Omaha daily bee., 1906-03-28
ditchell and Wilson Argue that Business
Conditions Justify Increase.
OPERATORS DISPUTE THIS STATEMENT
Illinois, Indiana and Ohio Men Say They
Cannot Pay Proposed Scale.
SAY DIFFERENTlAL FAvORS PENNSYLVANIA
Adjournment Is Taken Until D O'clock
This Morning without Final Ac-
tiOn-BreSL of Joint Confer
ence Probable.

'NftA' NbilAiiillNte hl the hlthminOug COnl
operators Of Ill9pis, Indiana, Ohio and
western Pennsylvania today reported a dis
agreement to the Joint conference of the
central competitive district and after IL
session Of three hours the conference ad.
journed to meet tomorrow morning at
| O'Clock.
The discussions and arguments presented
during the afternoon by the representatives
Of the miners and operators showed no
change whatever in the situation and indI-
Gated that the opposing sides are no nearer
a wage agreement than they were in jan
uary when the first conference was held
The present wage scale will expire Saturday
/ and unless an agreement Is reached before
its expiration 10000 miners in the four
states will be called from the mines
! President Mitchell Of the miners opened
the discussion I'm the joint conference. after
there had been a silence OF ten minutes.
| during which each side was waiting for
the other TO make the first move In a
brief speech he said It had been his ex-
/ pectation that some proposition looking
to an adjustment of the differences would
be submitted by the operators at the after
! noon session. but it was evident they had
not been able 70 agree among themselves
The miners Of the joint conference he said
( had even exceeded their powers to meet
/ the grave responsibilities placed upon them
| mot only as miners, but as countrymen
and citizens by the request and the sugges-
! tions Of the president of our country And
| II will become evident from the votes re-
ported here by at least four Of the states
who must and rightfully shall assume the
responsibility for a disagreement IL no set
tlement is reached"
Mitchell Makes n Motion.
| Mr.. Mitchell then offered for the consid-
| Grafton OF the convention a motion that
as basis Of settlement there be a restora-
tion of the scale. the mining scale and the
day wage scale and the dead work scale of
1906.
! j. II. Winder chairman of the operators,
! offered as a substitute motion to adopt
the present scale with all conditions exist
| ing at the time Of it's adoption with the
include all cost Of shooting. loading, tim
/ bering and inspection Of shots
! Speeches were made for the operators BY
/ ]. {. Kolsem and Phil Penna of Indiana;
/ H. L. Taylor OF Illinois and II. L. Chap
! man Of Indiana all expressing the deter
4 mnation Of the operators of those states to
oppose an advance In wage For the
miners, President John Mitchell, Vice Presi-
/ dent 7. l.. Lewis and Secretary w B. VIII
/ son cf the national organization, together
! with II. c. Perry of the Illinois miners
| President William Green Of the Ohio miners
and President Wellington O'Connor of the
I Indiana miners, expressed the determina-
/ zion of the miners to insist upon their de-
mands for the restoration OF the wage scale
of 1903, which is an increase Of 800 per cent
Mr. T. L. Robbins OF the western Pennsyl-
vania operators, who fayors the payment
] ~ 10 1aH
! did not speak during the afternoon.
suggestion of Arbitration.
Mr.. Phil Penna Of the Indiana operators
in his speech suggested the settlement OF
the difficulty by arbitration. On this sub
ject he said:
THE coal operators for whom am talk
! ing have done business in joint scale COM
mttees for twenty consecutive years They
have favored peace at all times, and favor
peace now with honor. Rather than resort
to an industrial strike as far as Indiana
! is concerned, we may have other things Co
suggest and we hope there may be other
/ thirgs available to prevent any such thing
/ ] 60 not know what might be done, or how
We may avoid this Industrial conflict un-
less, perhaps, when We cannot agree the
people would interfere, or II might be the
American people, through the president, as
/ has been done before. do not know OF any
| good reason why we could not avert a
calamity by some such means at this time
or i'm the near future. One thing Is sure
| The American people are not going to suffer
any great Inconvenience because of the dis
agreement over paltry per cent increase
in wages"
An adjournment until tomorrow was
taken in the midst Of the discussion. No
varag tulF
the afternoon.
Scale Committee Reports.
! The wage committee was IN session hut
short time today. It NEE at $3.50 O'Clock
b and after half hour spent I'm general
talk that bore no relation 10 the question
at issue, motion was made and un-
animously adopted that a disagreement be
reached
The national officers OF tho miners IN
committee yesterday strongly reiterated
their former declarations that under no
circumstances would they sign a scale NJ
anything less than an ADVANCE in wages
Of b.a5 per cent and President Perry OF the
I Illinois miners. had assured the operators
that no Illinois union or district would be
allowed to sign unless the advance was
given 10 every union miner IN the state
This ultmatum was received by tho
operators in silenc" and an adjournment
was al once taken until this morning when
the motion TO report disagreement was
at once offered by President Mitchell Of
the miners and carried unanimously.
joint Conference COnvenes.
The Joint conference Of the operators and
miners opened this afternoon at TomIlnson
hall President Mitchell OF the miners ar
rived early and took seat in front Of The
presiding ofhcers chair. Secretary W. Il.
Wilson took his seat on the ISatfom al
about the same time. The miners and Op-
orators quietly took their seats and by+s
O'Clock the hall was hlled.
II was 2.-o p m. when @. w Tracr.
chairman Of the joint conference, called the
meeting 10 order, The report Of the Joint
scale COMMITTEES was read by C. T.. scng-
gins, one OF the secretaries. The report IN
general sst forth the action of ths 3oinb