The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-13
ORIGIN OF THE TROUBLE
OCCURRED IN APRIL BY MINERS
 STRIKING.

Controversy Between the Mine Owners and Governor Tanner Concerning the Importation of Miners-Replying to tendent LuLems Asserted That the
 Company Proposed to Operate Its
 Mines In It's Own Way.
 Chicago, Oct. 12.-The difficulty at the Virden mines originated April 1, 1898, when the miners of the fourth district of Illinois went out on a strike, instituted by the United Mine Workers. Trouble followed at once at Pana, but the Virden miners remained quiet through the summer. The strikers had asked for thirty cents a ton and were offered twenty-eight cents. Disturb ances at Virden began September 20, when the importation of negroes first began.
 President Loucks of the Chicago-Vir- den company then proceeded to make preparations to get miners. On Octo- Der Sheriff Davenport notified Cover
 nor Tanner that there would be trouble and that troops were needed to pre- serve the peace. The governor asked if it was the purpose of the coal com pany, in the event of troops being sent to import miners from other states to take the place of the strikers. Superin- tendent Lukens informed the governor that the company proposed to operate it's mines in it's own way and expected to import labor, both white and col ored, from the south. The governor told him that the best class of miners got employment at home and only crim- inal classes would come-men who would soon quit work and get into the poorhouses, jails and penitentiaries and become burden on the taxpayers of 1 the State-that he was opposed to the l system, that while there was no law to keep out of 1t, he did not feel 1t his duty | to use the arm of the state to give pre-
 lection of the state to mine owners op- erating their mines with such class. l Lukens replied that the mines would be run at all hazards. That it would import this labor and operate the mines with it, even if it had to do it at the point of the bayonet. NJ troops were sent. The next day MT. Lukens noti- fled the governor that his mines would l be operated and demanded the protec- tion of the state. The matter had been l brought before the state board of arr 1 bitration and that body decided in fa- vor of the miners, but also held that no injustice had been done the Virden company. From this point the trouble has been a dispute between Governor Tanner and the mine operators. The I governor steadily refused to call out 1 the state troops and charged the optr- ators with importing eX-convicts and an undesirable class of worlxmen. The operators declared that the men they desired to bring to the mines had been chosen for their ability and their capa- city to become good citizens. They were willing to take back the strikers { at the scale of twenty-eight cents a ton ! but that they could open their mines at | the exorbitant demand of the miners 1 Sheriff Davenport was in sympathy with the governor and declared he did not want to enforce laws that would bring negroes into the state. One hun dred Springfield miners reinforced the | Virden strikers on October 10 armed and determined to prevent the negroes from going to work. Armed men have since been practically in possession of the town. A rumor was circulated day before yesterday that small body of negroes had been landed from train just outside the city of Virden. Man. ager Lukens of the Chicago Virden company swore out a writ of injunc- tion against thirty-four of the leading strikers. These men had run out of town four ex-policemen hired by the op- orators. The strikers had not displayed violence against others until they be- gan to suspect that more negroes were to be brought in.