The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-22
HIS STATEMENT
TO THE PUBLIC
President Mitchell, of the Mine
Workers Union, Has Addressed
an Open Letter on Situation.

BY Exclusive Wire from The Associated Press.
Hazleton, Sept. 21.--President Mitch
ell tonight issued the following open
letter to the public:
Hazleton, Sept. 2l-Fully conscious Of the vast
public interests involved by the great contest
now being waged between organized capital and
underpaid labor and much has been said and
wittcn upon the subject Of arbitration in the
present anthracite coal strike as president OF
the United Mine Workers of America | i'm.
PEELED to define my own attitude and the atti-
tude of my official colleagues and the striking
mine workers toward the coal operators. in
way clear and definite as to leave no further
room for misunderstanding.
The striking mine workers recognize as their
real opponents in this struggle for slight ameii.
Grafton Of the hard, grinding conditions of the
average miners life, nine railroads which with
their presidents are: Pennsylvania Railroad com.
pany, A. j. Cassltt president; Lehgh Valley
Railroad system Alfred Walter president: Del.
aware and Hudson Railroad company, r. VI.
ulyphant, president; Delaware, LaCkawanna and
Western Railroad, W. II. Truesdale, president;
Central Railroad Of New jersey, J. r. Maxwell,
president; Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
company, Joseph II. Harris, president; Erie
railroad, snd New York, susquehanna and West.
crn railroad, L. b. Thomas president Della.
ware, SuSquehanna and Schuylkill company, lry
ing A. Ste,rns president; New YORK, Ontario
and Western railway, Thomas b. Fowler, prcSi-
dent.
These nine railroad companies besides produc.
rg approximately p per cent Of the hard coal
the sole carriers to tidewater Of all coal
mrcd in the anthracite field Of Pennsylvania
and for this service Of carriage a charge Of
from 40 TO IS per cent per ton, according TO
the size Of the coal, is made Incredible as it
may appear they charge three times as much
TO carry ton Of anthracite coal 100 miles as
is charged to carry bituminous ton Of coal
the same distance. So eXorhitant are the rates
that the legitimate profits which should bc
credited to the mining departments of these
railroads are absorbed by freight rates and as a
consequence their coal properties are made TO
show very small profit on their capitalization.
The Independent Operator.
II this is the state of affairs with the railroad
mining departments, what is the condition of the
independent operator? Is it not a matter Il
rcason that he can do nothing which his railroad
| master will not commend? Is it not a matter Of
| public uotoricty that he does do nothing which
the railroads do not sanction2 Therefore, wheth.
rr or not individual operators in the rail
| road monopoies their great enemies, whether
| or not the individual operators feel themselves
| FIRE, to make common cause agaihst these rail
| road systems, l. speaking tor the 10000 mlnC
| workers this day strike, recognize these
| railroads as our real enemies and name Their
presidents as the men responsible for refusal
| To arbitrdtc or even confer upon the difference,
| which have grown up, not between them and the
| organization | represent, hut between them anC
| their Cwn employees who through delegates Sc
| lected by themselves met in convention in th'
| city Of lIazeton Aug. IL and framed a list
Of grievances which were mailed to the genera
| supcrintcndCnts OF the mining departments o.
| the railroads, accompanied by an invitation L
| meet in joint convention on Aug. 81 for th,
purpose of discussing, and il possible agreeing
| upon such changes in the scale Of mining anC
| conditions Of employment as were warranted b,
| the conditions OF the coal industry.
But to our chdgrin and disappointment tho
cordial invitation extended was not even ac
| plrtmcnts. These grievances, which the miner
| rccitcd in their circular, formed the grounC
| for the present strike and because the railroad
are the real masters against whom we are max
| ing this peaceful, passive struggle, we onl!
! regard such Independent operators as q. b. Mar
| klc X Co. in the light of fellow victims Will
| ourselves, suffering under excessive freight rate
| as we suffer from low wages and inhumsn con
ditionS of employment and we should regard ar
| hitration with any or all Of such individual op
| orators as absolutely not calculated 10 adyanC
| the cause of the great body Of anthracite min
| workers, hut on the contrary TO bring thei
certain defeat for even were the board Of ar
| bitration in, say the Markle case, 10 award al
that the men desired, that award could be live
| up TO by Markle only so long the strike con
tinued elsewhere. Every pound OF coal tina
| Markle would be permitted to mine and sh
would invariably be appropriated by the Lehis
| Valley Railroad company, thus placing in thei
own hand, tho weapon which would defeat tn
very object for which their own employees are o
strike, and because of the mine workers Of tn
anthracite field having their wages based upo
a sliding scale, the earnings Of the Marke me
would necessarily be reduced were the strike /
prove a failure at other points in the anthraoit
region,
No Partial Arbitration.
Wages fixed on a sliding scale basis woul
only remain high while there was a scarcity {
coal in the New YORK and eastern seaboard MAJ
kets, and would Immediately fall when mor
coal was being transported to these markets tina
could be consumed Il is an absurd idea from
business point ci view to even assume that MAJ
kle or any other individual operator could COZ
tinue TO pay a higher rate OF wages than h
competitors, the railroad companies, for an
considerable length Of time, and, in fact, it
well known within the mining regions that III
individual operators, including Markle, impos
I OSaditOus OF employment upon their men WhiC