Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-10
SEES PEACE FOR
MINERS OF STATE
Seer tuy Ryan APPROVES Engi-
neers Affiliating With
Operatives.
ACTED ALONE HERETOFORE
Will Have Better Success in Enforc
ing Demands in the
Future.

All hosting engineers throughout
Illinois reported for work at the
mines Tuesday
Secretary Treasurer William ID
Ryan of the miners. before his depart
ure for San Francisco 10 attend the
annual convention OF the National
Federation of Labor sent out a print
ed statement TO the locals of Illinois.
II reviews the situation and also gives
in detail all arrangements which have
been made with the operators relative
to the engineers. After referring to
the meeting of the miners executive
board and the attempt to induce the
engineers to come into their union the
statement continues:
Statement by Miners.
"A committee from our board went
and met the operators. stating to them
that We had made a proposition to
the engineers; that the engineers were
at that time considering it, and that
we had no proposition at that time to
make to the operators relative to the
engineers. Neither could we state to
the operators what the proposition was
that We had submitted to the engi-
neers until after the engineers had
given us their answer. With this
statement to the operators, we with
drew. and in a short time met again
with the engineers. who informed us
that they had considered the PROPOSE
| tion made to them by our board and
had decided to reject the same. They
stated that they were willing TO sub
NIT the question of wages to arbitra-
ton, but that the assimilation of their
organization by the United Mine
Workers was something that they
could not agree to, giving as their rea-
son that there was no authority vest
ed in them that would permit them to
take such steps. They could. how
ever. agree to arbitrate the question
of wages after the proposition had
| been rejected by their membership.
without getting any further advice or
| instructions from the rank and file
Just here we desire briefly to state
our reasons for the policy pursued by
| our executive board and sub-district
presidents.
Can't Violate Agreement.
Last spring the United Mine Work
leTS were lOICeu, JlIOuSu ClICuIlSldtC-
es. and by a majority vote of our or
ganization. to accept a reduction of
5.55 per cent, Notwithstanding the fact
that majority of the miners in this
district were in favor of a strike. Yet
we were forced TO yield. and were not
permitted to come out on strike to pre-
vent a reduction of our own wages,
and at this time we could not consist
emily sit idly by and see our mem
! bers remain Idle and, to all intents
and purposes. practically on strike,
violating their agreements. to prevent
the engineers from receiving the same
reduction that our people had receiv-
ed. and to secure an agreement for
members of another organization,
whose wages had been materially ad-
vanced and their working conditions
made much more acceptable, their
hours of labor considerably shorten
ed. and this practically through the
efforts of the United Mine Workers.
and who never received an advance
except as we secured an advance, and
surely they ought to be willing to ac-
cept a reduction on the same basis.
We have always contended that
every man who works in and around
the mine should be a member of our
organization: that at any mine, fac
tory or other establishment. where
men are employed TO produce any one
commodity. they should all be mem
| bels of the same organization. They
have had no organization or standing
of any kind. except in the state of Hi
nois, the coal hosting engineers in
/ other states being members of the
| United Mine Workers of America, and
| if we permit them the privilege OF
having an organization when they
have no national standing, surely the
other trades above mentioned are en-.
titled TO the same privilege when they
have an international organization and
who are affiliated with US through the
American Federation of Labor
Necessity of Union.
You can readily see that if all the
different crafts employed at the mine
were granted the same privilege that
the engineers have been enjoying. we
would have endless trouble. for the
reason that each organization insists
upon having a separate agreement
which would so complicate matters
that the miners would never know
when the mine was liable to be thrown
idle on account of such a chaotic
condition existing. For the last few
years every possible effort has been
made by our organization to induce
the engineers TO become members oil
the United Mine Workers. but they
together with the operators. have TAX
en- a firm position that we should have
no control whatever over the engi