The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-18
MINERS VOTE AID TO MOYER.
SOCIALISTS GAIN A POINT IN IN
DTANAPOLIS CONVENTION.

Mitchell Declares That These Accuses Of
S~teunenberE's Assassination Are limo
cent-Demands for Wage Increase Re-
Iaxed-Only . Partial Strike, II ANY.
March 1.-THE United Mine
Workers convention to-day voted 5000
"and as much more as may be necessary
20 aid in the defence Of President Meyer
and other officers Of the Western Fedora
ton Of Miners who are now under arrest
charged with the assassination OF Gov
Steunenberg Of Idaho.
The motion for an appropriation Of $4,000
was made by Frank Hay an minoisS ocialist
and when President Mitchell declared that,
had he made the motion, he would have
included "as much more as may DO neoes-
sary,s the suggestion was taken up end
incorporated in the resolution.
President Mitchell declared from the
platform that he believed the accused men
innocent and that IL was the duty Of the
miners to assist in their defence. The
Socialists in the convention look upon the
appropriation as q triumph for them.
In strong contrast with the action Of the
convention at It's january meeting wa its
attitude to-day toward the question OF
wares. In the former convention the sem
timent was overwhelmingly In favor OF q
l2H per cent. increase, a run OF mine scale
In the competitive district and substantial
increases for all employed in and about
the mines.
So intense was the feeling and 80 con-
fdent were the miners OF enforcing these
demands that the Ryan resolution followed
naturally and the conservative spirit, was
completely subordlnated. lo-oayI how-
ever, when a resolution was offered to the
effect that no contract be entered into unless
it contained a substantial increase in wages,
it wal referred TO the scale
without being adopted.
This action was in accord with the policy
of President Mitchell, who expects tho
committee to do the best it can, but is IeaY-
ing it free to come TO terms With the oper-
ators, aver il the increase is not up to the
miners ideas Of "~substantial.''
Two members Of the scale committee
have said that Mitchell and the other national
officers agree that the miners could not
successfully bring about a complete suspeD-
sion of the coal mining industry, and that
the only hope Of carrying on a strike is
to nave at least the major part OF the or
ganization at work in the mines. These
members have construed the statement
Ito mean hat every possible enort must be
made to secure a bituminous scale and that,
in the absence Of anything better, the
miners will accept the restoration OF the 55
reduction made two years ago
"If we are going to fight in the East, We
must be at work in the " est, said a member
of the scale committee to-day.
Operators from the four States in the
competitive district and from the South
eastern States began to arrive to-day for
the joint conference which will convene on
Monday. As a rule they say that there has
been no change in the situation since they
adjourned without a scale agreement and
49, - L. ~ uhn I . ma
when they declared that business oondi-
tions did not Justify an increase In the coal
mining rate.
Some Of them went so far as to say that
they were opposed to anything more than
signing the present scale, and that they
wouldnot care to do that for q longer period
than one year. They are expecting the
miners to meet them in a more conciliatory
spirit, but say that they have no reason to
believe that a agreement will be reached.