Ottumwa semi-weekly courier., 1903-03-17
PEOPLES PULPIT.
History Repeating Itself.

y
Editor Courier: In reading the daily
report of the miners convention, now
being held in the city of Des Moines,
| in your daily paper, note the question
of mine run coal was again brought up
| by the miners-which is "a little
strange, especially so when We con-
slider that this question was totally
| ignored by the last national conven-
ton. 1t is more surprising when we
| look at it from business point of
view, of putting commodity on the
market There is no need in Iowa for
mine run coal, fact which has been
| brought before the Iva miners every
year since 1888. To prove this | want
to go back little in the history of the
question. 1t was first brought before
the Iowa miners at meeting held in
the opera house at Osllaloosa in Sep
tember, 1888, presided over by w. 7.
| Wright. In 1884 the twentieth general
assembly met and e. r. Cassatt, the
member from Iiarion, introduced
gross weight bill for the miners, but
failed to get it passed. 1t was kept be-
| fore the miners continually and in
I 1856, while Cassatt was still in his
/ seat, the measure was again called up.
4 This time Hon. Lafayette Young was
4 a member in the lower house from
| lAdair-Adams-Cass counties. He took
the measure up and in him the Iowa
miners found their ablest champion.
| During the twenty-first general as
sembly there was a remonstrarce sent
in there against the bill, signed by
4 miners alone to the number of 1000 or
more, divided as follows: 730 from Ma
haska county, Is from Lucas, among
them was the name of the state presi-
dent of the district; 109 of the Knights
A of Labor, 5000 from Marion, Monroe
and Jasper counties; rms remon-
aa serance ~ was ueilsereu On Nafch :,
looo. me piil' hoWeSel: was asaih
ueieatea, pu1 was kepI peaole no ,he pup.
nc ana on January .; 1000 WIeh lhe
tWehty-secona general asselilpiy was
calied 10 order, Cassatt was then ell
terlns ms second Term, put ne never
agltaned ms pet measure Wnlch iele
MI. 1ouns the chaiiiploli VI the illea-
sure. ms term round lhe present
governor, a %. Cuiiiiiins, ana Jalnes a
". berfsnlll III the loWer mousse nm III,
FOLK county. IheSe now looh up the
natter WIN Mr. ouis, anu .niousn
-, =
passed. Althougn tne law was INTRO
duced by y. II. Cassatt Oh rella, Tue
cfedit pelonss 10 MI 1ouns iof seeui-
ing lts passage. me present law as
IL now READS IN part as PASSED ny the
ltWenty-second general ASSEMBLY IS as
folioWs: me miner u agent slidii
where the miner IN pala ny the toh OF
} other ouantty. unless o.herwlse agreed
upon In writing Welsh !he coal pc
fore screening and the miner shaii pe
paid at the rate OF elshty pounds 70
the bushel ana 2'ooo POUNDS 10 the
, ton.
So it will be seen that the above
clause (unless otherwise agreed upon
in writing) practically killed the en-
tire bill as far as the miners are con
cerned. All these years the argumen'
against IL was no demand lot nine
run coal, 1act Whlch every miner ~ u
; Iowa who Is fanllllar with history wei
knows. large portion Oh the iowa ..
miners IN lS9o We're asalhsa " ana II
/ Is again rejected IN March, 1919, seven
teen years later, as the vote taken
last week on the mattef py miners
! delegates from tWenty-iour coai pro
ducing counties snow a ma1oflty o.
sixty four against IL. II VIII pc seer
us ash uulseisss VS. = taSa :, - IN n ss,,a.
10 lel IL 80 anu -,