The Washington herald., 1922-03-09
ILLINOIS MINERS
DEMAND JOINT
PARLEY AT ONCE
Threat to Seek Separate
Wage Agreement Sent
President Lewis.

ST. LOUIS, Mo, March S.-Frank
L. harrington, president OF the IL
linois Miners, served notice on the
international officers Of the Mine
workers Union today that unless
President John L. Lewis succeeds
In winning joint conference with
coal operators before March 81, he
VIII open negotiatfons with the IL
linois operators for a State wage
agreement.
This action. in defiance of the or
ders of the international executive
board of the union is considered
as the most significant step to halt
the threatened coal strike set for
April l. yet taken. 1t is not be-
lieved by coal men here that a
joint conference of the miners ana
operators of Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois can be ar
ranged by Secretary Davis that will
lead to an agreement, owing to the
first stand Of the Pittsburgh opera
tors against any further pariey
with the miners. Wage reductions
have been, posted in Pennsylvania,
and operators in other States are
following this lead In the mean
time the miners are voting for a
strike in practically all local unions
heard from, and the final result is
expected to be Overwhelmingly IN
favor of a walkout.
Other Steps May Follow.
So the stand of Farrington may
lead to other efforts to settle the
controversy by States, despite the
opposition OF Lewis. Farrington's
telegram to William Green, secre-
tary-treasurer of the international
union. follows in part:
Answering your telegram of
March Z. ! advise that II is the
opinion of the executive board. dis
trict No. IL. that the action of the
international executive board is
presumptious and impertinent and
we urge the release of your tele-
gram to the press as a plain at
tempt to put the Illinois mine
workers in false position before
the mine workers of the country.
'1t is regrettable that President
Lewis and the international execu-
tive board can discern nothing but
wrong in everything we in Illinois
attempt to do. If IL is wrong to
ask for a decision of our. superior
officers, then we stand convicted;
but IL it is not wrong, then we
should not be misrepresented be-
fore the mine workers of the coun-
try. We hold no brief for the I'LL
nois coal operators, but we do feel
that in answering our telegram of
March the TRADE launched against
the Illinois operators by President
Lewis was entirely uncalled for.
Attendance Volunteered.
THE Illinois operators volunteered
to attend both the Pittsburgh and
Cleveland interstate meetings, both
of which were cancelled 10y Pres
ident Lewis. Then the Illinois op-
orators requested that We open ne
gotiations with them. as required by
section 32 of our State agreement.
"As an evidence of our co-opera-
ton, cite you 10 the fact that when
President Lewis called for the Pitts
burgh and Cleveland conferences. we
persuaded the Illinois operators to
agree to attend both conferences, and
We shall continue to cooperate so
long as there is any hope Of bring
ing about an interstate conference.
But of one thing you may be sure.
and that is that we are not going
to agree to any drifting policy, that
has but one purpose. that being
suspension OF work on April 4, and
IL an interstate conference is not
arranged or such a conference is not
In prospect previous to March 81,
We intend to open negotiations with
the Illinois operators as required by
section 80 Of our State contract.
I'VE do not intend to drift into
a strike merely for the purpose Of
allowing some Of us to get our pic
lures in the movies In face of the
fact that a meeting with the Illi-
nois operators may bring about
satisfactory agreement and onet that
will save our membership from q
demoralizing and disastrous strike. At
any rate, we shall insist that our
action be determined by the COM
mittee created by the international
convention ipitead Of by the inter-
national executive board. This tele-
gram has been read to our district
executive boasd and has been unan-
imously adopted by that body"