Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

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SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
LEASED WIRE TELEGRAPH HEPORTTO 3 A. M. SUNDAY
TIi£ Weuther
1
Elastem Penna.: Partly dooify' Svmday; Monday unsettled, mod--' erate temperature.
PRICE EIGHT CENTS
The   only   Sunday   Kewspaper Publiabed  in  LuserM  Countjr.
WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1920
Entered  at  Wilkes-Barre.  Pa.. as  Second  Clasa  Mall  Matter.
PRICE EIGHT CENTS
MINE WORKERS OUST PRESIDENT DEMPSEY; WAY IS CLEARED TO STRIKE SETTLEMENT; WILSON HAS ANOTHER PROPOSAL TO MAKE
4 FAMILIES DRIVEN OUT BY FIREBUG
Flames That Do Great Damage to Local Property Ctiarged to an Incendiary
ARREST IS MADE
FlPf that Is said to have been started by a fln»-bug who wanted to gain re- wng* because he wa."? recently dis¬ charged from a po."<ition, laat night cauaed several thousand dollars loss and forced members of four families of the burning hulldlns to escape in their night clothing. A four-family two-story frame dwelling at 71' Lan¬ ing Irfine, owned by W. C. Sterling of this clt>', was set afire. It is alleged, by 'William Smith, aged 70 years, of South State strvet. Smith at midnight was arrested by City Detectives Joseph Olds and Theodore Reinhart, and is held at the police station to answer the charge of arson when chief of the flre depart- itent. FVank Hochreiter, will appear in police court this morning to pres.s the charge before I*oUc« Magistrate Michael K Gaughan.
It waa a short time after 10 o'clock that Smith, according to the Rtory told by Mrs. Jennie Ames, one of the occu¬ pants of the building, was seen In the rear of the building. He is alleged to have piled excelsior against the rear side of the frame building and set the match to It. As Mrs. Ames, who for merly employed Smith, came to the door, the flames burst tn her face. She beard Smith cry out to her, "hello" a.s he ran out the alleyway leading to Laning Lane, she said. An alarm waa sounded from box 221, comer of East Northampton street and Park avenue, and companies Nos. 2 and 4 responded. The alarm was sent through the bum ing building and members of the fajmities were forced to escape In their night clothes.
Neighbor* gathered and began mov¬ ing the furnltrre Into the streets. When the flre department companies arrived the entlr* r^aat ot tht building -was In a fnaas of flames. It was a tedious flre to flght, nnd for a time neighbor* lir hose homes were in close range fear- *d disaster. The flremen set three streams of water into play and within forty-flre mlnntee hnd the blaxis under i-ontrol. The flre lasted nearly two hqurs, the alarm having been sounded at 10!H. The damage to the building ia eatimated at aeveral thoueand dol- lArs. \
Mrs. Ames and her son. who are en¬ gaged In the teaming buiriness, sought out the fire chief and told him of the alleged incendiarism. They said that Smith, who ia a man of seventy yearn, waa in their employ for aum« time and that recently he was discharged. At the time he threatened to come back and "get them" according to their htory. They toUl of seoing Smith In the rear yard and whra they went to the door were forced back by the rag¬ ing flam.T., and that SSmith In making his departure called out "hello."
Imme<liataly Chief Hochreiter    com-
Boy Electrocuted On Power Cables
Playing "follow dad" with a num¬ ber of companions, little elght-ycar- old Caleb H. Daniels, the "dad" of the game, was Instantly killed when 2.200 volts pa.ased through his body from the he.Tvy feed wires at tho Delaware and Hudson Coal Com¬ pany power hou.<!e in Parsons yes¬ terday  afternoon.
The accident occurred about four o'clock. The child's body sizzled as the rays of electricity poured from his body. The acldent happened in a most peculiar way. Tho little children, all of about Daniels' age, were playing on Oeorge avenue, in front of the child's home. Feeling that there were not enough ob- stBclPs to overcome In the game, and trying for things more difficult, the daddy and his followers travelled back of the Delaware and Hudson culm bank and Into the Delaware and Hudaon yards.
Playing for a time in the yards, the "dad" cra-wled up on a building adjoining the power house, which is about eight feet high, and he was closely followed by his fellow play- mites. The boy touched one heavy cable which apparently was lifeless and others did likewise as the points of the game qualify. Leaving this wire he stretched over to the dead¬ ly live wire Immediately he screamed out. His one-hand grasp was re-inforcod by the other hand, completing the circuit.
The heavy voltage passed through his body af it swung to and fro. His playmates ran screaming through the yards, attracting the attention of several workmen, and in Parsons where they told tho news. When workmen i-eached the high voltage shanty as It .s known, they found the lifeless body of the child, badly burned. In some way he became untangled from the electric' wires ai.d fell from the building.
Deputy Coroner Hugh Hughes of Plains, waa called, and he assumed charge of the body. The child was Il-vlng with his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Rowe, of George avenue. I'arsons. He waa a pupil of the Parsons schools, and on Tues¬ day Would have resumed his class work. He -was favorably known among his playmates and the resi¬ dents of that section of Parsons. His funeral will be held on Tuesday afternoon at two o'clock with the interment in Mount Greenwood cemetery.
F
OF TROOPER'S FOOT, HISMRECTED
Odd Decision is Reached in Case Filed Here by Officer Vernon Clemmens
Through  an  unusual  application  of the workmen's compensation law, Ver¬ non  Clemmens,   23  yoars old,  a  State mlte-l his knowledge of the flre to Ser-   trooper attached  to     the  barracks at
geants McLaurhlin and Redington and the two detectives were sent out for Smlt^. After a half hour's search he -«-aa found in a Htable on South State Bt;*e>«t, and presumably was disturbed riv.m hi« night's slumbers.
Smith, who is aisc known as several Olher names has been In the tolls be- ior.\ When tak»»n to the police station lit denied that he -visited the Ames home last night, but did say that he j waa there yesterday afternoon, having 1
Wyoming, will not be given the Jl.OOO claimed by him for the loss of one foot, unless tho State Legislature passes a special act appropriating the money. He learned yesterday from the attor¬ ney general's department at Harrisburg that his claim for damages has been denied although It was while on duty that he was run down by an automo¬ bile and had to have his right foot cut oft at the ankle.
Clemmens   was   only   recently   dis
APPEAL FROM UNION HEEDED AT CAPITAL
gone lo secure .some of his working! charged from the Scranton State Hos- ciothea jind some money due him for ! pital. At present he is employed at in- narvlce. Chief Hochreiter said that i side work at the barracks. He hobbles there me heveial people In the neigh- I around on crutches. It was said lasi borhood who will corroborate the story j night that plans are now being made toid by -Mrs. .Ames and her son.  - ! to   transfer  him   to   the   headquarters
 — of    the   constabulary    at   Harrisburg
AUTOMOBILE  TAKES  FIRE i where  he  will  be  given a  permanent
An automobile owned by Leo O'Con- I position  in   the   Identification  depart- nor   of   Hazle   street   caught   flre   last' ment.
Washington, Sept. 4.—-Coal production throughout the nation has been on the increase in both bituminous and anthracite regions, according to a report made public today by the United States Geo¬ logical Survey. Bituminous coal mined totalled 11,374,000 tons for the week ending August 28, in increase of nearly 500,000 tons over the preceding week. Approximately 5,500 bituminous miners now are striking in West Virginia and Alabama, according to reports to the labor department.
Anthracite production totalled 1,800,000 net tons for the week ending August 28, an increaise of 205,000 tons over the preceding week. Several thousand anthracite miners were on strike in the Pittston district during the week ended August 26. The present "vacation strike" of anthracite workers began this week and has taken out more than 60,000 workers, according to Director Hugh L. Ker- win, of the conciliation bureau of the labor department. Kerwin, who received this report,from officials of the United Mine Workers' Union, today expressed the belief that many workers will return to the mines Tuesday following their Labor Day celebration Monday.
Kerwin today 'was in conference with Mediators Purcell, Davis and Rogers, who were ordered here by Secretary Wilson to hold themselves in readiness to act in the "vacation strike" if their services should be requested by either side. Secretary Wilson tonight was considering the request of the United Mine Workers' Union officials for a reopening of the I 7 per cent, increased wage award of the an¬ thracite coal commission.
Wilson will make recommendations in the matter to President Wilson, to whom an appeal by union officials was sent. The labor secretary is not expected to decide what recommendations he wili make until after Tuesday. It is believed that if the vacation strike continues after Monday, Secretary Wilson and the President will issue an appeal to the vacationists to return to work. If the appeals should be accepted and the mines able to resume operation, it is re¬ garded as possible that the President then will ask the wage scale com¬ mittee of the operators to meet with the miners to hear the proposals of the miners for further wage increases.
E
E
Feared They Were In Living Tomb, But All Kept Courage Until Rescued
ACCIDENT EXPLAINED
T
L
ES OF PLAYERS'TREASON
Workers Take Possession ofj Chicago Cubs Alleged to Be Industries and Arm Them-     Dropping  Games Through
selves Against Capital RUSSIANS BLAMED
Paris, Sept. 4—Spread of the com¬ munist in Italy was causing much un¬ easiness in French official circles to¬ night.
Foreign office dispatches indicated the movement had reached such pro¬ portions that the Italian government was impotent to cope with it. The workmen appeared to be steadily and rapidly taking over tho Industries of the entire country.
The n-iovement, which grew out of the seizure of factories earlier in the week by mutal workers who had been locked out, appeared to center In Mi¬ lan, Oenoa, Turin and Naples. Meagre unofficial advices, however, indicated that soviet organizations "had been formed in Rome, Alesandria, Campl, Savona, Spezla, Leghorn and Florence Comrvunlcatlon with Italy was in¬ creasingly difficult tonight.
Tl'.e latest reports indicated that both national nnd city administrations were powerless against the commun¬ ists, while the military was Ineffective. Karller dispatches referred briefly to clashes between workers and soldiers, with some casualties, but these seem¬ ingly failed to halt the progress of the movement.
Unconfirmed reports said that the communists, gaining In boldness, had kidnapped several capitalists. In some centers it was said the radicals even plucked their victims from automo¬ biles.    French officials professed to see
interference of Gamblers
OWNER INVESTIGATES
Chicago, Sept. 4.—A scandal which may result in a wholesale investi¬ gation Into gambling on baseball games, was precipitated here today with the announcement by William Veeck, present of the Chicago Cubs, that he had b^en investigating charges that Cub players had been "fixed" to lose last Tuesday's game to Philadel¬ phia.
That federal authorities might take up the prope was intimated tonight when it was called to the attention of Veeck that the participants in the al¬ leged gambling plot may have held communication by mall or telegraph, which would open a new avenue of in¬ vestigation.
Veeck, In a formal statement declared Just before Tuesday's game he had re¬ ceived several telegrams and two long distance  telephone  calls from Detroit warning    him    that    gamblers    were wagering  heavily   on  the   Phillies  toi beat Chicago and urged that he pitch j Orover Cleveland Alexander, star Cub, hurler, to foil the plot to "throw" thel
INSURGENT MINERS TO DECIDE ISSUES
AT MEETING TODAY
F
Philadelphia, Sept. 4.—Thirty-six t members of the crew of the submarine 8-5 arrived In the League Island navy yard here tonight aboard the United States Destroyer Blddle. Three of the men were removed to a hospital. They were: Joseph Osavage, Eleco, Pa.; Jacob Akers, Jr., Warnecliffe, W. \'a., and Robert Igdanes, Pontevedro, Cadiz,  Philippine Island.
The balance of the crew were lined up for muster, and after a few Inter¬ ruptions caused by newspaper fla.sh- llghts, were right-faced and marched off to the submarine base at the yard, where they were given food and turn¬ ed In.
The food and the sleep were both welcomed. After the enforced fast of the men in the wrecked submarine they were a long time in regaininK their appetite. Lleutenaht Commander Cooke was the only ona of the per¬ sonnel of the S-B who did not arrive at the yard tonight. He remained be¬ hind for the naval court of inquiry which Is to be held in the accident.
The officers denied there was any symptoms of panic, or any weakening on the part of any of the men. Navy discipline had survived, they said, and the traditions of the officers had been upheld in putting morale into their men. "The men were splendid," said ErtSlgn J. B. Langstaff, of O'Neill, Neb. "They didn't even get excited, and not one of them weakened."
Ensign Lanstaff said he hadn't a whole lot to say of the activities of the i officers who bored for life and freedom from inside tho boat, but told with ad¬ miring gratitude of Chief Engineer W. R. Grace, of the Ooethals, who worked steadily with a ratchet drill on the ex¬ terior of the hull for eight hours, be¬ fore a large hole was made through which the crew could be sent, and them himself dropped nervelessly, ex¬ hausted.
It was one o'clock Wednesday after¬ noon when the crew got ready to take the "cra.sh" dive, according to Lang • staff, which was to be one of the tests of their 72 hours trial run from New Haven. At two o'clock the dive was I'tarted. The submerging machinery worked a shade In advance of the time thp engines stopped running. The air Intake valve -which feeds the engines canot bo closed until tho engines are fclopped. The latter stopped when the submarine was a little under tho sur¬ face, with the result that some water was forced into the air Intake and It jammed.
Thl.H was in the forward compart- me'it, ai!d the added water was suffici- rnt to drive the vessel firmly Into the mud, thirty fathoms or about 180 feet, down. Immediately the bulk head was closed, and the water which always Is carried to help In submerging, was forcer out elsewhere In the submarine, but without the usual effect of causing her to rise to the surface.
Soon the salt water which had got In affected the batteries and generated chlorine, which necessitated sealing up the men's quarters and then tho offi¬ cers' quarters and mess room, and leav¬ ing nothing open but the engine and the steering engine compartments. In these the men were huddled, Langstaff said.
At  9  o'clock that night,   Lieutenant
AS A PEACE OFFER T(
Action Taken by United Mine Workers Paves the Way for An Understanding
WAS BITTERLY OPPOSED
**"™*;     .,.,.. .,       .   ^! commander Cooke commenced his la-
\eeck declared he personally asked   uorlous work with a hand drill, driven
night at the corner of South Main and { The State trooper lo'st his foot sev- i the hand of the Russian Bolshevlkl in South streets. Several flre companies j eral months ago. ^\'hile riding his '< ^he Italian situation. They were in- were called out, but the blate waa ex- motorcycle In Scranton he was struck! dined to place much of the responsl- tlngulshed tn a few minutes. The j by an automobile. His foot was so j blUty upon the government's previous- damage was slight. I badly   mangled   that   surgeons   in   the! ly lenient attitude toward the radicals.
State hospital In  that city were com- i giving the latter opportunity to make
I pelled to amputate in order to spare
WAGE AWARD MADE . „   ,„     ^ ,     „
^   hts    life.      During    his    convalescent BY  NAVY SECRETARY I Penod Clemmens tiled a claim with the
  State   authorllieB,      In    It   he   claimed
WMfclngto,.,    Sept. 4.-Secretary   „f   compeusatloi    for    his    Injury       UU '^ *^ ' ..i..!.^   ;\as based  on  tho fact  that
dangerous headway.
ijje Nrtvy Daniel* toda> appv«v<»d the rei'Ort of the nav-;.' wage adjustment board giving   8^.000   r.avj'   yard   em-
for his Injury, claim was based on the fact that he vas on duty at the time "»f hie ««clde;it. The brief liaa been undt>r examina¬ tion by tbe attache.s of the aitorn«y ployeea throue-iout the country a flat j general's department for some weekr. Jive per ctnt, increase of pay The I a decision was reached and i's con- BvMrd  also reduces  Saturday working   tents forwarded to Wyoming.    In ic he
is told that the workmen's conipensiv- tlofl law does not apply to bis case. Although   there   was   no   Kpeciflo   .*x-
liours o' the navy yard fifrces by four hours, but provides that the men shall not receive pay for the half holiday.
Tho sward Is made under the terms Ol the so-called Macy board agreement of 1«17 t>y which wage adjustments were to be made e\'ery six months de¬ pending on lowering or ascendlnf of I'.ving costs. The last award was made fclghteen months ago.
The report points out that Congress has granted a \irtual pay increase of f24t in its annual bonus bill and that the differeflces between their pay plus the bonus and the increased cost of living since the la^t award amounts tA only flve p»r cent.
The r»port recomaiefids that h^re&fr tor wag* adjustments shall be made on the baais of wages pr«vailing la the pnaaadiats virinity of the faxA and aat •B tka east «t iiviac.
Rome. Sept. 4.—Messages from Milan I and Turin today said the situation brought about by seizure of factories by communlsiM was becoming ini^reaa- ingly grave, The extremists were tak¬ ing the upper hand everywhere, the ineH.sagea said. Strikers mounted ma¬ chine guns In many plants In Turin. In Milan, the workers formed militia conipanle.s and prepared to resist any attempt to eject them from the mills they occupied,
Dispatches from Venice, Ancona and
planat.io;i it is believed that iic ia de-   smaller uwns reorLSd further eelaure
nied indemnity from the State because  of factories by communists,
he is an employe of the State,   fie was
told thai he may as^k the next legisla>-
ture to pass an act providing fur the
money claimed by him.
DISORDERLY HOUSE
RAIDED BY POLICE
The vlc« aqviad at the local |»ollce department raided the boms ef Fanny Moore at eS East Northampton street at i o'clock this morning. The pro¬ prietress, three men and two girls were arresuid. All gave Actlti.3us nnmaa, A hearing will be held this morning on a ehajvo of eondueting a bawdy hotisa.
Alexander, who had worked three days before, to pitch, and offered him a $500 bonus to win. He did this, he said, be¬ cause he knew Alexander waa abo\-e suspicion. Despite the fact that Alex¬ ander pitched one of his best games of the year, he lost.
Two detectives Tuesday were placed at advantageous position In the stand to watch for any suspicious moves of players indicating a plan to let the Phillies win, Veeck said. Investigation of the case has been on several days, but BO far no evidence against any Cub player has been obtained.
IjOcal base ball writers tonight con¬ sidered Veeck's request for a commit¬ tee of thrao to Investigate the charges. The club offered to defray any ex¬ penses Incurred in hiring necessary de- ccctives and lawyers. In the mean¬ time Veeck said he would continue his inveatigation.
A tinge of mystery was added to the charge toaight by the discovery that the sL^ners of the telegranvs and tho men named In the long distance tele¬ phone cunversationa coula not b« lo¬ cated.    AU except  ono telegram came
by the knowledge that the air in these two compartments would soon he unfit to breathe. Some water had been let in even as preparation for the work of boring, for several valves had been opened to flnd a spot which was above water. Thla waa found lo bo on the top aide about thirty feot from tho stern—the boat la 235 feet over all.
i'rom time to time the officers, In or¬ der to maintain tho morale of the men, released some of the compressed air in the remaining compartmeiiu. and also opened the oxygen lanks, though tliey realized that viriually no benefit then Wan to bo derived from ihese acta,
At    3   o'clock    Thursday   afternoon Commander Cooke managed t6 bore ai hole  three  Inches  wide    through    thej sleel   hull   of   the   submarine.     A   few trickles of air camo in, irfingstait ex¬ plained enlhustasilcally,
Commander  Cooke,  with   hts eye  to the hole, sighted two sleamere,     But, continued  Langstaff,   neither  saw  thej proiruring stern of the 8-5 and passed i
on.
At   3  o'clock  the 'Alanthus  ho\"«>  In'
Tl
Strike Leader Admits That Promise of Fair Considera¬ tion Will End All Trouble
OPTIMISM GENERAL
The manufacturers energetically have refused requests of the strikers that they be paid for a week's work, on the ground that such payments would be used te finance further agita¬ tions.
The strikers at Turin issued a mm- munlque, saying;
'In the ev«^i of intervention by troops the workers wHl do their ut. jnoit to destroy the plants before aban¬ doning them."
The authorities have not yet taken (iny definite titaiui. It is evident (he government is determined to be moder¬ ate and avoid bloody clashes tf pos¬ sible. A section ef the preSs le eeun< eetllng energetic action.
from Detroit, but reports    here    said! »l«i^-l ft"*^   Coranrutndor   Cooke   beside j there was no reeenl    cf them in that   waving   the  undershirt  of one  of   the.
men, yelled with all the power of his] enfeebled lungs. The hail was heard; and the Alanthus came on. The work of recue was  accomplished    by    the
city,
According to the order in which Manager Fred Mitchell uses hla pitch- ara, Claude Hendrlx was scheduled to work Tuasday, Only one change was made In Tuesday's line-up of players. Barber replaced Fred Merkle at first. Ne significance waa attached to this, however, because Barber la a left- handed hitter and the Phillies were using Lae Meadows, a right hander,
Hendrlx did not go to Pittsburgh with the Cuba He declared tonight he was ignorant as to why he was net taken along. He expressed the belief that he waa kept hart to pitch tomor- rew's game against the Pirates at the local park.
pumping In of air by a small pump. This gave new Ufe to the men inside and when thay were finallv taken out they were In belter condition than when the rescue commenced.
The S-5 now la lying not far from the scene of her accident, where the bat« tleship is trying to salvage her,
ftAGS CAUSE FIRE Fire was discovered last night  in a bundle of rags in ths cellar at the home of   Patrick   Price   on   Atherton  street, | Westmoor,    The fir* was put out be^4 foM the flremen arrived. j
JohnT. Dempsey was ousted yes¬ terday afternoon from the office of president of District No. 1 of the United Mine Workers. The action was- taken when the executive board of the district held a. meeting in Scranton and declared the office vacant after Demp¬ sey had failed to tender his resignation. In his place the board members elected .lohn Collins Kolodzlerczak of Nanti¬ eoke to act aa chief executive of the local miners.
It was the flrst time in the history of the miners organization that a district leader was removed against his will. The change came at a time when, be¬ cause of the insurgent strike and other circumstances, the union In the Wllkes-Barre and Scranton field ts fighting for retention of control bv the present administration officials against the onslaught of Insurgent miners.
The executive board went Into ses¬ sion st 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In the meantime Dempsey had been given an opportunity to send in his resigna¬ tion. The board members waited some little time for it but when it was seen that the district head would not re¬ tire of his own accord, the necessary steps were taken to remove him. One of the members presented a resolution calling for an ouster vote. It was adoptd unanimously.
The administration officials accom¬ plished In twenty-four hours something that the Insurgents had be^n trying to do for more than a year, namely, the removal of Dempsey. On Friday after¬ noon the board met in Scranton in a special session during the time that tho members were there for the pur¬ pose of drawing up a letter to Presi¬ dent Wilson concerning the anthracite wage award. At that special session the members nreferrod the charge of neglect bf duty against their presi¬ dent.
No Choice Permitted
Vice President Collins was sent to tell Dempsey of the action. The Nan¬ ticoke man found his superior officer at home, but he appe-^.red to bo ill. He heard of what had been done. At the same time he was handed a typewrit¬ ten resignation already drawn up for him The only thing he was asked to do was to sign it and return the docu¬ ment to the "board at its meeting yes¬ terday. The resignation was never turned in. To spare his feelings in an official way, members of the board fin¬ ally struck out a portion of the ouster resolution charping the neglect, but did not disturb the purpo.se of It.
Collins, who immediately became the acting president, returned to his home In Nanticoke last night with the rec¬ ord of having made a meteoric rise In the ranks of the United Mine Workers. Just one year ago he was practically unknown. He worked in the mines at Nanticoke. Prior to the election he de¬ veloped a large following among the younger miners. When the men back¬ ing Dempsey were looking around for a man to take the office of vice presi¬ dent, which was oonaidered by them to be more of a figurehead than anything else, they selected Collins because of his following. He gained the office when Dempsey was returned to the president's chair. Under the rules of the organization he naturally suc¬ ceeded to the ch.alr and has the power to name a vice president.
An Insurgent Victory
It i.s claimed in circles close to the administration headguai ters that Col¬ lins may not hold his new office %ar>' lonj-'. He may resign within the next week or he may oppose any effort t.* remove him. Miner.«! believe that one of the men who helj)ed managf D' rnp- sey's laat campaign will be ii.-imed and that tbe Nanticoke miner will go back to tbe ¦vice presidency.
The office of district president pays $2,702.20 per yfar. For more than a. year it has been under flre by the in-, surgent element. Prior to tho last election Dempsey was out of office. At that time i*. was not clearly known to the miners whether he had resigned or been removed. When the election came along he was a candidate against Enoch William.'! of Taylor and he was returned to office.
After the election Williams and his supporters took the case Into court, claiming that ballot boxes had been stuffed and that every trick known to wily politicians had been used to de¬ feat htm illegally. The case Is now pending befere a referee In Scranton. Williams announced la.st night that the removal of Dempsey will not-, result Si a truce being dorlarort   Init " •' '. \',
his followers will flght to secure con-! irol of Ihe entire list of adnuni.itrailve offloea to which tlMy claim they wer»i elected. |
.An appeal from President Wlison to the vacationist miners that they return to work with a virtual promise to have their claims for higher wages and bet¬ ter working conditions heard again by the operators. Is expected to reach this cily as the result of Information re¬ ceived here last night from Washing¬ ton. It Is believed that the chief execu¬ tive of the nation may wait another twenty-four hours before making his strongest bid for united action by both ioyal union workers and the insurgent vacationists.
The prospective action by the Presi¬ dent Js awaited as the one real mova that will orlng a quick and sudden ead to the Btrilfe. The receipt of the new.s Irom Wsshlnirton that the President Is KHing the situation his personal dt- tention, wns the final development in a •lay that was crowded with work done by,both th(j mine leaders opposed to the idle period and by the men who quit wor'i until tney get better terms.
Other developments were the results of mine local unions whose members voted to retJ&m to work; emphatic tiatements from the officials of the United Mine Workers that the strike will fall through Tuesday morning, and equally emphatic announcements from L'noch Williams and his followers that the strik-i will increase in effect on that day instead of dwindling.
The real outcome of tho "vacation" will depend largely on the result of a meeting to be held this mornlnpr at 10 o'clock In Central Labor Union Hall la Scranton, It will be a session df the executive board of the vacationists, called for the purpose of outlining a policy. At that time the Idle miner.s will likely l.ssue a statemer^t that their policy will bo a willingness to return to work the minute they receive a KUar- antee from a re.sponstbl© source that their demands will bo heard and given proper I'coo.gnltlon.
The purpose of tho meeting and tho report that President Wilson is pre¬ paring such a statement as that de¬ sired by the vacalloni.<it.s were looked upon la.st night as tv/o Important inci¬ dents that will lead more directly to a scttlejnent of the difficulty than any¬ thing else. Secretary of LAbor W. B. Wilson returned to Washington and was given personal charge of the situa¬ tion, although it was claimed the Pres¬ ident Is receiving reports from him on what has happened and what new steps are necessary to bring a resumption of work.
Expect Early Action.
Unless the miners return in full forco to the mines by Tuesday the nation's head is expected to step Into the breach and take actual control. Ho will then be expected to Issue a com¬ munication addressed to Williams and his followers, telling them that their case win be greatly improved by set¬ tling the strike. His expected com¬ munication will undoubtedly contain the Information that it will only bo after the men are back la tho mines once more, that their case will b« heard. The return of tho men may be accepted by him as being u display of confidence In the government that will lead htm to poraonaUy aak the oper¬ ators to give the man one more ohance to improve their eendttlon,
l^noch Williams, the real leader   of the   iiiHurgentfi,   probably   had   fiuch; guarbnteo in mind last night wbcui : issued    thn    lirst    ttatcment    o^    cBo Mtrikera pollfcy since the sirike started, lie i<ai(i   that  the  men  following hmi will be Haiisfied to rcturu without de¬ manding the enforcement of the act'ial demands,  provided  a  promise  of jm^ provement  comoE from a  "responsibla eeurce,"    Ro said that the men -weald be willing  to wait a r<;a.inn.'\ble time- to permit the operator.s granting nai?' terms and  then a little moro tiiTie t^ put them Into effect.   This policy will fcft more clearly defined at, this aiorati Ing'a meeting in Scranton,
Officials of 'he Utilttd MineWarkam last night reiterated their claimaiBade earlier in the day that the strike will dwindle on Tuesday, although the^ admitted that they do not expoet aU of the miners to be back In their plaoc^ before nest Thursday, They peintad out aeveral local unions which have already voted to i^sume after tho Labor Day observance.
Locals Declare Peace
Members of Local 168? met last night in Thuya's Hall at Brookside and voted unanimously to return to work Tues¬ day. They are the men who operate No. i! and No, 5 collieries, Baltimora Tunnel and slope and Conyngham shaft ef the Hudaan Caal Compiiny, Bov- (ContUraeii en Psfe 2)