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Show ILLINOIS MINERS DENOUNCE LEWIS SPRIXG FIELD. III. July 2?. At a mass meeting of 3,00 miners here today, to-day, T. L. Lewh. national president of the Mine Workers and the committee commit-tee which was selected to effect a compromise of the Peoria agreement were vigorously denounced. lohn 11. Walker, slate president, was the principal speaker Resolutions Resolu-tions were adopted condemning the national president for the proposed compromise; continuing the present scale, protesting against the engineers engi-neers and pumpmen returning to work, protesting becaude district Xo. 12 whs not given representation on the committee com-mittee of seven for the adjustment of the affairs of the Illinois men and approving the course taken by those who oppose the compromise Acceptance of the terms of Ihe compromise, com-promise, according to President Walker, Wal-ker, meant acknowledgement by the miners cf Illinois that they are defeated. de-feated. ' Agreement and Its Effect. ' It youf adopt this contract" said he, "you w.ll have to work on until the operators get ready to give you more. If the miners want that kind of an agreement, then they can get somebody to write that kind of an agreement for them he said by way of letting them know he would re sign if the LevIs proposition was accepted. Duncan McDonald, secre-t:rv-treaMirer of ihe state organization, organiza-tion, sai I the operators of Williamson and Franklin counties were well able to pay the demands of the miners of those two counties because the strike of two years at-o In Alabama was caused by the operators of those conn ties sending coal to Alabama at such a low rote the miners there were unable to dispose of their coal and a reduction reduc-tion of 20 per cent in wages was announced an-nounced by the operators He said the j-anie thing held good In Missouri, where the operators were unable to sell coal fr;m their mines in their own home towns. Railroads Control Mines. Mr. McDonald said the Illinois Central, Cen-tral, ihe Wabash and the Missouri Pacific Pa-cific systems and the Big Four and the Xew York Central systems owned and controlled coal fields in Illinois ami made Dm re money by hauling coal in the stale than If their mines were v orking. He gave the tirst announcement announce-ment of n check- for $l5.0un received from the national headquarters of ihe order, saying this means 1-2 cents for each minor in the state. Cries of "send It bnck, send it back ' greeted the Announcement. Mr McDonald said there would be I.Oiiii more men working In Illinois today If the Chi cao and Indlnnapelis conference had not br?en called. Returns have been received from twenty locals through the entire state on the referendum ote. It Is estimated by President Walker Walk-er and Secretary-Treasurer McDonald that the vote now stands almost unanimous unan-imous against tho adoption of the com promise |
