Arizona republican., 1919-10-30
UNION OFFICERS
 D|SbAND TO TAKE UP STRIKE WORK
Reiterate Contention That Operators Alone Are At Fault-Want New Wage Agreement Only - Give Final Statement"
[Republican A. p. Leased wirel

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Oct 29. - After pronouncing a strike of bitumi- nous coal miners inevitable and blam- ing the operators for forcing a walk out that may involve half a million men directly, the conference of of- ficials of the United Mine Workers of America wound up its business to- night and dissolved. District presi- dents and members of the scale com mittee left for their homes to direct the locals in the strike which is to be- come effective at midnight Friday
 Only a new wage agreement to re- place the one which they claim ex- pired with the war emergency is wished by the union, it's leaders em- phasizing that call from the mine owners for a joint meeting would find the organization ready to negotiate on any or all of the demands formulated at the Cleveland convention of the union.
 Give "FinaI" Statement
 These and other points in the unions position were set forth in a statement prepared by committee of the con- ference and adopted by unanimous vote. The statement was character ized as the final word" from union forces and John l.. Lewis, acting presi- dent, and other officials referred ques- tioners to the statement as embodying everything that could be said and as answering all rumors as to motives actuating the union.
 The statement brought out that no communication had been received from the national administration and that the union had knowledge of President Wilson's attitude toward the strike only through newspaper accounts. It combatted the presidents claim that the strike was illegal by asserting that the right to strike or quit work had been upheld by the courts and that in leaving their jobs the men would ex- ercise constitutional prerogative.
 Charges that the miners were en- deavoring to force naturalization of the mines were indignantly denied and again the language of the statement that "all of their demands were in- corporated in the wage proposal was quoted.
 Emphasis was laid on the last sen tense of the statement as follows
 "The issue has been made and if il must be settled upon the field of in- dustrial battle, the responsibility rests fairly and squarely upon the coal barons alone"
 Ready To Negotiate
 The word If" was explained as significant of the readiness to negoti- ate. While conceding that there was no way of preventing the strike, the unions spokesman, Ellis Searles argued that with the strike in actua effect the operators demand that tht strike order be withdrawn as a con. dition precedent to negotiation, wal automatically wiped out.
 We fully expect this difficulty tt be settled >as all difficulties in tn, coal mining industry have been settled for 30 years-by direct negotiations between the owners and workers" h, said. When that point will be reached we do not attempt to say. But thu strike will be so big and have suci far-reaching effects that we do no believe it can last very long before { crisis is reached"
 Tomorrow the executive board 0 the union will meet to clear up a biz batch of business incidental to th' strike and various routine affairs which have been accommodating.