The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-30
MINERS And Mine OWNERS
FIRST SESSION OF THE WAGE CON-
FERENCE Is HELD.
Indiana Operators Demand With
drnwaI of the "shot Firers' BiII--
Will Fully Reorganixe To-day.

The annual wage conference of the
central competitive district of bitumin-
Gus mine owners and mine workers
opened in Tomlinson Hall yesterday
morning with President John Mitchell,
Of the United Mine Workers, in the
chair as presiding officer The choice of
the conference Immediately afterward Sc
lected him as temporary chairman, and I'M
I'll the adjournment at IL o'clock he pre-
sided over the deliberations OF the two hun
dred mine operators and four hundred
miners delegates from the Indiana. Illinois.
Ohio and western Pennsylvania soft coal
fields. The conference accomplished little
during its short session and ended with an
incident which indicated that there is
trouble ahead.
Indiana. ordinarily the peacemaker and
adjuster of differences between the miners
and operators. was the cause or the trouble
and the action of the commission of the In
diana operators, Phil Penna, nearly pro-
voked an open rupture between the miners
and the mine owners. Indiana is a coal
field in which the operators have had much
trouble with miners. and the miners have
made the State the fighting ground of
most of their grievances. In the Legisla-
ture now in session bill favored by labor
organizations, particularly the Miners
Union is pending, which provides for the
betterment of the miners, it is said, but
will also be an expense to the operators.
The bill is known as the shot firers' BILL !"
and its provisions make 1t imperative that
the mine operators shall employ only quail
fed and registered men to fire the explo-
sions in the mines. This provision, the
miners say, will compel the employment of
men who understand their business. and
will be a safeguard to the lives of the
miners employed as we'll as a protection to
the property interests of the mine owners.
At present the miners claim their lives are
jeopardized at each explosion, and they
want legislation. Ii is said that IL the bill
II will be forced on the legislatures of other
States.
OPPOSED TO THE BILL.
The operators generally oppose the bill. 1t
is claimed that it's provisions will cost
them cents more to mine ton of coal
than at present. They think they are suf-
fering from discrimination and the fight of
Penna was along these lines.
Penna. with r. s. Tenant, of Terre Haute,
and A. NJ. Ogle. of the Indiana operators,
argued with the convention and demanded
that the miners take some action to with
draw the bill from the Legislature or else
Indiana would not enter the conference.
They maintained that to bind them to such
an agreement while the cost of mining
coal would be cents more on the ton
than others pay would be unfair and they
promised that they would withdraw from
the conference rather tnan submit TO IL.
President Mitchell and Secretary Wilson
replied to- the arguments of the operators.
Mitchell pointed out that the time for
such statements when the credentials
committee had properly accredited each
mine owner to a seat and.when the organ
ization of the conference had been per-
| fected. Secretary Wilson, in an argument
of some length, sought to show to the
conference that the operate were indi-
| rectly trying TO bring pressure TO bear on
| legislators to defeat the shot-firing bill.
| He insinuated that ii was a bit of subtle
| politics and deplored il. IL was finally de-
cided to let the matter rest until the con-
ference is fully organized.
The following standing committees were
| selected but the permanent organization
/ will not be effected until the session to be
| held this morning:
Observation-Disclosures operators, j. G. Kol-
and NJ l.. Gould; Indiana miners j. II
/ Kennedy and j. a. Krause; Pennsylvania
| operators, o. A. Blackburn and W. j. Phil
| ips; Pennsylvania miners, John McGinty
/ md Emanuel Willis: Ohio operators, II. L.
! Chapman and Francis III. Robbins; Ohio
miners. G.. w. Savage and L. +. Jenkins
| illinois operators, j. A. Agee and A j
| Morehead; Illinois miners, John t. Parsons
| and James Beattie
| MIA operators, G. w. Schleuderberg and G.
| w. Theis; Pennsylvania miners. William
| Overland and William Dwyer Ohio operat-
| ors. j. M. Ryan and w. X. Field: Ohio
| miners, Thomas earns and Percy Tetlow
| Indiana operators, j. Smith Talley and j. X
| Seifert; Indiana miners. Robert Houston
| and Lee l.. Jackson: Illinois operators, f
| s. Peabody and H. G. Adams; Illinois min
ers. George Bagwill and T. McKeenan