Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-27
IOWA COAL MINERS
STRIKE IS IMMINENT

that a man who drives mule IN
Boone county should be paid the same
wages as the man who drives mule
in Polk county. Our contention is
that the operator in the Boone dis
trict and the Centerville district must
pay the same price for the same WORK
as the operator in the Des MONIES ana
the Oskaloosa districts. All other
states have the uniformity that wei
are contending for and the rate. pald
for this class of labor is higher in the
states with which we compete in mar
ket than it is in the Boone and Center
vile districts Therefore we believe
that our demand is just and we hope
the operators of Iowa will concede 1T
without putting us to the necessity OF
fighting an industrial battle that Will
affect every industry in our state very
materially.
There is an additional reason why
we contend that the operators should
hire and pay the shot tirers, namely
that in Kansas and the Indian Terri
tory, where similar conditions exist,
the operators employ shot tirers at
| their own expense. The law OF the
state of Kansas makes it obligatory for
the operators to do this and Congress
man Lacey of the sixth district of
Iowa has succeeded in having Dill
passed in the lower house of congress,
at the present session of that body, re-
curing the mine owners of the terri
tories governed by the United States
to employ shot firers as they do in
Kansas. The bill is now before the
senate committee on mines and min
ing and Senators Allison and Dolliver
have promised to use their influence to
secure it's passage. We hope that our
representatives and senators in the
present general assembly will have
sufficient regard for the lives of the mi
ners of Iowa to pass the Kendall bill
covering this question, which Is now
on the calendar.
THE operators on the scale commit
tee have treated us very courteously
but have steadfastly refused to con-
cede our demands, on the ground that
they cannot afford it as the present
selling price of coal will not permit
them to increase the cost of produc-
ton. But we claim that, even If that
is true, if our demands were granted
the cost of production would not be
increased to exceed 2 cents per ton,
and we believe the public who buy the
coal are willing to pay the additional
2 cents in order to afford to the mine
workers this necessary protection of
life.
st is up to the operators to decide
whether there Will be strike or not
for We offered arbitration today and it
was voted down by them. So We feel
that we have done all in our power to
avoid a strike, and if one occurs the
blame cannot be laid at our doors. We
still have hopes that the operators
will concede the demands. The mi
ners' scale committee went as far as
they will go before they reported dis
agreement to the Joint convention. But
what action the delegates might take
: in case the operators turn down the
ultimatum which they (the miners
4 delegates) instructed their officers tt
l deliver this afternoon no one can tell
, Mr.. Norris Statement.
: c. H. Morris OF the operators, wher
seen last night talked freely. He said
'"The committee reported to the con
vention that an agreement had beer
reached on everything except the sho
! firing question and the day wage scale
! The miners Their appointed a commit
tee who delivered an ultimatum to thu
> effect that they had made their bes
: proposition. The operators plan is tt
!, employ shot examiners and to ALLOW
i the miners to employ shot firers I
:. meeting of the 5oard was called ant
! the miners ACCEPTED this proposition
They are demanding a raise in the in
side day wage scale in the first distric
, yet in no other part of the state ha
IL such a raise been made and there il
Y no reason why tile first district shoult
L be thus singled out. They claim the
J object is to sect,re uniformity. but il
= the outside day wage scale in othe
: districts they have given up uniform
!. ity, so that their position is weak. Il
= the matter of shot firers we have gon
;. as far as we feel we can. A large pei
: centage of the miners in the centra
= = field are in low COAL and the employ
- ment of shot firers would be hare
! ship to them because it would meal
shooting but cnce per day. Thi
II would result in their not being able t
= = work more than five or six hours a
u u the face Many of the miners hav
y taken a strong stand against shot fiji
, ers for that reason. and some delegf
p lions have been instructed to vot
. against them. The operators will ne,
a er give in in the world unless the legis
:, lature compels them to. While w
:. would lose some business, the strik
a a would not be very serious to u.s."
y WITH POISONED BULLETS.
It Baraboo Anarchist Says He Stood b
~ Czolqosz Ready to Fire,