The Portland daily press., 1900-09-22

lS Is an absurditysfron business po,nt
- VIZ" 10 even assume that Markle or
a"y ooner Individual operator could con-
vinue 10 pay higher rate OF wages than
.iAS 0olh lhpeOlOors. the railroad companies.
ior any considerable length of time. and
Ia Iact,it Is Well known Within the min
ing regions that the individual operators
moulding Markle, impose conditions of
employment upon their mon which In
some Instances are more obieotionahIa
Chan those imposed sven by the large
corporatinos. For these reasons 7 hold
thaU 1t would be fatal mistake for ne ~
consent to any partial settlement~ot thts
s0rlke, or to agree to other than a oanara,
resumption OF work. This is a fi0bt of
ali Tor each ana each for all and to ba enc
cesslul, there must be no break in o,r limo
OF action. 1t ought to 80 without SAVING
at this late date that I am a stannob
advocate Of the principles of arbitration
ana did 1 not personally favor these min.
ciples, the laws of the organization of
which am President, make arbitration
one of It's cardinal tenets
In Indianapolis last January $50 oner-
aVor5 and 75O miners delegates. renresent-
ing an annual output of 7O. .O00. coo tons OF
plVuminous coal in western PennssvIva-
MA, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois met in
conferences and mutually agreed that
Ihe miners earnings should advance %
S0-l0O per cent.
AS a result of this conference and otbar
similar ones in the States west of the
mississippi river and south or the Ohio
river, 1900 mine workers receive an
advance in their earnings aggregatinv
SlS,O OOO in one year, thus precluding
even the possibility OF a strike for one
full year, at the end OF which they will
meet IN joint conference 10 renew the CON
tract and make such changes in the
wages paid as are justified and warranted
! by the cost of production and the values
OF coal IN the markets. Isut because T am
aware that there is serious If misguided
repugnance on the part Of the railroad
carriers in the anthracite field to reeo0.
nlze our organization or It's officers, the
mine workers organization repeat what
have publicly and privately stated be-
fore, that and my official colleagues will
not ask to be recognized. orSconsulted by
the mine owners If the officers or repre-
sentattves Of these great railroad compa-
Mes VIII select committees of their own
employees and come to a peaceful agree
ment provided, howe yer. that such con
ferences between the various companfes
and committees representing their own
employees VIII meet in separate halls in
the same city and on the same date. This
provision is inserted because heretofore.
when committees presented grievances TO
any Of these great companies, they were
invariably met with the argument that
the company could not remedy the wrongs
complained of because competing compa-
MES enforced conditions OF employment
not more favorable to the mine workers
than their own. Such action on the part
of the nine great railroads would of
course, deprive the United Mine Work
ers Of much of the credit to which we be-
lieve it to be justly entitled but we place
far above any. consideration of any indi-
viduaI or organiz zatfOn, the question OF
what shall be for the good of all anthra-
cite workers, their wives and their chill
dren in this supreme crisis.
These are my sincere expressions, and
appeal to an impartial and Just public to
judge between us and the nine railroad
presidents If they shall refuse to meet in
a spirit Of fairness this proposition of
man whose chief object is to help tighten
the weary burden OF struggling, earnest
humanity.
(Signed)
John MITCHELL, President United Mine
Workers OF America.