Too Late to Surrender: Roslyn's Miners Are Locked Out and Blacklisted

The miners and drivers who were in the employ of the Northern Pacific Coal Company, and who went out on May 1 on a proposed reduction of 30 per cent., learned this afternoon that they were too late in expressing a willingness to return to work on the company's terms.

Tuesday afternoon the miners' union held a meeting and by vote agreed to return to work, provided the coal company would accept them as a body. A committee waited upon the local management and announced their action, but was informed that the company would give work only to those whom it chose. The report was made to the salon. The committee was then further instructed to telegraph General Manager Kangley that they desired a conference. Mr. Kangley was notified, and this afternoon a message was received from him to the effect that an interview would be of no avail, as arrangements had been perfected to secure a new force of men, and that the deal had progressed too far to cancel it. He further announced, however, that those of the old force who were acceptable to the company could sign contracts and go to work at once.

There are probably 150 local miners who have not taken an active part in the strike, and it is probable that contracts will be furnished these men on application. It is understood here that the new force of miners has been massed at some Eastern point, and that they are expected to arrive here within the next ten days. In the event that the company should not employ more than 150 of the miners now located here, it will be necessary for 250 or 300 men to seek employment in other fields, and in many instances their removal will work great hardship. The camp has been idle for the past three months, and the little savings of many have gone for the necessities of life, leaving numerous families quite poor, if not penniless. Some of the miners have comfortable homes, which represent their life's accumulation, and the disposal of their property at this time can be done only at a sacrifice.

It is believed by some here, who are quite well informed on the situation, that the differences between the miners and the company could have been adjusted without extreme measures had there not been peculiar methods employed by deeply interested parties to attain their own personal ends.

TACOMA, Aug. 1. — Arrangements were perfected today to send the first consignment of negro miners for the Roslyn mines from the Franklin camp in King county. The matter was carried forward quietly, and the men are to go through to Cle-Elum on the overland passenger train tonight.

Simultaneously with the making of these arrangements, word was received from Roslyn that the miners had held a secret meeting there last night and had decided to return to work at the reduction proposed in May by the company.

And probably of as great importance as either of the above is the fact that the seventy miners employed at the Kangley mine, owned by John Kangley, who is manager of the Northern Pacific Coal Company's mines at Roslyn, decided to strike because certain of their number were discharged for taking an active part in agitating the organization of the coal miners of the Coast, ostensibly for the purpose of causing a general strike, when negro miners were imported from the East to take the place of the Roslyn strikers.

If necessary it is expected that the United States troops will be called upon to guard the train carrying the Franklin negro miners into the Roslyn camp. It is not feared by the managers of the mines that the strike agitators will resort to violence, except possibly under cover. It is believed by the representatives of the company that the strikers have secured possession of several boxes of dynamite, but they do not believe it would be used in blowing up the mines as had been threatened. In fact, the company does not propose to let the strikers blow up the mines if any are so inclined.