be taken in this year.
as the operators of that State are holding
out every inducement. There are about
125 operators in Iowa" said Mr. Reece
and they feel that they should have a
place in the competitive field" Members of
the committees of the operators about the
hotel last night said they believe Iowa will
again be refused admission.
Mr. TAI,LEY IN TOWN
J. Smith Talley, of Terre Haute, one of the
leading Indiana operators, was at the Clay
pool most of the day yesterday. When
asked about the scale that will be agreed
upon. Mr. Talley said that 1t impossible
to tell beforehand. II have heard stories
about a reduction on the part of the oper-
atOrs, but far as L know they have no
foundation"
Henry Hafer. of Chicago. with extensive
coal interests in Sullivan county under the
name of the Hafer Coal and Mining Com
pany, was asked about the prospective
scale. Mr.. Hafer is full OF good humor.
You ask me what we want this year." he
said. That's not the question. The ques-
ton is what we going TO get?' Mr..
Hafer believes that a slight reduction is
warranted by the outside competition which
is making inroads in the profits of the COM
petitiVe operators.
FORMER CONFERENCES