Cheyenne record., 1919-10-30
LEWIS CALLS MEETING TO CON.
FER ON PosTPoNEMENT
OF STRIKE.
DRY D Law IS VETOED
HOUSE IMMEDIATELY REPAssEs
1T ~ a VOTE or ire
TO s..
western Newspaper Union Now. s.ryic..

western Newspaper Union News Service.
Springfield, ILL.,, Oct. 2I.-Confronted
by the demand Of President Wilson
that thes trike call, which would stop
production Of soft coal In the United
States be rescinded, John l.. Lewis,
acting president of the United Mine
Workers of America, tonight by tele-
graph invited twenty-five district pres
idents OF. coal producing states and
members of the miners scale commit
tee to meet with the international ex-
ecutive board to confront the strike is.
sue.
The action of Mr.. Lewis, he stated,
was prompted by desire to move
with full deliberatiOn in situation
the seriousness of which cannot be
gainsaid.
ThIrty-two members constitute the
full scale committee of the central
competitive field, which comprises the
states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and
western Pennsylvania
District presidents and members of
the wage scale committee are being
called in," President Lewis said, to
reason of the Presidents statement.
What final action will be taken can
not promise to forecast"
Mr.. Lewis said the strike order was
in effect and would be operative at
midnight Friday unless something
happened meanwhile to alter the sit
uation.
The executive board would have au-
thOrity, he stated, to postpone or sus-
pend the strike order, subject to the
will of the membership of the union.
He declared, however, that the 5OO,.
600 miners in the bituminous field
would walk out to man unless the
operators made concessions.
"The statement of President Wilson
opposing the strike has thus far had
no results SO far as 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 SIS IL day
as absurd" He said the average pay
Of miners in the bituminous field for
the year 1918, which he declared was
the best twelve months In mine work
ers' annals, was Slips & year.
He declined to make n statement as
to what the maximum earnings of Il
miner under favorable circumstances
might be, but said the earnings OF
,<...J t., hot
and $5 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 Op,
crate on the average only three or
four days a week.
This condition, he said, made neces.
sary a 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 80 per cent in.
crease in wages; time and u half for
overtime and elimination of the strike
penalty clause.
Washington, Oct 27.-President Will
son unexpectedly vetoed the prohibi-
ton enforcement bill today, and with
in three hours the House had repassed
1t over his veto by vote of 1T6 to 55.
The total vote was barely more than a
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 it through. They
expect to act on 1t by Wednesday at
the latest.
It would not be difficult, the Presi-
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
weapons for dealing with the liquor
traffic, now outlawed throughout the
land.