The representative., 1900-09-27
REAL ENEMIES
NOT THE OPERATORS, BUT THE
RAILROADS, SAYS PRESI-
DENT MITCHELL.
ENT NINE OWNERS AS FELL
Low MARTYRS.

Low MARTYRS.
HAZLETON, Pa, Sept. 22.-President
Mitchell last night issued the follow
ing:
Open Letter to the Public.
"Hazleton, Pa, Sept. 21.-Fully con-
scious of the vast public interests in
vOlved by the great contest now being
waged between organized capital and
under-paid labor, and as much has been
said and written UPON the subject of
arbitration in the present anthracite
coal strike, as president of the United
Mine Workers of America, am impelled
to define my own attitude and the atti-
tude of my official striking mine work
ers toward the coal operators, In way
SO clear and definite as to leave no fur
ther misunderstanding.
THE striking miners recognize as
their real opponents in this struggle for
slight ameliOratiOn of the hard, grind
ing condition of the miners life, nine
are: Pennsylvania Railroad company,
Alexander ]. Cassall, president; Le-
high Valley Railroad system, Fred Wal
ters, president; Delaware & Hudson
railroad, R. M. Oliphant, president;
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Rail
road company, w. H. Truesdale, presi-
dent; Central Railroad company of New
Jersey, ]. H. Maxwell, president; Phil
adelphia & Reading Railway company,
Joseph H. Harris, president; Erie rail-
road and New York, SusQuehanna &
Western railroad, F. B. Thomas presi-
dent; Delaware. Susquehanna & Schuyl-
kill Railroad company, Irving Sterns,
president New York, Ontario & West
ern railway, Thomas B. Fowler, presi-
dent.
THE SOLE CARRIERS.
these nine railroad corporations, be-
sides producing approximately u per
cent of the hard coal, are the sole car
riers to tidewater Of all coal mined In
the anthracite field Of Pennsylvania, and
from 40 to 68 per cent per ton, according
to the size Of the coal, is made.
"Increditable as it may appear, they
charge three times as much to carry q
ton Of anthracite coal 100 miles as is
charged to carry bituminous ton OF
coal the same distance.
so exorbitant are the rates that the
legitimate profits which should be
credited to the mining departments OF
these railroads are absorbed by freight
rates and as a consequence their coal
properties are made to show a very
small profit on their capitalization.
If this is the state of affairs with
the railway mining departments, what is
the condition of the Independent opera
tors? Is 1t not matter Of reason that
he can do nothing which his railway
master will not commend?, Is 1t not a
matter of public notoriety that he does
do nothing that the railways do not
sanction?
RAILROADS REAL ENEMIES
operators see in the railroad monopolies
their great enemies, whether or not the
individual operators feel themselves free
to make common cause against these
railroad systems. In speaking for the
100000 mine workers, this day on strike
recognize these railroads as our real
enemies, and name their presidents as
the men responsible for the refusal to
arbitrate or even confer upon the differ
ences which have grown up, between
them and the organization / represent
but between them and their own
employees, who through delegates select
ed by themselves, met in convention in
the city of Hazleton on Aug. 13, and
framed list of grievances which were
mailed to the general superintendent
of the mining departments Of these rail
roads. accompanied by an invitation ta
meet In joint convention on Aug. q
for the purpose of discussing, and, il
possible, agreeing upon such changes in
the scale of mining and conditions OF
employment rs were warranted Oy the
conditions of the coal industry. But tc
our chagrin and disappointment, the
cordial invitation extended was not even
acknowledged by those in charge of the
coal departments
GROUND FOR STRIKE.
"These grievances, which the miners
recited in their circular. formed the
ground for the present strike, and be.
cause the railroads are the real masters
against whom we are making this peace.
full, passive struggle, we can only regard
such Independent operators as G. B
Markle & Co. in the light of fellow vic.
tins with ourselves, suffering under ex.
cessive freight rates as we suffer from
low wages and inhuman conditions OF
employment, and we should regard ar
Ditration as absolutely calculated to ad-
vance the cause of the great body oi
anthracite workers, but on the contrary
to bring their certain defeat, for even
were the board Of arbitration In, say
the Markle case, to award all that the
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