The representative., 1900-09-27
up to by Markle only SO long as the
strike continued elsewhere.
"Evorv nOund NJ c0a1 thot Marble

I WOuIQ De permitted to mine and ship
would invariably be appropriated by
the Lehigh Valley Railroad company,
thus placing in their own hands the
weapon which would defeat the very
1 object for which their own employees are
on strike, and because of the mine work.
ers of the anthracite field having their
| wages based upon a sliding scale, the
earnings of the Markle men would
necessarily be reduced were the strike to
, prove failure at other points in tho
! anthracite region.
FOR BRIEF TINE ONLY.
Wages fixed on sliding scale basis
would only remain high while there was
a scarcity Of coal on the New York and
Eastern seaboard markets and would
| Immediately fall when more coal was
being transported to these markets than
| could be consumed. 1t is an absurdity,
| from a business point of view, to even
| assume that Markle or any other indi-
| vidual operator could continue to pay a
higher rate of wages than his COM
| petitors, the railroad companies, for any
| considerable length of time, and, In
| fact, it is we'll known within the mining
regions that the individual operators,
| including Markle, impose conditions Of
| employment upon their men which in
| some instances are more Objectionable
| than those imposed even by the large
| corporations.
For these reasons hold it would be
| a fatal mistake for us to consent to any
| partial settlement Of this strike, or to
| agree to other than a general resump-
tion of work.
This is fight of all for each and
! each for all, and to be successful there
must be no break in our line of action.
1t ought to go without saying at this
| late date that I am a staunch advocate
! of the principle of arbitration, and did
| I not personally favor these principles
| the laws Of the organization of which
l am president make arbitration one Of
| it's cardinal issues.
ARBITRATION UNNECESSARY.
| Il will go further, and say that arbi-
tration in civilized lands would be un-
! necessary If miners and mine owners
were to adopt the same system of adjust
ing wage disputes as is in force in the
bituminous coal districts of Pennsy.-
vania and also in all other coal pro-
ducing states in America, where mine
1 TOW nd wi
nually in Join convention and reach an
amicable settlement in all questions
| governing the wages and conditions of
employment.
I'm Indianapolis last January 25O op-
orators and $50 miners delegates, repre-
| senting an annual output of 10000, 900
| tons bituminous coal In Western Penn
| sylvania and Illinois, met in a confer
ence and mutually agreed that the min
| ers' earnings should advance % 20-100
per cent.
| "As a result Of this conference and
other similar ones in the states west Of
the Mississippi river and south of the
Ohio river 10000 mine workers receive
an advance. in their earnings aggregat-
ing s12,000,OO0 in one full year, at the
end of which they will again meet in
! joint conference to renew the contract
| and make such changes in the wages
| paid as are justified and warranted by
the cost of production and the values Of
the coal in the markets.
This, in my opinion, is the ideal
method of averting strikes and turmoils
| and securing for labor and capital thet
share of the profits of their joint in
dustry to which each is properly entitl-
ed. But because am aware that there
IS serious. il misguided, repugnance on
the part of the railroad carriers in the
anthracite field to recognize our organ
ization or its officers, the mine workers
organization whose chief officer l have
the honor to be, yielding with all the
natural pride of having it treated with
in this difficulty, repeat what 1 have
publicly and privately stated before,
that and my official colleagues will not
ask to be recognized or consulted by the
mine owners If the officers or represent
! atives of these great railroad companies
will do what they have many times said
they would do, meet committees of their
own employees and come to a peaceful
agreement. Provided, however, that
such conference between the various
companies and committees representing
their own employees will meet in sep
arate halls in the same city on the same
date.
ARGUMENT OF OPERATORS.
''This provision is inserted because
heretofore, when committees presented
grievances to any of these great COM
panies they were Invariably met with
the argument that the company could
not remedy the wrongs complained Of
because competing companies enforced
conditions OF employment not more fav-
orablc to the mine workers than to their
own. By holding these separate confer
ences simultaneously in one city there
could he an exchange of opinion be-
| tween all Of the mine owners and miners
whose interests were at stake, thus re-
moving the possibility OF one company
being placed at disadvantage by pay
ing more for labor than their competi-
/ tors.
Were they to act upon this idea frm-