The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-10-09

Washington, Oct. 3.-The great coal
conference between the president and
representatives of the operators and
miners came to an end at the tenn
porary White House facing Lafayette
, square at ASS o'clock this afternoon
with failure to reach an agreement,
and apparently the ROCK upon which
the conference split was the recogni-
ton of the miners union. The presi-
dent had urged the contending parties
to cease strife in the interests of the
public welfare; the miners, through
pressed a willingness to submit the
differences to an arbitration tribunal
to be named by the president and to
enter into an agreement to abide by
the terms fixed by the arbitratorS for
a period of from one to five years;
and the employers. through the presi-
dents Of the railroad companies and
a prominent Independent mine opera
tor had squarely refused arbitration,
had denounced the miners labor or
ganZation as lawless and anarchistic
body. with which they could and
would have no dealings; had demand
ed federal troops to ensure complete
protection to workers and their fam
lilies in the mining region and court
proceedings against the miners union,
and had offered, If the men returned
to work, to submit grievances at indi-
vidual colleries to the decision of the
judges of the court of common pleas
for the district of Pennsylvania in
which the colliery was located.
There the matter closed. Tonight
both the miners and the operators are
still in the city, but tomorrow they
will return to their several localities,
each saying at late hour tonight
that the struggle will continue.
A Chapter in History.
1t was a remarkable chapter in the
economic history of the country that
was written today. For the first time
the president of the republic has in
tervened between the great forces of
capital and labor, in an effort to avert
what he himself regarded as great
national calamity. The result was to
bring the principals in the great con-
troversy face to face, with the whole
country eagerly intent and watchful
of their doings. Technically, the is
sues between the two great forces
stand as they did before the president
summoned the representatives of the
contending forces to the national cap
ital, and, forgetting his own acute suf-
fering, besought them, for love Of the
great country wherein they dwelt, and
out of pity for the countless throng of
suffering poor. to adjust their differ
ences and work together in peace for
the common veal.
What, If anything. will result from
the conference Is for the indefinite
future. Today the views of the con-
tenders in the great struggle were so
extreme and wide that there was no
middle ground possible, and so the
conference came to an end without
any agreement for it's continuation.
The conference had lasted six hours,
including a recess of three hours be-
tween the morning and afternoon
sessions, taken to enable the miners
and operators to prepare written re-
sponses to the presidents appeal.
Will Continue Struggle.
The immediate parties to the strug-
gle say they will continue as hereto
fore. What course the administration
will take next, no one is prepared to
say. One of the operators, as he left
the White House, was asked regarding
this, and replied: "If any one knows
what the president will do next, that
is more than l know"
Fourteen men. including the presi-
dent, were in the second story front
room at the temporary White House
during the momentous conference
President Mitchell and three of his
district leaders represented the min
J ers, and five railroad men and one in
dependent mine operator, the employ
ers. With the president were Atror-
ney General Knox, Commissioner of
Labor Wright and Secretary Cortel-
you. All the cabinet, save the attor-
ney general kept aloof during the con-
ference. but between the two meetings
and afterwards several of the presi-
, dents advisers called upon him to talk
over the situation.
During the conference the president
listened to both sides with the great
est eagerness. Immediately after its