Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-04-04
NOT So THREATENING
Soft Coal Strikes Aspect Is Mod
flied by the Action at
indianapolis.
MANY MEN CONTINUE AT WORK
Elimination of the Ryan Resolution
Did the Business.
Western Pennsylvania Operators Gen.
orally to Pay the 1908 Scale
Situation Less Serene in
the Middle West.


Pittsburg, April o.-Dispatches from
the soft coal fields indicate almost Il
general announcement from the opera
tors of western Pennsylvania to pay
the miners the advance Of 900 per ton
called for in the restoration of the
scale of 1903. With notices posted ut
the majority of the mines announcing
the granting of the scale the strike in
the soft coal field las lost the threat
ening aspect that has surrounded it
since last January. Despite these no.
tees it is announced from .Johnstown
that thousand or more union min
ers will make Il demonstration ut
the mines of the Berwind-White Coal
company ut Windber today in an effort
to get the non-union miners to come
into the organization.
Miners Who Are Out of the Fight.
AT Dubois, which is in district No. 2,
all the men met and voted to remain
out, with the exception Of pump men,
engineers and firemen, until after the
district convention. which begins to-
morrow. The miners of the Fairmont,
w. Va, coal section are taking Ito in
terest in the situation. and have not
entered into the present controversy.
OF the 10000 miners in West Virginia
but 1000 are affiliated with the Unit
ed Mine Workers; about 1900 of these
n In, IN Do t,1,npIIa
have ceased work. Announcement is
made from Greensburg that the scale
had besn granted by the operators Of
fifteen mines in Westmoreland county
In the Pittsburg District.
In the Pittsburg district there is lit
tie change. While the scale agree
ment expired Saturday night at mid
night there have been no steps taken
that indicate general suspension of
work. Today is n holiday, being
"AIitchell day." the anniversary of the
granting of the eight-hour day to the
miners, and all mines are closed. To-
morrow, however, matters are expect
ed to reach n climax. The district con-
vention's scale committee will have in
readiness the new scale, and then it is
expected that most of the operators
will sign.
Independents Are to Confer
1t is expected that among the first
of the signers will be Francis l.. Rob-
bins, chairman of the Pittsburg Coal
company, who has been the leader of
the operators in granting the advance.
Whatever suspensions may follow on
the part of the independent operators
in the district it is said that not over
5000 of the GS.0OO miners in the dis
trict will go out. The operators op-
posed to the advance will hold a meet
ing tomorrow to confer on what course
to pursue in the matter.
IN THE WESTERN COAL FIELDS
Beginning ofthe Strike in Illinois, In
| diana AMI other States.
Chicago. April 2.-i.eiaits from Illi-
nois, Indiana, Michigan and other west
ern coal fields show that the strike is
on everywhere. AT 4 p. III. Saturday
1000 men i'll the PEORIA, ILL.,. coal dis
triot walked out, even the pumps be-
| ing shut down. The wakout was gei-
| eral all over the state. In Indiana
practically every mine was closed at
midnight Saturday. In the Hoosiei.
state several companies have an
nounced their intention of signing the
1903 scale, but the officers of the opera
tors union say these operators run
small mines and are not members of
the operators union. which is standing
firm against the raise.
In Illinois the same can be said of
the operators. Thomas J. O'Gara, presi-
dent of the O'Gara Coal company,
which employs over 5000 men and has
an annual output of G.000,OOO tons a
year, declared that lie would cheerful
ly lease any number of his mines to
the president. the government, or to
the Illinois state authorities. O'Gara's
remarks were apropos to an absurd
newspaper report that the president
might '.siZe' mines and run them for
the benefit of the people, O'Gara said
he would like to see the seizer up
against it" like the mine operators are,
us lie alleges. He said also that he
would sell outright to the government
at sacrifice.
| In Ohio indications are that by to.
morrow the strike will be general. In
Michigan and Iowa the men have all
quit. In Indian Territory the same
conditions exist. In fact the strike is
on in nearly all the bituminous districts
of the country.
President Keeps Hands OF.
Washington, April president
Roosevelt has decided not to grant the