The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-27
MAKE new PROPOSALS


For decades these terrible conditions have
existed. Indeed, the whole region Is filed
with widows and orphans. with men MANNED
or sightless. the hospitals and charitab BILE
institutions are oyertaxed with the victims
Of mine accidents.
The support and maintenance of these I'M
~fortunates Ia borne In 4 large MEASURE by
those who depend upon the mining industry
for their livelihood.
Our committee Will await at Wlkesbarre
your reply to the propositions herein sub
mitted, or. II agreeable to you, we shall be
pleased to meet your committee at any time
and place you may suggest.
JOHN MITCHELL. Chairman.
r. D.. NICHOLS.
JOHN T. DEMPSEY,
W. II. DRrTRRY.
JOHN p. GALIAoHBR,
JOHN PAHEY,
GEoRoH W. HARTLRIN.
President Mitchell, after giving out the
statement. refused to discuss any feature
OF it and would not say whether he expected
the increased labor cost Of coal OF sixteen
cents a ton which the acceptance OF his
second proposition would necessitate to be
paid from the profits OF the operators or be
added to the price Of coal to the consumer.
He will remain here awaiting the reply
OF the operators. The district presidents
and the members OF the scale committee re-
turned to their homes tonight to assist in
the election of delegates for the convention
called for next Thursday at Scranton.
The official call for this convention de-
clares 1t is for the purpose OF hearing the
report Of the scale committee. 'and to de-
termine the policy that shall be pursued by
our organization
This evening a number Of the operators
left for New York city, and it is understood
that they vent in answer to a call from
President Baer to attend 4 meeting of opera
tors to discuss the mine workers propo-
sition.
The general impression throughout this
region tonight is that the proposition will
not be accepted, and that the operators
will agree to nothing but their last arbitra-
ton proposition. Said n operator: 1t
will then be up to Mitchell and the union
to back down as gracefully as they can
or else order a strike, and | am inclined to
believe that the majority OF the miners
would rather see a backdown than a strike"
SCRANTON, April 26.-The answer of the
operators to the contention OF John Mitchell,
that the claim of the mine owners thai
they are cutting and preparing coal is
false, was to start two addltional mines
QUAY lilo JdE tSldiN - NhS "aAo
and Hudson Company, at .Olyphant, and
the Woodward, of the Lacta wanna Com
pany at Kingston.
At the Woodward the breaker was
operated and the coal cut to-day was u
through it, At the Grassy Island q large
quantity Of coal was cut, but il. was run
through the breaker Of the Eddy Creek
mine, which Is connected with the Grassy
Island.
Twelve breakers are now in operation in
this immediate vicinity; the Woodward.
Bliss. Bellevue, Sloan and Cayuga Of the
Lackawanna Company; Oxford of the
Peoples Coal Company; Barnum, CONSOLE
dated: Clifford and Dupmore No, 5 Of the
Erie Company, and the Grassy Island and
Jermyn of the Delaware and Hudson Com
pany.
II is thought here by persons well in
formed with regard to the situation at the
mines that this is a formidable showing
and a great encouragement to the operators
to resist the demands Of Mitchell and his
scale committee. 1t apparently denotes a
breaking up Of the strength OF the union,
for when the miners find that there are
people in their places and that the mines
are being operated without them, a great
proportion Of them will certainly make an
effort to get back to their places, and the
strike will virtually be at an end.
The officials of the United Mine Workers,
on the other hand, contend that while it
is probably true that the Lacka
company is operating some mines in a
feeble manner with it's own men, neverthe-
less this is done by grouping at a few mines
all the men that they have been able to
get pack to work, a large number Of these
having been formerly employed about the
mines as sub-bosses or AZ company men.
Col. Phillips, the general superintendent
OF the Lackawanna company, has spent the
last two days inside the mines Of the COM
pany getting the miners placed so that
-, I'LL he nhla IN nnnInfn IIDfn m ilIo y
chambers without difficulty. This COM
pany admits that it Is bringing some of It's
miners from other mines to operate the
five that il has started, but it asserts with
positivenesS that all the men at work are old
time employees OF the
The Lackawanna has considered IL poor
policy to bring imports into the region
for the reason that it mfiames the men
on strike and is likely TO lead TO serious
outbreaks Of violence.
The coal operators here who were seen
saw that they understand it to he true
that the operators will reopen negotiations
with Mitchell and his committee, and that
thew will again take up the matters hat
they once offered to arbitrate. but they
will go no further than that. It will then
be up to the miners to say whether or not
they want to strike.
Inasmuch as.they once refused the only
terms on which the operators offered to
arbitrate, 1t il doubted II they will accept
them at this time.
A story is being quietly circulated among
the operators that when John Mitchell
was in this city on Tuesday night he whis-
pered 10 a friend that there will be no strike.
A great deal Of faith is being put in this
story, but the friends OF Mitchell who have
heard it smile and say hat the leader Of
the miners must have been i~ndulging in
something that is very rare for him-a
joke.
ture OF the local situation ia hat the ST.
Clair Coal Company's washery is being
worked with ~on-unio hands while the
machinery is being run by union men. The
unionists do not know what to do and nave
wired President Mitchell for instructions.
A sensation has been caused by the dis
coyery that rs of the 100 miners working at
Good Spring colliery wear union buttons.
II IL said thew were brought here by the
Reading company from Philadelphia, nav
ing f-st been taken to that city from Sham
okin. So closely is the identity Of these men
guarded that the company viii not permit
any one except a miner to ride on its pas
senger train to Good Spring.
TAMAouA, Pa, April 26.-This section
ia TO be made the entering wedge in an
effort by the operators to break the present
suspension at the mines. On Saturday
several small mines will resume, and on
Monday the big No. Q colliery OF the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation Company will be put
in operation. Forces Of guards are being
placed at all the mines. To-day quarters
were engaged for twenty-five members