Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-27
The Men Deliver an Ulti-
matum to the Operators
of Iowa.
LATTER REFUSE TERMS

Legislation of Compromise the Two
Ways Left to Avert Strike That
Will Involve More Than 10000 Min
ers-Situation is Grave.
That the situation regarding the min
ers of the state is getting serious is
not doubted by anyone To-Day. Now
that everything except the two big
questions is settled both sides have
i thrown off the thin masks they wore
and now they stand upon the issues
firmly. OF the two questions that of
employing shot firers is the most i'm
portant and the question of uniform
day wage scale is almost forgotten.
The inability of the scale committee to
settle the questions was demonstrated
/ yesterday when that body referred
back to the joint conference the scale
SO far as it had been agreed upon, as
we'll as the task of settling the two big
questions.
Unless some kind of a compromise
is made there will beyond doubt be a
strike of the Iowa miners. The whole
state will be affected, and the fight
will be a long and hard one. The min
ers think that they arc asking no
more than is right, while the operators
disagree with them decidedly Each
side claims to have received the worst
of the deal in the scale as it has al
ready been made and neither seems
willing to give up.
An Ottunlwa Operator Talks.
A coal operator living in Ottumwa
but not in attendance at the joint con
!, ference at present, was interviewed by
a Courier reporter this morning. He
said that the statement given to the
press last evening by President Nor
ris, and which is published in this arti
Gle, expresses the general mind of the
operators. He stated that he consid
ers the claims of the miners as unjust
and thinks that if strike is declared
on these grounds the miners will have
a hard fight.
Other Questions.
If a strike is declared the two sides
will find that the task of making ar
agreement when they do finally come
together after the strike, if they do
( will be hard one. There are man!
things which have been agreed to il
scale committee to which many OF
either side of the joint conference d.
: not like and these will in all probable
\ ity be brought into the game if a strike
: is declared.
n Scale Committee Report. {
5 The Joint scale committee reported
/ to the convention yesterday Afternoon
e that it had agreed on everything eXcep
: the question of employing shot firer'
> and the day wage scale in the Firs
, district In these particulars no prog
:. ress whatever has been made towart
: settlement, and the situation is eX
IL actly as it was at the time the join
board held it's first meeting numbe
, of weeks ago.
n A scheme of arbitration submitted b.
the miners was rejected. The reaso
e given was that their proposition di
S not admit of arbitration to decide O.
l. the general question of the inside da
II scale in the First district, but only t
J. decide whether the men should II
ceive $2.15 per day or 50. the presen
y price The operators say that if tn
e common practice should be carried GU
t. the arbitration board would split tn
t. difference, and that an increase il
Is the wage of 71a cents per day woul
n thus be secured. They refuse to col
y slider this.
They submitted proposition i
n which they offered to employ shot e,
" aminers provided the miners woul
1t drop the question Of employing sho
st firers and allow it to be settled by lie.
islation. 1t was rejected, and the o.
h orators said that they had nothin
TX more to offer, believing this to be
e. fair compromise. They were then r.
# uuested by the miners to Withdraw
N and did so. The latter went into e,
ID ecutive session, at the close of whic
,t they notified the operators that the
" would be ready to report their futul
at action at 9 o'clock this morning.
70 the same time they delivered throug
ii. their officers an ultimatum sayin
,etthat they had nothing better to offer,
s. President Reese's Statement.
= President Reese of the United Mil
mr. Workers gave out the following stat
at ment last night:
y "The only two demands of any CO
nc sequence that we have made tn
* year are for shot firers and unifor
m day wage scale. The reason that v
are so persistent in the former d
to mand is that it pertains to a questic
IL involving the life of the mine wor
n. ers. There are two reasons why v
cd do not desire to pay for shot fireI
es The first reason is that we cannot a
ad ford it, as it would mean a reductit
ST in our wages. The second is that
~ we employed shot firers we would
as responsible for them, and we belle,
II. that the responsibility of protectir
NJ the lives of the employees should E
81 ways rest on the employer. The Fl
ne quency of the explosions in mines al
MS the number of lives sacrificed is g
in the argument necessary to convin'
lk any fair-minded person that we al
fic entitled to protection.
In "In regard TO the demand for Il
all uniform day wage scale we contel