Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1922-07-27

miner can get Stlcn q cert1ncate unless
he can submit evidence that he has
had Mt least two years experience as
miner or with miner. Moreover,
the 10000 miners Of the state are 100
per cent organized. There had been
some chance that their president,
Frank Harrington, would at the proper
time push the idea of seperate state
agreement, but operators said this
hope was dispelled by the springing Of
the Washington plan. r
North Dakota is confronted with
crisis that is causing almost a panic
among the residents, and the con-
ditions there are peculiar. The state
depends almost wholly on Ignite from
the mines within it's borders. The
miners. according to Governor Nestos,
quit on the national call ard not be
cause of any local grievances. The
Ignite fields, he says, have no eco
nomic bearing on the btumln0us or an
thracite fields, and he believes if they
could be placed in separate category
and the operators permitted to deal
directly with the district leaders, "the
mines could be reopened peacefully
rather than by methods which might
result in Violence" Nestos asked
President Harding to use such means
as he deems consistent to persuade
the United Mine Workers of America
to settle the North Dakota problem in
that way. 5...
President Lewis of the mine work.
ers was not disturbed, apparently, by
the PRONUNCIATION of the Presidents
plan. He said that an immediate re-
suit Of any attempt to operate mines
by non-union labor would be the quit
ting of the maintenance workers.
which would mean the speedy flooding
of the mines. This would need no
strike order.
Lewis added that there were more
men out than when the strike started
sixteen weeks ago and that they
would continue to refrain from work,
"in peaceful and orderly fashion,.
That their methods are not always
peaceful was demonstrated at Clifton
Vile, w. Va, where large band of
marching strikers from Pennsylvania
encountered sheriff's posse and
killed the sheriff and four other men.
EOR several days it looked as If the
shipments strike might be settled
amlcably through the negotiations in
stituted by Chairman Hooper of the
labor board. Assurance was given,
specifically to the maintenance of
way men, that the board would grant
re-hearlngs on wage disputes, and 1t
was believed this not only would keep
those workers from going out but also
would be made applicable to the other
disaffected unions. Moreover, Presi-
dent Cradle of. the maintenance men
said Senator Cummins, who is chair
man of the interstate commerce COM
mittee of the senate, had advised him
that "he is going to hold hearings Inn
mediately on disputed points of the
transportation act, principally to ascer-
tain how the law may be. amended so
that the living wage principle would
be made clear and SO that every en-
ployee would be guaranteed a living
wage"
All this looked very suspicious, and
then up jumped the question Of senior.
ity and put the negotiations on the
blink. The shopmen insisted that If
they returned to work their seniority
rights must be restored, and the. car
riers fatty refused to yield to this de.
mand. Both sides set forth their
arguments on this point, which have
been heard before in many a strike,
and ~ both stood firm, Chairman