Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1894-06-06
CONFERENCE.
settlement OF the Strike Rests with the H.
linois Operators-That In what President
Mcbride, Of the Mine Workers, Saws.

settlement OF the Strike Rests with the IT,
linois Operators-That Ii what Pre-it,srnt
Mcbride. of the Mine Workers, Says.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, May 29.-The con-
ference of operators and representa-
lives of the miners Monday afternoon
lid not start off well. Southern Ill
nois was well represented, and a few
ire present frcm this section.
President Crawford, of the Illinois
state association, was elected chairman
oy reclamation, the operators taking
40 part in the proceedings.
President Mcbride then addressed
the assembly. For years Central and
southern Illinois," he said, had been
A drawback To the settlement of min
ing difficulties. Whenever an inter
state movement had been undertaken
the operators of Northern Illinois had
been hampered by the lack of agree
ment on the part of those of the south
ern and central fields. Whenever
the northern operators would enter
into an agreement with their miners
the central and southern field oper-
ators would get large amount of their
trade. In the present international
fight the operators of the central and
southern part of the state stood in the
way of an agreement from one end of
the country to another"
Continuing, Mr.. Mcbride said no
wanted To meet the operators and dis
cuss the matter in the hope that har-
monious action might he secured.
Operators Tracey, of Springfield, said
he was sorry the scale was not TO be
considered. The operators had no
grievance.
I'VE don't know what is the matter. -
said Mr.. Tracey. What do YOU want?
We are willing to do what is reason
able, but we want to know what YOU
want. The Consolidated Coal Co.. own
ing eighty-three mines, and mining
10000 tons annually, is not here, and
Charles Ridgely, the president, told me
he would not be bound by the acts of
this meeting. Pana has been paying
twenty-nine cents per ton to miners.
We can not compete with that. If Mr..
Mcbride will say the word" concluded
Mr.. Tracey, Il will put 500 men To work
Tuesday"
ES-Representative Thomas Spellman,
of Danville, who described himself as
small miner, spoke in favor of the
settlement of the strike on local lines,
asking the executive board L. NJ. w. A..
to make an effort in that direction.
He denied that the operators of central
and southern Illinois were to blame for
the trouble. In his opinion the Ohio
operators were as much to blame.
After further discussion, Morton. of
Canton, offered the following, which
was adopted:
Resolved, That the operators here
assembled respectfully invite all the
operators of the state to attend gen
eral conference to consider the Illinois
scale of wages, the meeting To be held
Thursday, Mt 10 a. m, at the state
house.
Resolved. further, That those inter-
ests in Southern and Central Illinois
not represented here to-day be in
vited, and there he "a special commit
tee of three appointed 10y the chairman
of this meeting to see that the invita-
tions are properly distributed.
Spellman asked if at the meeting n
settlement was made and scale agreed
upon. the miners in Illinois would be
allowed to 90 to work.
II will say to YOU" replied Mcbride,
that if satisfactory agreement is
reached and "A scale signed at this
meeting, the board will say go to work.
because that will bring the operators
of other fields to terms"