The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-03-24
Nothing Accomplished Yesterday
 At Indianapolis
ARGUMENTS ARE HEATED
Operators Finally Ask Miners to Leave so They Can Fight the Issue Out Among Them
 selves.

Indianapolis, March 23.-The deadlock between the coal operators and miners of the central competitive and south western districts, continued throughout the meetings of the two joint scale com mittees of the joint conferences today. and when the meetings adjourned late this evening. no agreement had been reached on the wage scale. The differ ence seemed al the hour of adjournment as far from adjustment as ever.
 Both joint scale committees adjourned to meet tomorrow morning.
 The discussion in the scale committee of the central competitive district was confined entirely today to arguments among the operators on the committee, and radical difference of views were heatedly expressed by them. The miners representatives were for the most part silent auditors. An effort was made to secure from President Mitchell of the mine workers an expression as. to whether he considered the Ryan resolu- ton In effect This resolution was adopt ed by the former Joint conference in January and binds the miners not to
 
 has been reached in every district.
 MT, Mitchell declined to commit him. self
 Robbins Is the Target.
 r. l.. Robbins of the Western Pennsy1- vanla operators was the target today for several vigorous attacks on his po- sltlon in favor of paying the scale of i0G which would mean an advance of 555 per cent In wages in the district and would comply with the demands of the miners One Of the most heated of these was made by J. B. nerhe of Cleve- land. who spoke for the Ohio opera tors.
 MT Robbins stated on the floor that he did not propose to be dictated to by the operators of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio He said his position was fair and just to all interested. and the Plttsbtlrg Coal Company which was represented was willing to pay the advance in wages asked. He said he was also willing to pay the scale at his own mines in Penn sylvania. Ohio and Illinois and he had received notice from an Illinois coal company. having an output of one mil- lion tons annually that it had instructed it's representative to vote with him. MT. Robbins said the country would not per init general strike upon the causes shown
 He turned to President Mitchell of the mine workers and said he did not be- lieve the officials of the miners would dare to refuse to allow the miners to work where their demands were met.
 G. A. Moon, representing the Western Pennsylvania independent mines, in re- ply to question of MT. Robbins said that if the Pittsburg Coal Company paid the advance and operated it's mines the independent operators of western Penn sylvania would be compelled to do the same and would do so.
 Miners Are Asked to Leave.
 The dissensions among the operators of the committee became 30 heated and so many statements were being made that 1t was thought probable 1t could be taken advantage of by the representa- tives of the miners and the operators asked them to withdraw for an hour. This was done and at the end of the period the operators asked for an ad- iournment of the committee until to- morrow morning as they had not finished their discussion. The action was taken.
 After the general caucus leading opera tors said this evening that nothing whaes ever had been accomplished. and the sit- uation was exactly as 1t was at the be- ginning of the joint conference. It was reported that the operators had come 10 a conclusion 10 report to the miners rep resentatiVes tomorrow morning that there could be no agreement on wage scale, and the committee might as well SO report to a session of the joint con- ference, but this was denied by the operators themselves.
 The Southwestern district accomplished nothing today. President Mitchell of fered on behalf of the miners to take the 1903 scale with three per cent. added. but this was defeated by the operators of that district.