Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-16

tant conferences in the history of the
coal industry in the United States
and Canada. The convention will
formulate demands to be made by the
miners when their representatives
meet the mine owners to negotiate
new wage contracts to go into force
April I, next.
indianapolis, Ind, Jan. 16.-Because
the organized miners in both the BIZ
luminous and anthracite coal fields .
OF the country must make new wage .
contracts with the mine owners, 10
go into effect April l, it is necessary
for the United Mine Workers OF ,
America to put aside internal dissen-
sion, and prepare to struggle for ad- /
vancement, said John P White, presi- /
dent of the organization, in his an !
nual report to its convention today. /
we are on the eve of the eXpira- /
ton of our contracts, and the atten- /
ton of the membership and that Of
the entire country will be centered
upon the deliberations of this conven-
ton" said Mr. White. Il am most
seriously impressed with the RESPONSE
bility We assume, and it is a time
when each and every delegate should
thoroughly consider his duty toward
those he has the honor to represent.
l. will remain for this convention now,
as in the past, 10 outline a policy that
will best meet the needs and require
ments of our people and adopt a plan
that will rebound to the benefit of
our membership everywhere.
VICTORY IN PEACE.
Our scale committee will do we'll
to consider the responsibility that de-
wolves upon it when giving express
sion to policies that mean much to
the success of the United Mine Work
ers. So far as | am concerned, and
think I voice the sentiments of the
rank and file, it is my opinion that
our policy should be such as to leave
no doubt in the mind of any one that
there will be no reductions from exist
ing wage contracts and We should
earnestly strive for such advance
ments as it is within the range of pos
| sibilities to secure.
while we will never surrender the
right to strike, we should not lose
sight of the fact that some of the
greatest successes our organization
has ever achieved lay in the channels
ot peace. When | speak of peace, |
mean an enrolling peace where the
rights of our people are wholesomely
respected: a greater and broader rec
ognition of their just and legitimate
demands acknowledged and when we
can behold a great army of men in
diligently working out the problems
that seem difficult to overcome"
Of the condition of the union in the
anthracite field largely in Pennsyl-
vania, in the present crisis, President
White reported:
The problem of organizing the an
thracite mine workers and building up
a strong organization in that field has
been matter of serious concern to
cur movement for many years.
NEED FOR ORGANIZATION.
dency | discovered that there was
very little organization in the anthra-
cite region, and resolved TO do what
| could to revive the spirit of union
ism in these districts. A number of
organizers were selected-most of
whom were from the anthracite field
and placed to work there to try and
h.rfI
We have witnessed some Improvement,
conditions are not as We would like
TO see them.
The small membership reported in
the anthracite field indicates that the
: miners are Indifferent to their sur
roundings and their failure to join
the organization and support il is one
of the great reasons why they have
been unable to secure the conditions
they are demanding. With the ex-
piratiOn of the award in the anthra-
cite field April l, it is 10 be hoped
that they will realize the condition
/ that confronts them and join the or
/ ganization, thus making success pos
sible.
] 4At pa CSClAlotlNc S VI lhS III &C oil
thracite districts in convention at
/ Pottsville in November formulated
their demands, which Will be brought
/ TO your attention at the proper time"
I The president reported that efforts
were under way TO bring about a
joint conference between miners and
operators of the bituminous fields of
western Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to discuss
/ the terms of the new wage contract,
at the close of the present miners
convention.
DISAPPEARANCE OF VOTES.
OF the investigation of the alleged
/ disappearance OF about 10000 votes
cast for Mr.. White for president in
i the election of 1910, he said:
The attention of the international
organization was directed TO the com
plant of a number of local unions in
/ Illinois that their vote was not in
cluded in the international tellers' re-
/ port OF the 1910 election. | could
give no satisfactory explanation of
why the ypta NJ rho "a IocaI r-u;ors