The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-04-03
Miners QUIT
WORK WEDNESDAY,
Operators in BituminOuS Re-
giOnS Failed TO Renew.
ObStinacy of Operators May
Lead To Big Tie Up In
Five States.

The union miners in most of the soft
coal fields of the country laid down
their picks and shovels Wednesday
night. Almost 100000 of them stopped
work in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania,
Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ar
kansas, Texas and some in Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, West Virginia, and
Kentucky.
The mining contracts under which
they were working expired at mid
night Wednesday and except in
Central Pennsylvania and in the In
diana block coal district no new con-
tracts have been made nor have the
miners and operators yet entered into
district agreements providing for the
operation of the mines after April
pending agreement.
This is a possibility in the Indiana
bituminous coal district in Illinois
Michigan and West Virginia. The In
diana bituminous, Western Pennsyl-
vania and Illinois miners and opera
tors are in joint sessions at Terre
Haute, Pittsburg and Springfield.
Technically the miners are out on
strike but in reality they stopped
work because the operators except in
Indiana and Illinois, show no real in
tention of meeting and treating with
them though no question of wage or
principle is at stake.
j. Mitchell returned to Indianapolis
Tuesday and is preparing to step out
of office.
Vice President T. L. Lewis, who will
succeed President Mitchell will an
nounce his appointments when he
takes office.
1t is understood that Samuel Sex
ton, editor OF the United Mine Work.
ers Journal is to be retired and that
possibly Chris Evans the official sta
tistician, may be succeeded by a new
appointee. Mr.. Lewis, however has not
given out any information concerning
these changes.
Mr.. Ryan the new Secretary Treas
urer, will bring with him from Illinois
as his right-hand man Frank Hays, of
Belleville.
Indiana coal miners and operators
are in joint conference to endeavor to
agree upon a wage scale. ]. c. Kolsen
of the operators, was selected as chair
man. The miners scale committee has
not completed it's work of formulating
demands.
Both operators and miners believe
that as soon as Vice President 7. L..
Lewis assumes the presidency of the
United Mine Workers he will issue a
call for an interstate conference to re-
habilitate the interstate agreement.
Upon the request of the Scale Com
mittee of the Kentucky Miners Union
the conference of the miners and oper-
ators adjourned last Friday afternoon
until Tuesday, April Z, in order to al
low the members of the committee to
return to their homes and present the
proposed scale for shot firers" to their
constituents. The sessions will recon-
vene at o'clock Tuesday, April Z.
Until two years ago the bituminous
coal mining wage of the country was
based upon the agreement reached in
the central competitive field, consist
ing of Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and
Western Pennsylvania, and considered
as a unit.
This system was broken two years
age, when President Mitchell signed a
scale with Pittsburg operators. who
agreed to pay the scale demanded after
operators of other three States had
refused, and the miners won their fight
In consequence operators signed the
scale individually throughout the
country.
Since that time the miners have
tried to get back the unit rule, or
interstate agreement, but operators of
Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and ILL
nois, after negotiations lasting all the
past winter, have refused to meet in
interstate convention with the mi
ners.
AS a last resort President Mitchell
called the miners in national conven-
ton, and district settlements were au-
thorized with the present wage scale
as a minimum, and failing to agree by
districts the miners were authorized
to sign the present scale with opera
tors individually.
West Virginia and Kentucky miners