The Dolores star., 1919-10-31
MINERS CONSIDER.
PRESIDENT'SP PLEA
LEWIS CALLS MEETING TO CON.
FER ON PosTPoNEMENT
OF STRIKE.
DRY LAW IS VETOED
HOUSE IMMEDIATELY REpAssEs
1T BY A VOTE OF 17e
TO SIS.
Western Newspaper Union News Service

western Newspaper Union News Service
Springfield. ILL.,, Oct. 27.-Confronted
u! ihe demand of President Wilson
that thcs trike call, which would stop
production of soft coal in the United
states be rescinded, John l.. Lewis,
act'hg president of the United Mine
workers of America, tonight by tele-
graph invited twenty-five district pres
ldehis of coal producing states and
members of the miners scale commit
zee TO meet with the international ex-
ecutire board to confront the strike is.
suc.
The action of Mr.. Lewis he stated.
was prompted by n desire TO move
WIN tull deliberation in II situation
the seriousness of which cannot be
gainsaid.
ihirty-tWo members constitute the
tu'i scale committee of the central
competitive field, which comprises the
states of Indiana, Ohio. Illinois and
western PENNSYLVANIA.
District presidents and members of
'he wage scale committee are being
called in President Lewis said. to
counsel with the executive board by
reason of the Presidents statement.
what final action will be taken can
not promise to forecast"
MIR. Lewis said the strike order WAS
in effect and would be operative al
midnight Friday unless something
happened meanwhile to alter the sit,
uatiOn.
Ihe executive board would have au-
thority, he stated, to postpone or sus-
pehd the strike order, subject to the
Will of the membership of the union.
He declared, however, that the 5OO.-
0oo miners in the bituIninous field
would walk out to a man unless the
operators made concessions
THE statement of President Wilson
opposing the strike has thus far had
10 results so far nS we are concerned"
Lewis said. No word reached him, he
stated, from government sources dur
ing the day.
Lewis brands statements that coal
miners We're earning $40 to S15 n day
as absurd He said the average pay
of miners in the bituminous f eld for
the year 1918, which he declared was
the best twelve months in mine work
ers' annals, was Sl,22S year.
He declined to make ii statement as
to what the maximum earnings of II
miner under favorable circumstances
might be, but said the earnings of
"day men amounted to between S4.25
and So a day. These include track
layers, drivers, mechanics and labor
ers.
Coal diggers, he admitted, can make
more money than that. He explained,
however, that wages of miners were
curtailed by the fact that mines OPP
crate on the average only three or
four days n week.
This condition, he said, made neces-
sary shorter day and week in order
to furnish continuous employment, as
embraced in wage demands suggested
by miners early in the conferences.
Other demands include go per cent in
overtime and elimination of the strike
penalty clause.
Washington, Oct. 27.-President Will
son unexpectedly vetoed the prohibit
ton enforcement bill today, nnd with
in three hours the House had repnssed
1t over his veto by vote of 1I6 to 30.
The total vote was barely more than
majority of the entire membership.
The four Colorado congressman voted
to override the veto. Dry leaders In
the Senate Immediately began laying
plans to repass the bill there. They eX-
pect to ask unanimous consent for its
consideration tomorrow, claiming
enough votes to put 1t through. They
expect to act on it by Wednesday at
the latest.
It would not be difficult, the Pres-
dent held, for Congress to deal sepa-
rately with the two issues.
The veto hit Congress like crack
of lightning The House, getting on
Its feet again, deserted its leaders,
who wanted to defer consideration
until Thursday so as to round up all
the dry members. But the drys swept
into the chamber and showed there
was an overwhelming sentiment among
them to give the government ample
wenpons for dealing with the liquor
traffic, now Outlawed throughout the
land