Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-13
State Convention Will Begin at Des
Moines March 8, and viii Probably
Take Up Remainder of Month With
Individual and Joint Conventions.

After year which, though some
complaint has been made, has been at
least fairly agreeable to the miners
and the operators of the state, the
time approaches when the annual
meetings of these two great bodies
and the joint meeting of their repre-
sentatives will be held for the purpose
Of making a scale OF prices, by which
both miners and operators will agree
to abide during the whole of the
twelve months succeeding April 1,
1903. Before that time the annual
convention of the miners national or
ganization will have been held at In
dianapolis, Indiana, and from the re-
suits of this big meeting. which will
be attended by forty-siX men from
Iowa, can be gathered some idea of
what will be done, or at least be tried
by the miners of the state when, in
March, they meet their employers to !,
prepare a scale for the year.
The Miners Convention.
The convention of the United Mine
Workers of America of District No.
10, will be held at Des Moines, prob
ably in the Odd Fellows hall, where
it was held last year, and the date FIX.
ed for the beginning is March 8, the
first Tuesday in the month. AS yet
the date for the convention of the OPP
orators has not been fixed and neither
has that of the scale committee con
vention, which will be held after the
miners convention.
Learned by Experience.
1t is foregone conclusion, even be-
| fore the preliminary arrangements are
made, that one of the features which
last year was thought to be good
one for a short time, will be eliminat-
| ed this year. Last year the members
OF the scale committee met in Des
| Mones week before the date set for
| the miners convention, and for three
days tried to make a preliminary
scale to submit to the miners and OPP
orators. 1t was thought that this plan
could be followed with benefits to all
concerned, but this thought was BAN
ished after an unsuccessful attempt to
agree on even small details The rea-
son as viewed by the miners, though
not very pleasing for the operators to
reflect upon is that the operators have
not, or had not at that time, an orga-
nization that is even strong enough for
this kind OF work. While the miners
knew just what stands to take with
| regard to the questions that came be-
! fore the scale committee last year, the
operators on the scale committee were
unwilling to cast votes which would
bind their fellow operators, and their
organization did not give them the
right or power to do SO.
The National Convention.
Edwin Perry, president of district
10, and John P. White, the secretary
treasurer, will head a delegation Of
forty-six miners who will attend the
national convention of the United Mine
Workers at Indianapolis, the latter
part of this month. This is to be one
of the largest delegations ever sent
from Iowa to convention of this kind.
and the miners of this state are proud
of the fact. 1t is thought that the
delegates from this state will go to In
dianapolis from Ottumwa ON special
car
District Election.
At the time for the annual conyen-
ton draws near the question of who
will occupy the district Offices during
the coming year becomes an important
one. There are few nominations and
no acceptances in the office of Secre-
tary White at present, although sever
al more nominations are expected
within short time. The nominations
close January 90 and after Secretary
White returns from Indianapolis he
will issue the ballots. one of which will
be furnished by each member of the
!: union in the district The voting is to
be on the referendum system, strictly
:. speaking. and the result will be an
nounced at the annual convention in
Des Moines.