Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-11-26
DRASTIC ACT
JNUPHOLO|NC
COURT ORDER
News From West Comes
as Cabinet Reaches
Final Agreement.

Sheridan, Wy0, Nov. e.
Scores Of cOaa miners who de.
clined to return to work, were
rounded up by United States
soldiers, in Csrneyville, WyO,
and were placed on interurban
cars for removal to the county
jail In Sheridan. All other
miners In the town were or.
,dered by Major Warren Dean,
military commander Of North.
ern Wyoming to return to work
this afternoon.
Washington, Nov. 26.-Sec-
retsry Baker said today II was
~lnconcelvable" that an army
officer would order the arrest
Of coal miners for their failure
to return to work ~ reported
from Sheridan, Wyo. He added,
however, that he could take no
action until he had received IN
Official report on the incident.
Warrington. Nov. ga definite
and ilnal statement ON behalf Of
the government in the coal wage
controversy will be made to the
operators and miners late today
BY Fuel Administrator GARFIELD. (
Final decision was reached by
the cabinet st tie meeting today.
d.. Carfeld and Secretary Wilson
said. The fuel administrator called
. Joint session Of the operators and
miners for s p. m. to receive the
decision.
Wages Held Downf
While neither Dr.. Garfield nor
members Of the cabinet would say
what the cabinets decision was, it
was reported that the fuel admins
traitor had won his point for an in
crease of from 20 to rs per cent in
miners wages. as against the 81
per cent proposed by Secretary Will
kson and agreed to by the miners.
DR.. Garfield's statement to the
miners and operators was expected
to be somewhat In the nature Of an
ultimatum. The 20 to Is per cent
increase was understood to be ac-
ceptable to the operators, but grave
doubt was expressed as to whether
the miners would approve it.
Let Operators Pay.
After the cabinet meeting there
was a somewhat general impression
that-th operators would be called
upon to bear practically all Of the
proposed wage increase but Of
ficials withheld comment.
Thus far the position of the mine
union officials has been that they
could not accept anything less than
the original demands of the Cleve-
land convention for a 60 per cent
increase in wages and a 30-hour
week without the approval of that
convention. Should they hold to
Nthis view after meeting DR.. Gar
field said it might be that several
weeks would elapse before a final
settlement was reached.
Controversy in Cabinet.
The controversy in the cabinet
centers around the proposals OF
Fuel Administrator Garfield that in
computing wage increases the ad-
vances made to all miners in the
central competitive field be taken
into consideration and Of Secretary
Wilson that the increase to pick
miners be the basis.
Mr.. Wilson's proposal was sup
ported today by John l.. Lewis, act
ing president of the United Mine
Workers Of America, who said the
calculation OF wage advances since
1913 should be based on rates
throughout the country and not
merely in the central competitive
field.
Always Has Been Basis.
Pick mining has been taken as a
basis Of every wage contract, in
cluding the 1917 Washington agree
ment, Mr.. Lewis said. Taking is
sue with the operators statemen,
that only 20 per cent OF the miners
in the central territory use the
pick, Mr.. Lewis said the number oil
men in the four states, Pennsylva
mia, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, or
the pick and machine work were
practically equal.
In the country, as whole, he
continued, about 45 per cent ol
tonnage produced is dug out with
q pick. but as high as 60 per cen,
of the total number of employees
are on pick work. This disparity
was due. he said. to the high pro.
ductivity Of machine methods.
Statistics compiled by state la
Dor departments, Lewis said, show
that only q per cent Of the EN-.
ployes in the central field are day
laborers, instead Of 40 per cent q,
claimed by the operators.
Cabinet members spent all o.
yesterday in session-without, how
ever. enlisting the actual participa
tion Of President Wilson in the pro
: cedprA !,