Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-10-09
DECLINE THE
PROPOSITION
Miners Believe They Went More Than Half
Waysat the White House
Conference.
NO FAITH IN OPERATORS
In the Official Reply Sent TO President Roosevelt Mr..
Mitchell States That the Miners Feel They Have
Done Their Full Part TO End
the Strike.

Washington, d. c., Oct. 9.-Presiden
Mitchell refused to comply with the ap
peal of President Roosevelt to call thu
strike off. His letter to the presiden
which was made public at the Whit
House today says the responsibility fol
the continuation of the strike should bt
placed upon those who have refused
arbitration.
The following is Mitchell's letter tc
the president:
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt President Of
the United States, Washington, d. G
"Dear Sir: Hon. Carroll d. Wright
has no doubt reported to you the deliv-
cry of your message to me last Monday
and my statement to him that should
take your suggestion under advisement
although 1 did not look upon it with ia
vor. Since that time l have consulted
with our district presidents who concur
fully in my views. We desire to assure
you again that we fell keenly the re-
sponsibility of our position and the
gravity of the situation and it would
give us great pleasure to take any ac-
tion which would bring this coal strike
to an end in a manner that would safe
guard the interests of our constituents.
II proposing that there be an imme-
diate resumption of coal mining upon
the conditions we suggested in the con-
ference at the White House, we believ-
ed we had gone more than half way
and had met your wishes. 1t is unnec-
essary in this letter to refer to the mali
cious assault made upon us in the res
ponse of the coal operators. We feel
confident that you must have been i'm
pressed with the fairness of our propo-
siItion and the insincerity of those who
perience with the coal operators in the
past we have no reason to feel any de-
gree of confidence in their willingness
to do us justice in the future, and in as
much as they have refused to accept
the decision of tribunal to be selected
by you and inasmuch as there is M law
through which you could enforce the
findings of the commission you suggest
we respectfully decline to advise our
people to return to work upon the hope
that the coal operators might be in
duced or forced to comply with the rec
concentrations of your commission. AS
stated above, we believe we went more
than half way in our proposal at Wash
ington and we do not feel that we
should be asked to make further sacri-
fees. We appreciate your solicitude for
the people of our country who are now,
and will be subjected to great suffering
and inconvenience by prolongation of
the coal strike and we feel that the
onus of this terrible state of affairs
should be placed upon the side which
has refused to refer it to a fair and i'm
partial investigation. I am, respectfully,
John Mitchell, Pres. u M. w. A."
No comment was made concerning
the letter of Mitchell by the officials at
the White House today, although it can
be said that the president has not ex-
hausted all efforts in bringing about an
end to the strike. Nothing can be
learned as to the future intentions Of
the president in this matter and it is
stated the time has not yet come to dis
close the pllrpOse of the Administered lion