Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-01
SWORN STATEMENTS.
strong Aiiidavits From Carbon Cliff
Regarding Lies Circulated by
Moline paper

| SHVnS AMudNIts from carbon III
Regarding Lies Circulated by
Moline Paper.
The recent publications in Molin
paper concerning the attitude of Silvi
Bros. toward the miners employed il
their operations was so entirely withou
foundation of truth that 1t has Gale,
forth the following affidavits. which ar
self explanatory:
To ,otom 1t may concern: Whereas
The Moline Republican of October 29tl
inst, did publish as follows ''At tn,
time the miners up there were out on /,
strike some weeks ago, all the mine own
ers Heagy and Stoddard. Silvis Bros
Woodberry's, DoDalds, and Shepards haC
a meeting to consider the demand for 6
raise, Ship Silvis being present in the
interest of Silvis Bros. Ship Silvi:
made motion that committee be ap-
pointed to prepare fund which all the
owners should sign, pledging themselves
not to accede to the demand, and this he
advocated. This statement all the oper-
ators who took part in the meeting will
testify to-"
| wish to say, in reply TO the charge
that L advocated a bond to bind the min
ers in any shape or even made any allus>
ion to such matter is absolutely false,
and that can be sustained in nv denial
of the charge by A. r. Stoddard, one of
the operators present. Now in answer 70
the above wish to make plain state
ment of the actions taken in the above
mentioned meeting, and what part | had
IN said meeting The meeting was call
ed and time fixed for the same by Mr..
A. X. Stoddard, one of the above named
operators. 1t was for the purpose of
advancing the price of coal to seven
cents per bushel, thus enabling us to paw
the miners a uniform price in all the
mines on the bluff Mr.. A. R. Stoddard
favored an agreement on this basis, to he
binding for one year on all the operators
concerned. 1t was finally agreed that six
months should be the time fixed for said
agreement TO run, as the coal could not
be sold and market found for it dur
Ing the summer at that price. then
made motion that a bond be entered
into in the sum of $500 for the faithful
performance of the above agree m ept j..
The agreement was not entered into and
the matter dropped In answer to the
statement about the price for mining and
the thickness of the coal VIE mine as
charged IN said statement, | will say, we
mine no coal whatever, under three feet
The lowest price we pay for mining is
81 cents, and for about oue-hslf of the
rooms IN our mine we paw extra rates
We had no strike at our mine: our men
worked during the entire time OF the
strike at the other mines A committee
OF our miners waited on me and asked for
4 raise to 4 cents for all coal sold except
the coal sold on the ArgIllo works cons
tract; this coal to be mined for 81 cents
1t was finally agreed between the COM
mlttee and myself that the lowest price
Tor mining should be 81 cents from that
date, while some of the rooms should be
mined tor extra rates, the committee at
The same time stating to me voluntarily.
that unless the other banks gave the
raise they would not ask it, and would
not ask me TO pay more than other oDer,
ators were paying on the bluff. These
are the facts AS concerning the meeting
as mentioned above, and hereby certify
to the truth of the statement which I
have made. RICHARD S. SILvIs,
STATE OF ILLINOIS,
Rock Island county, /
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
3Oth day of October, 1896.
w. r CAREY, Notary Public.
STATE OF ILLINOIS
Rock Island county %
To nh0D, 1t may concern: Whereas, a
statement was made in the Moline
Republican of October go, that at a eet-
ing held by the operators of the Cliff coal
mines, r. S. Silvis made a motion
that bond be entered into by all the op
orators present not TO accede to the de-
nand made by the miners for a raise, and
that all the operators pledged themselves
to sign said bond, now, l hereby certify
that r. S. Silvis never made any such
motion at said meeting. and that | was
present at said meeting, and that the
above statement rs made in the Repu5ti-
can is absolutely false. The motion that
X. 5. Slvis made was that the operators
enter into a bond to enforce the agree
ment that the selling price Of coal should
be held at seven cents as agreed upon.
A. r. SToDDARD
Dated this 3Olh day of October, 1886.