Show THE OPERATORS REPLY they accuse president ratchford of 0 trying to gain political ends end a pittsburg aul auf 0 20 O the coal operators opar in their meeting tonight ton lEht after waiting in vain tor for art an answer from president ratchford to their telegram asking for a conference here to arbitrate the strike question issued n R statement bement to the public shortly after midnight the statement stAl ment was wag given elven after a day of waiting and was pie by the following resolution passed today Rem olvid that it a committee lUce be authorized zed in case the miners lead ts agree t to confer center and no satisfactory basis cabbe agreed upon to propose that the matter in dispute between the miners and operators of the pittsburg district bo be submitted to arbitration provided tho the miners mine are arc put to work at once pending the decision of said bald board of arbitration the opel acors sta tomen t says the opera operators torm have exhausted every effort to make amicable settlement but the miners refuse either cither to meet in ili conference or to co arbitrate thu tho position taken by mr ratchford occasions gloat to tile the operators he in fit alani in bringing in all competitive states when lio lie knows tile tho operators of at other states under no circumstances will attend a joint conference in making this demand mr natch ford Is seeking becking to delay a settlement in hope that he may bring to hla his old aid all tho the labor organizations of the country and assumes that his influence will III frighten the politicians into insisting upon it a settlement of the strike without regard to the merits of the casa ila iio has always insisted that the pittsburg Pitts Fitts bure burg district la Is the key to the situation and the operators hold out to him nn an olive branch from which Is suspended the key he sought mr ratchford natch ford Is s using the pittsburg miners as a cats paw to snatch political chestnuts oft off the idle coal mines in this district ile he knows very v cry well that delay in settlement will deprive pittsburg miners of which will III ba dono done during the winter by tn miners of ohio indiana illinois and ohio regions air ratchford must ar arrano 0 conference at once for se fetn settlement tn c t or r arbitration r 1 for the troubles in ili the pittsburg coal alti let or he must stand ac ouse d or of inconsistency and in public opinion w certainly holdi hold him responsible for tile the which inevitably prevail itil in tile the district during the coming winter in west esst virginia wheeling W VA aug auff 20 u the I 1 a 0 c coad 0 1 I 1 strike seems seema to be paint n fir EL a 1 little at t I 1 e strength in the norfolk western westen district but it ft will take rapid is work oric there more to make up lip for the suffered at F allmont all mont slid and in tb the j Kanai ta iha 11 a and new river valleys the montana campers are able to do nothing toward inducing the men who went back to the mines yesterday to rejoin the strike rhey are guarded by deputy marshals and cannot move in the direction of at the montana mines all of 0 them being really under arrest for contempt and liable ta lo bo be taken to Pai parkersburg kersburg before judge golt con the moment they make it 0 move not sanctioned by the marshals the announcement of the National ex e autive board at columbus that all tile the railroaders and federated workers are to be called upon to loin join the strike girth e I 1 ili IH looked upon by local labor leaders as the he lost ast pa 1 p and it a practical aimis ton slon of defeat it 1 li i announced today that the national labor leaurra at their meeting here in july laid the 6 groundwork for a national political movement against injunctions in labor troubles and that it will be put into operation in next falls fairs congressional elections all it recognize that the courts have been the chief calef weapons of the operators lit in the present contest |