Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-11-05

Indianapolis, Oct 3O.-The high ex-
ecutive council of the United Mine
Workers Of America in session here re-
fused to rescind the strike call for Fri
day at midnight, despite the warning
of the president and the nations i'm
perative need of fuel.
"A canvass of the entire situation
shows that a strike of bituminous
miners cannot be avoided" was the
way the formal message from the coun-
Gil to the public put it.
in a statement issued after a two
hour secret session between the men,
bers of the international executive
committee, the presidents Of the dis
trict organizations, and the general
committee on wage disputes, the door
was left open, however, for further
federal mediation.
Wilson Warning Unofficial"
The special sentence read: mo
communication was received by the in
ternational officers of the United Mine
Workers of America from either the
president or any other representative
of the federal government"
Later in the statement the miners
representatives assert that they will
respond at any time to a call for a
meeting (between themselves and the
operators) and will honestly endeavor
to work out wage agreement upon a
fair and equitable basis"
But that the mere fact that a meet
ing is called will not serve to annul
the strike order, as the president re-
quested, is made plain in the next sen
tence: "Such an agreement alone will
put the miners in operation and guar
antee the nation an adequate supply
OF coal"
Change Made in UItimatum.
This sentence was amended by the
strike council after a draft of the
statement was submitted by a special
committee. AS originally written it
said such action" alone would pre-
clude a strike.
According to Ellis Searles editor of
the United Mine Workers Journal
whom the strike council appointed to
meet representatives of the press the
change was made so that the public
thoroughly would understand the stu
alton.
I'm its first FORM" he explained
''the statement might have been con-
strued to mean that such action re-
ferred to the first part of the preceding
sentence (the call for the meeting)
rather than to the last (the reaching
of a SettlemenD, as was intended"
Def to President Unanimous.
That the council was of divided mind
only respecting the precise language in
which the presidents proposition
should be rejected, was indicated by
Mr. Searles' statement that nothing
except that one word was discussed at
the conference. Adoption in its final
form, he added, had been unanimous
The district presidents, members of
the wage committee, and other lesser
confereeS returned to their homes. but
members of the executive committee
and John L. Lewis, international presi-
dent. and Villain Green, international
secretary-treasurer. will remain in In
dianapolis. 1t was limited they expect
ed word from Washington.
That there is virtually no hope of
averting some sort of a strike was
made plain by several of the conferees
The statement follows:
1.-THE conference of United Mine
Workers, composed of members of the
scale committee of the central com
petitive district and the district presi-
dent, United Mine Workers of Ameri-
ca, gave most profound consideration
to the statement of the president of
the United States, which appeared in
the public press recently, relative to
the impending strike of bituminous
miners, set for November l.
"No communication was received by
the international officers of the United
Mine Workers of America from either
the president or any representative of
the federal government.
"a canvass of the entire situation
shows that a strike of bituminous
miners cannot be avoided.
"A regularly constituted convention
of representatives of the United Mine
Workers. held at Cleveland. O., on Sep
TENDER %. ordered a strike of bitumin-
Gus mine workers, to become effective
November L in the event wage
scale was not negotiated before that
time
THE highest authority in the organ