The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-18
cA.N c . R
SERIOUS PROBLEMS FOR
 UNITED MINE WORKERS

Indianapolis. Ind. Jan. tss-rhe Unl- ted Mine Workers Of America. the iarE- est ainGla. labor body in the United states. will begin It's annual convention sn Temiinson Hall Tuesday.
 Practically ali of the see delegates who win comprise the convention have arrived ia the city. They represent the 100000 organized miners .aeatterea over Ohio. peHasylvania. Indiana. tilineis, Iowa. Kentucky. West Virginia Ala hama. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Arkanaaa, Kanaaa Oklahoma. Virginia. Texas and several other states.
 The general feeling among the dele- gates is that the eohvention this year Wiii ha tae most important ta, the his- tery Of the organization. h addition to tho usuais amount of roatlaa busi- ness and sthe consideration Of the wage n0aia. the eeAvention faces serious in- tornai disaeaaiens whteh threaten the very existence of the organization,
 One of the Firat mattera to be taken up will ha the report of Che teliera in- kfuated with tha taak of counting the ballots tn the recent election of inter- national officers. Whether President rhelhas L. Lewis win succeed himaelf ar he succeeded by John If, Walker of Itlineis, who was the opposing eandi-
 
 The h@ht between Lewis and Walker was the most hitter In the history Of sthe United Mine Workers. Lewis was accused ef usinE hts force af organ iaera far campaign purposes. while eth' CT accusations were made that former President John Mitchell, Congressman VI. hs Wilson. former Secretary, and w. D, Ryan, present Secretary rreaa. NFer, were all bending theiF efforts to accomplish the election of Walker.
 Both Lewis and Walker believe they AaEe wen the election and when the matter 4s introduced ia the convention, t probably will he the signal for bit '. ter htflte. Lewia says he feels eenti- dent that he has been Fe-eleeted by q very swesnihE majority Illinois, Iowa And Indiana are said te have gwen their support to Walker and ghe lat ter'H friends are claiming his election ny q rather small but stun subStan- tial majority,
 inaamueh as a majority of votes arc neeeRaary fer election, the indications are that the Neeent hallotins dld not result in the election Of either a na- tiaAal Vice President or q national See. retary Treasurer, There were seven candidates for tho vice. presidency and ave for the secretary Fy-treasuFersaiin,
 The preaent agreement between the anthracite niue workers and the aper- atona win expire April T, fhe eenven- tteA wlll dlaeuaa the demands te be presented by the mlners, The eonven- 5tl0n proper will not nX the wage scale. 'Thls wtli he left Co the joint confer enoe, when the miners and operators wttl meet wttA equal representation to agree.
 tt is already evident that the roach |. anG of an agreement thls year will be a matter of much dtpeuity, Demands similar te those which led te che biE atrtke of 1908 aud the ak weeks "sus. pension" of 1906 have already been drafted by a committee af the miners unien, tf they ara inslsted upon there ia certain Co he rupture, r6presentar eivoe of the operators say, as thay will act grant them,
 The new sec Of demands. which were submitted to the conference uS tho mtners' union at Scranton last fall ta- cludea many which the Anthracite Strike Commission ot 1909 declined ta grant, and which were renewed in lSoG, The trouble ln 1906 ended by the ex . tendon for three years of che award Of the Strike Commission,
 what che minera destre most, and what the operators declare they never win agree to, is the check on syS- ten,. by which the operators would un- aortAke ta collect dues for the unton
 
 the employees carn4nss,
 FtFat tn the list ot new demands Ia one which polnta ta the abolition aS the Consolidation Board, which now acts as asPeFmaReht arbitration eeuhetl Co settle all diSnutaS, The seeoad demand ls faa the complete recognition af tao United AtAe Workers af America aA .. paFty Co negotiate q wage contract anu for the virtual adeptiaR of tho "eheek ang-' AYateHA
 TAs third. fourth and d'afth demands in the list prepared for the miners committee cali for fewer hours. hisher wages, and the payment et contract miners by weight exclusively. Aneth- CT question af Importance te he settled Co q Q duration Ng whatever agreement 10 made between operators aud mine workers The iatter sUsgest eae year, The operators object te tAts on the ground that if lJ were adopted it would mean the renewal ef negotiations every Near, with the possibility es the aeso. eAtiaAs eadlas in strike