Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-10-24

~AA ''
infantry and machine
gunners ready for riot
and strike duty. The
battalions will number
$500 men. Col. Peabody, chief Of
staff, said no actual entraining order
has been received, but the order indi.t
Gated the troops might be sent to
Pennsylvania and West Virginia,
Appeal to President
Washington, Oct. 24.-Final appeal
was made direct to President Wilson
today to prevent the strike of half
a million soft coal miners, called for
November /, after miners and opera
tors, meeting jointly with Secretary
Wilson had turned down two propo-
sitiOns to negotiate a new wage agree
ment.
While on the point of breaking up.
the two groups, needing the plea OF
Secretary Wilson, agreed to return at
four o'clock this afternoon to receive
message the secretary hoped TO
bring from the president.
Coming out of the meeting John l..
Lewis, president OF the United Mine
Workers of America said:
"The outlook is less. hopeful than
last night. We are returning to hear
what the president and the secretary
might say but there seems little
l. 4. H.,
| Both sides rejected the new wage
proposal Mr. Wilson then pleaded
with leaders not to break up, but to
return at o'clock stating that mean
while he would get in touch with the
White House The meeting was held
together while the two groups dis
cussed separately what course they
would take.
The operators would not accept be-
cause the miners refused to withdraw
the strike order and Mr.. Wilson then
came forward with still another pro.
posal for settlement on which both
sides Immediately went to work
This proved for straight increase
Of Is cents ton for pick mining
with an increase in the same ratio
for machines and other classes OF
labor. The proposal also provided
that there should be an eight hour
day from bank to bank" and half
holiday on Saturday the agreement
to be effective Nov. | and to continue
until March 81, 1922.
Some of the miners intimated that
Mr. Wilson's new proposal would not
be satisfactory saying that they had
been informed that the operators had
been willing to grant an increase
greater than Il percent the rate In
the secretary's proposal
Order Cheered by IT,, r. of L.
lIeoria, H., Oct. 24-Cheers from
the hundreds OF delegates to the Illi-
nOis state federation Of labor meet
ing greeted the reading this morning
of massage from Samuel Gompers.
in which the president of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor said that
conference soon would be held in
| Washington to take up several OF the
subjects suggested in the message
sent to him yesterday by the Illinois
convention Pres ident Gompers' tel
eeram was received after adjourn
ment of the convention last night and
did not reach the delegates until this
/ morning.
The Illinois federation has asked
that special convention of the fed
Grafton be held here for the purpose
Cf nerfectiug an alliance of the inter
national unions Of the United States
and Canada more effectively to fight
out the life and death struggle OF the
workers now in progress.
/ The date for the conference to be
/ set by the executive council has not
vet been determined
Plan Seizure fGovernment
| Charleston w Va, Oct. 24.-Gov.
| Cornwall today sent message 10
Prest. Lewis. of the United Mine
Workers in which he charged Sec
/ ond armed invasion of the Cayan val
ley coal district was being planned
bv the miners of the Cabin Creek coal
section. The governor also charged
arms and ammunition had been dis
tlibuted among the miners and there
had been much talk of shooting pub
lic officials and taking CONTROL of the
government.
Lewis Denies Report
Washington Oct. "a, The reported
uuor 'anuun 81 sisulm 10 YBaLqlno
IL. Lewis. after reading the Charles.
ton dispatch which stated the gov.
ernor had notified him Of serious con.
dtions in the Cabin Creek section.