In Illinois the union had but a handful of members when the strike started, but the miners struck to a man.  The tie-up was practically complete except in West Virginia.  That State had early become recognized as the weakest spot in the miners’ union’s armor.  Notwithstanding the American Federation of Labor threw almost its entire force of organizers into that limited area, which was then only beginning to assume its present day importance in the coal mining industry, barely one-third of the miners were induced to strike.  A contributing factor was a more energetic interference from the courts than in other States.  All marching upon the highways and all assemblages of the strikers in large gatherings were forbidden by injunctions.  On one occasion more than a score of men were sentenced to jail for contempt of court by Federal Judge Goff.  The handicap in West Virginia was offset by sympathy and aid from other quarters.  Many unions throughout the country and even the general public sent the striking miners financial aid.  In Illinois Governor John R. Tanner refused the requests for militia made by several sheriffs.

The general strike of 1897 ended in the central competitive field after a twelve-weeks’ struggle.  The settlement was an unqualified victory for the union.  It conceded the miners a 20 percent increase in wages, the establishment of the eight-hour day, the abolition of company stores, semi-monthly payments, and a restoration of the system of fixing Interstate wage rates in annual joint conferences with the operators, which meant official recognition of the United Mine Workers.  The operators in West Virginia, however, refused to come in.

The first of these Interstate conferences was held in January, 1898, at which the miners were conceded a further increase in wages.  In addition, the agreement, which was to run for two years, established for Illinois the run-of-mine[53] system of payment, while the size of the screens of other states was regulated; and it also conceded the miners the check-off system[54] in every district, save that of Western Pennsylvania.[55] Such a comprehensive victory would not have been possible had it not been for the upward trend which coal prices had taken.

But great as was the union’s newly discovered power, it was spread most unevenly over the central competitive field.  Its firmest grip was in Illinois.  The well-filled treasury of the Illinois district has many times been called upon for large contributions or loans, to enable the union to establish itself in some other field.  The weakest hold of the United Mine Workers has been in West Virginia.  At the end of the general strike of 1897, the West Virginia membership was only about 4000.  Moreover, a further spread of the organization met with unusual obstacles.  A large percentage of the miners of West Virginia are Negroes or white mountaineers.  These have proven more difficult to organize than recent Southern and Eastern European immigrants, who