Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-28
WARM Time IN
Miners MEETING
JOHN p. WHITE is BELIEVED 70
HAVE A MAJORITY OF DEL
EeATEs WITH HIM.

Des Moines, Oct 27.-(Special)-
At the miners convention this morn
Ing Jacob Ritter criticised John P.
White for paying the expenses of the
members of the minority Of the Cen
terville union here. Whites friends
say five of the seven members of the
executive board voted for the expense.
The White matter has not come to
vote. White appears to have a major
ity of the delegates with him.
Mr.. White, In his report to the cou.
vention, laid the blame for most of the
trouble which has arisen in the dis
trict to the dual authority which has
been exercised since he last took I'D
the work of president in the spring Of
the present year.
He charged that since last sprine
There have been representatives OF
the national organization at work
within the district without the consent
and often without the knowledge of
the district officials. He let it be
plainly known that he considered this
an attempt of his enemies among the
national officials to discredit him and
to wrest control of the state situation
out of his hands. Several times he re
| ferred to an international organizer
| who had been ct work. No names
We're mentioned, but it is well known
to the delegates to the convention
| that Jacob Ritter, an appointee -oi
| National President T. L. Lewis, as or
ganizer and last year an unsuccessful
opponent of Whites for the presi
\ Ne ;et, iof Sc tI1
ter is known to be a great friend Of
District Secretary and Treasurer Harry
| Baker, and is said to be opposed to
every move which White makes.
| White Not on Trial.
| President White called particular at
tention to the fact that it is Baker and
Archibald who are on trial in this
meeting and not himself He said that
in. the heat Of the controversy many
had come to think that the charges
were lodged against him, but he de
clared this was a grievous error.
4 The charges made by Gott against
Baker assert that Baker declared tc
/ the Centerville meeting that John P
White was heading conspiracy from
the national convention at Indianapo
| lis on down through the local unions
| for complete control and was using
such men as Gott to accomplish his
purpose.
These charges were once investi
gated by a committee composed O
John H. Walker of Illinois and VIII
liam Kramer of Bolton, Iowa, for Gott
and w. w White and D. A. Shelter
for Baker and Archibald. The foul
were supposed to choose fifth mem
Der to complete their number. Blu
this commission failed to select an
other member, and instead returned {
report declaring that all charges wer,
false ard that the best thing to d;
was to drop the matter This repor
has proved unsatisfactory because
cleared no one and was not legal I'm
| der the motion which created it.
Instead of waiting for the action 0
the governing board Of the district thu
/ Centerville local has gone ahead will
trials against several members, includ
ing Gott and some of these charge
are still pending.
Say Danger Is Great.
That the effect of the dispute with
in the ranks Of the Iowa district i
far reaching and that the estrange
ment has grown to such proportion
that if permitted to continue it vii
ruin the organization was one of tn
features brought out by the report.
THE records Of this Office shoy
ample proof that this is true" sal,
/ President White "At present it is al
utter impossibility in many places t
effect a settlement on a dispute q
small consequence. 1t would appea
1 from what knowledge that we hav
! that the operators are taking advar
tage of this internal trouble, and
3 we are going to remain divided ou
organization will be powerless to e1
ercise its rights in the coming import
ant conference with the operators mex
spring"