The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1919-11-13
MINERS ABIDE BY
COURTS ORDER
NATIONWIDE STRIKE CALLED
OFF; OWNERS AND UNIONS
WILL MEET

for the final adjustment of the con-
troversy between the bituminous coal
operators and the United Mine Work
er of America, which resulted IN a
strike of 425,0O union miners and ac-
ton by the government in the federal
court, appeared in sight tonight.
While the representatives pf the
miners, who earlier in the day had
agreed to comply with the mandate
of United States District Judge A. b.
Anderson, and late today mailed an
,srder resembling the strike, were dis
fcussing the future policy of the Or
ganization, kilograms were received
!. from w. B. Wilson, Secretary OF the
United States Department of Labor,
and Thos.T. Brewster, chairman OF
tine operators scale committee, by
Jno. L. Lewis; a,ting president Of the
miners, inviting the miners represen-
tative into a conference.
Mr.. Lewis, on behalf of the mine
workers, accepted the invitation OF
SxGretary Wilson to meet the bitumi-
n6us operators of the country In
washington next Friday morning at
ii o'clock, and replied to Mr.. Brews-
ter, who requested meeting OF the
central competitive scale committee
with the operators of the district IN
Washington, Monday, November IT,
"to negotiate a contract to be in force
upon the termination of the contract
now in effect" that the miners already
had accepted the invitation OF Mr.
Wilson. Copies of the miners tele-
asrams to Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Brews-
ter were not available early tonight
but their contents were made public.
In commenting on the telegram
from Mr.. Brewster, Ellis Searles,
editor of the United Mine Workers
Journal and other officials of the Or
.sanization, who were under the I'M
preston that Mr.. Brewster's mes
sage was sent after he had received
Secretary Wilson's invitation, declar-
ed they saw in the operators offer
deliberate attempt to entrap the MIN
ers into a tacit acknowledgement that
tn .shington wage agreement was
still in force. The miners have con-
tended throughout the controversy
that the wage contract has expired.
at was a neat little political move
on the part of the operators" SAID
Mr.. Searles. "They believed we would
accept their proposal and in so doing
admit that the Washington wage
agreement was still operative. The
miners, however, accepted the offer OF
Secretary Wilson to meet him IN
Washington next Friday and merely
wired Mr.. Brewster to that effect.
Also Mr.. Wilson's message was timed
one hour earlier in filing than Mr..
Brewster's. We have maintained all
along that the Washington contract
died with the war activities and that
at present the mine workers have no
contract with the operators OF the
central competitive field"
It was said at the international
eaduuarters of the organization here
at practically all of the copies Of
he order, which called off the nation
wide bituminous coal strike were IN
the mails before the time limit set
by Judge Anderson, 6 o'clock this
evening. The recall order previously
had been submitted to the court, who
characterized it as good faith eff
fort" to comply with the courts man
date. This was after the general COM
mittee of the miners, composed OF
international officials, district presl-
! dents and members of the executive
hoard and scale committee had been
In session approximately eighteen
hours and at 4:10 this morning de-
cided to comply with the mandate OF
the court.
After the general committee, which
went into session at 2 o'clock this al
ternoon as a policy committee, had
decided to accept the invitation OF
Secretary Wilson and refuse that OF
MsHRrewster, the committee adjourn
X o'clock and many of the mem
bsl tyan to make preparations Tor
their ,homeward trips, those going to
Washington for the Friday meeting
making railroad reservations for the
East.
The Wilson invitation was not linn
tied to the scale committee OF the
mine workers as was The Brewster
proposal for aconference. William
Green secretary-treasurer OF the un-
ion. explained that every district IN
Ia ,.onpocpnf-