een the operators of the several
competitive districts. On the surface, the source of the friction was
the attempt made by the Ohio and Illinois operators to organize a
national coal operators' association to take the place of the several
autonomous district organizations. The Pittsburgh operators, however,
objected. They preferred the existing system of agreements under which
each district organization possessed a veto power, since then they could
keep the advantage over their competitors in Ohio and Indiana with which
they had started under the original agreement of 1898. The miners in
this emergency threw their power against the national operators'
association. A suspension throughout most districts of the central
competitive field followed. In the end, the miners won an increase in
wages, but the Interstate agreement system was suspended, giving place
to separate agreements for each district.

In 1908 the situation of 1906 was repeated. This time the Illinois
operators refused to attend the Interstate conference on the ground that
the Interstate agreement severely handicapped Illinois. As said before,
ever since 1897 payment in Illinois has been upon the run-of-mine basis;
whereas in all other States of the central competitive field the miners
were paid for screened coal only. With the operators of each State
having one vote in the joint conference, it can be understood why the
handicap against Illinois continued. Theoretically, of course, the
Illinois operators might have voted against the acceptance of any
agreement which gave an advantage to other States; however, against this
weighed the fact that the union was strongest in Illinois. The Illinois
operators, hence, preferred to deal separately with the United Mine
Workers. Accordingly, an Interstate agreement was drawn up, applying
only to Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

In 1910, the Illinois operators again refused to enter the Interstate
conference, but this time the United Mine Workers insisted upon a return
to the Interstate agreement system of 1898. On April 1, 1910, operations
were suspended throughout the central competitive field. By July
agreements had been secured in every State save Illinois, the latter
State holding out until September. This long struggle in Illinois was
the first real test of strength between the operators and the miners
since 1897. The miners' victory made it inevitable that the Illinois
operators should eventually reenter the In