The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-04
Gigantic Strike Imminent,

The apparent detcrminat ton OF both OPP
orators and miners indicates that neither
Will make overtures for further negotia-
tions, and. unless some influence not now
foresecn. steps into the breeCh so, 900 men
controlled by the United Mlne-Workers
Will walk out of the mines In every sec
ton OF the country on April ].
May Appeal to President,
There have been lntimations that two
agencies, the President Of the United
States and the National Civic federation.
may be appealed to TO set in motion nego-
tiatons looking to a rehabilitation OF the
Joint-State agreement or at least q dis
cussion OF some possible means OF bring
Ing the operators and miners together for
further negotiations.
So far as known, however. there IL moth
ing upon which To base an assertion that
either the President or the Civic fedora
tion have decided to offer their services.
Significant Statements.
Perhaps the most significant statements
made by President Mitchell during any
session of the present convention were
made this afternoon, first in his admoni-
tion TO all the miners that each individual
fund which Will make each miner self
sustaining for at least a reasonable length
OF time. and again when. In answer to the
correct sense of the resolution adopted
yesterday he said.
The resolution adopted yesterday is
capable OF no two interpretations and at
the proper time all such questions shall
be answered
Joint Conference Adjourns.
The joint conference of the operators
and miners Of both the great contral com
petitive and Southwest districts adjourned
today sine die without any agreement on
the wage scale. The adjournment was
Immediately followed by a call for tba
annual meeting Of tho United Miners OF
America at o'clock.
Repudiate Present Scale
A resolution by F. L. Robbins tho
spokesman for the operators, that the
present wage scale be continued was
lost. as IL required, under the rules, a
elpal propositions Operators OF Ohio and
Pennsylvania voted for the motion; I'LL
nois operators declined to vote Tho
miners OF Ohio. Indiana and Illinois voted
against the proposition.
Dolan Creates Uproar.
Patrick Dolan. president OF the Penn
proposition, which caused an uproor
among the miners. His right to vote the
Pennsylvania miners for the continuance
Of Of the present scalo in spite OF the fact
that the Pittsburg convention had voted
for an Increase was challenged by several
other Pennsylvania miners but on an
appeal TO the chair the vote was so re-
corded.
F. L. Robbins reviewed the difference In
the condition OF the miners now and
when the Interstate and Joint conference
movement went into effect.
Difference in Conditions.
You have advanced wages and shorter
hours SAID he without argument and
In the face OF all fairness you Yesterday
met and repudiated fair proposition
want TO go on record as protesting against
such methods. Yesterday coal sold I'm
9-cent freight rate because the railroads
were demanding the cars, and vet Won
refuse to allow one district to Sign an
agreement unless we propose to deal with
our miners eyen-handed with the same
representation on each side.
Says It's Absurd
You propose to have miners of other
States with conditions entirely different
from ours to dictate as to the settlement
of our affairs In our district, Your propo-
Sitlon adopted yesterday is absurd A lit
tie section up In Michigan could refuse q
settlement and tie up the whole country
You have a conference with tho anthra-
cite operators coming. II | were an nm
thracite operator / would refuse to deal
with you
President Mitchell took the floor in re-
ply, He said
Mitchell Replies.
1T is kind of Mr. Robbins to say that
we have presented no argument. we re-
fuse TO allow the operators to have the
final say as TO whether we have presented
any argument or not We have shown
that coal lS selling at the mines ut from
20 TO 30 cents q ton higher than Ii was
selling seven months ago. We showed
this by their own circulars We have
shown by their circulars that the condI1
ton OF their own trade is highly pros |
porous.
Country Is Prosperous.
Tho country is In the highest deeroo |
or prosperity, Stocks and bonds are sen
irg higher than ever before And at
this situation, we are
asked TO continue n lower wage scale tbap
we had TWO years ago, And Mr. RobbIns
VIII remember that two years ago whnn
we accepted lower wage scale ON ~,
count OF an unfortunate sltuatiop nxtat
ing at that time. he promised that tbo
reduction would be restored at the next
VIC next
Mr.. Mitchell reiterated his areumerts
for nm Increase In wages, and in cIosinS
said. iO9i"s
Parting of the Ways.
"We have come to the parting or t,o
ways. and u seems to me the ONLY tbinc
left 10 do is TO so home and there ne
to overcome the seemingly insurmoun,y
able obstacles. We deeply regret the '- MT
cessity for such n step, but we feel thet
the time has come when you can 0iva 10,