The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-19


Ia asserted both sides Will chcrrfnlly
spend hundreds of. thousands OF dollnrs
~ where Ii viii Ito tic most good, THEY
VIII Involve mnny interests throughout the
country. and bctwtcn them Union orgnt-
ization Will be d weapon ind tho miner
target The forces To- night nrc IN battle
line, with rcintotccnlciits arriving for
M both sides by every train.
There viii he about eight hundred men,
operators or their representatives, IN the
field Monday, either ms Delegates to the
Il convention or as gerjlas seeking to prey
,,pon both sides There are here, deter
mined that there shall be Il strike. repre-
sentatives OF the Pennsylvania Railroad,
5 OF the Gould lines, of the Lake Shore, Eric,
chesapeake and Ohio. Baltimore and
Ohio. Norfolk and Western. and half
dozen other corporations not railroads.
i with men who arc said to represent j. 4.
Morgan, and Company, T1nmns r. Ryan
md 8financicrs.
Many OF these men make no secret of
their object. and while some of them nre
not to be dclcgntcs, they have their
agents. who will speak for them in the
convention.
The Leaders.
In conttol for the railroads appears
to be j. Winder. president of the Ohio
Soft Coal Operators Association. and also
president OF tile Sunday Creek Coal Conf
pany.
Francis H.. Robbins. president OF the
Pttsburg Coal Company. and n man OF
largo wealth member of the National
Civic Federation. is the leader of the
peace PARTY, which is lighting Off the
attack of snon-union fields.
Mr.. Robbins has few lieutenants In the
8 field here for he Is making his fight III,
New York and throughout the country.
where tho stockholders anu directors OF
tic companies which are fighting him
now live.
III is generally believed that he will
win. Ills war cry. is that the men who
are lighting hin, are trying to turn the
tr,idc over 10 the West Virginia fields.
and that is imprcssing itself upon the
country lie is working through the
United states steel Corporation. Jones
& Laughin, of Pttsburg. and other large
interests. as VOL as the railroads of the
West. who would have to buy their coal
after Il long huul. which would mean
high freight
which arc at warsln the lobby and rooms
OF the Ciayrool Hotel is lewildering. a
glance al tho West Virginia situation
may illuminate some. The district pro-
,llic.s annually about onc-tenth OF the
total output of soft coal In the United
states. or /. little more than tlirty-live
million tons 1t is a non-union district.
Tho miners there Etrc never been or
ganizcd. nor would the powers there per-
lita..siion man or organization to re-
main there. Some went there. but they
were either expelled. beaten or impri-
soncd. So long as Stephen r. E:lkins WIS
in control and Judge Jackson was OH the
bench ii was Impossible for tile miners
organizations TO obtain a foothod.
The Real Secret.
rho principal operations in West Nir-
Einia are tho Pocahontns New River
Tha,ker ianawha and Paramount dis
8 tricts. and whcii the ownership OF these
fields IS known the reason for this pres
cnt fight and the fighters becomes known.
Mr.. Winder Is president OF the Sunday
Creek Coal Company. which in turn owns
the Kanawlrt district Of West Virginia.
The owners of the Sunday Creek Com
pany aud the Pennsylvania Railroad. the
Erie. the Lake Shore, the Chesapeake
and Ohio, the Baltimore and Ohio. the
Norfolk aud Wcstetn-six railroads.. =.
Morgan and Thomas T. Ryan. The PENN
sylvania Railroad also owns the New
River fields. which are the third largest
Operations in the country. Tho Pcnnsyl-
vania also owns or controls the chesa-
pcakc and Ohio. the Baltimore and Ohio
and the Norfolk and Western Railroads.
which own tifty-two per cent. of the Fair
mount field.
Tho fr1tnkpcss of the men who arc
trying to disrupt the coal operators is
refreshing They IN many cases do not
hesitate to talk. g. u. ForbusE. OF the
Cufran coal. Which is the Thackcr dis
trict. said Tonight.
"A strike in the soft coal districts OF
the East now would mean millions OF
dollars for us and OF course we want TO
see it come. am safe in SAYING they.
would spend considerable money IL they
could bring II about In that way. 1t
would give West Virginia a foothold
IN the market that would take them a
lcng time to dslodge.''
Mr.. Forbus.l left last night for Cncin-
Tati. but said he would return on Mon
day. The strike advocates among the
operators have a double plan OF cam
paign. They Will first try TO have the
OPERATORS convention decline to meet the
miners and falling in that they will en-
deavor TO iniiucnc the miners delegates
TO hold on for substantial advances.
Dolan Talking Much.
Already Patrick Dolan. unseated presi-
Gent OF District. No. o.. but delegate by
grace of Johp Mitchell. is proclaiming
that he is for g fifteen per cent advance
in wages. first, last and all the time His
statements are alluring to some OF the
1mpctuous delegates, who want all the
money they can get, and they are opposed
TO the Mtchell-Robblns understanding
that 4 restoration of the 1eu3-190i wage
scale would be satisfactory.
That only means N, advance of ) 55-1oO
per cent, but Mr.. Dolan will not have
much of an opportunity TO air his views
before the convention. It is somewhat in
spirinS TO think what will happen 10 him
when he arises to speak.
There is TO be a reprisal for this fight
Ing by the West Nirginians. 1t will BIZ
perhaps the most severe that can be IN
flicted. and it is nothing more or less than
the determination by the peace party to
see that Mitchell and his organization.
,inionizes the entire district as soon as
possible.
The opera tors .themscivsc will back the
organization. With Judge jackson gone,
Elkins crippled and a Governor in the
executive mansion not opposed to unions,
and with the moral support of President
Roosevelt. they will3send an army or or