Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-10-09


When riot and anarchy too great to be
appeased by the civil power occur, the
governor Of Pennsylvania lies bound to
call out the State troops to suppress 1T.
He must fearlessly use the whole power
of the State to protect life and property
and to establish peace-4not an armed
truce, but the peace Of the law which
protects every man at work and going
TO and from work. He has sent troops
to the coal regions Gradually the
power of the law is asserting itself
Unless encouraged by false hopes, order
will soon be restored, and then we cap
mine coal to meet the public wants. If
the power of Pennsylvania is in
sufficient to re-establish the reign of
law, the Constitution of the United
States requires the President, when
requested by the Legislature and the
governor, to ''suBpress domestic vio-
lence.' You see there is lawful way
to secure coal for the public.
The duty OF the hour is not to waste
time negotiating with the fomenters of
| this anarchy and insolent defiance Of
| law, but to do as was done in the War
of the Rebellion, restore the majesty of
| law, the only guardian of free people,
| and to re-establish order and peace at
any cost.
The government is a contemplate
failure il it can only protect the lives
and property and secure the comfort of
the people by compromising with the
violators of law and the instigators of
! violence and crime.
just now it is more important to
teach ignorant men dwelling among us,
misled and used as tools by citizens of
other States, that at whatever and any
Inconvenience to the public, Pennsyl-
| vania will use the whole power of
government to protect not only the man
| who wants to work, but his wife and
children while be is at work, and to
punish every man VINO by instigatIon
or by overt acts attempts to deprive any
man of his liberty to work.
Under these conditions, we decline
to accept Mr.. Mitchell's considerate
offer to let our men work on terms as
he names. He has no right to come
from Illinois to dictate terms on the
acceptance of which anarchy and crime
shall cease in Pennsylvania. He must
stop his people from killing, manning
and abusing Pennsylvania citizens and
from destroying property. He must
stop it because it is unlawful, and not
because of any bargain with us.
We will add to our offer 'to continue
the wages existing at the time of strike,
and to. take up at each colliery and
adjust any grievance, further condi-
tion--if the employers and employees at
any particular colliery cannot reach a
satisfactory adjustment of any alleged
grievances it shall be referred to the
judges of the Court of Common Pleas
of the district in which the colliery is
situated for final determination.
The President had treated his visitors
. with fine, well-poised courtesy, and
from anything he said neither side
could conceive that he felt displeasure
, in their attitude. Yet, after the con.
, ference, he spoke without hesitation tc
Attorney General Knox, Postmaster.
General Payne and Secretary Root in
, severe criticism os the unyieldine
position Of the operators
1t is learned from the parties to the
! conference that the merits of the strike
. were hardly touched upon at all. Little
, was said by either Mr.. Mitchell, tht
! operators or the President about the
! the keynote of the whole conference
, when he said: The questions a
i issue which led to the situation affec
|, Immediately the parties concerned-tht
!, operators and the miners; but the stu
alton itself vitality affects the public.
To this phase Of the question thu
President and Mr.. Mitchell confin,
{ themselves, and the operators in tn,
Q same, excpet in their refusal to recog
i nize the organization of the miners al
their argument against it.
When the afternoon conference termi
A mated it was the purpose of the opera
tors and the Mitchell party to leav
!. the city tonight, but this purpose wa
! abandoned and both parties decided t.
q remain over until tomorrow.
q What, if any, will be the next ste
:, taken in Washington to reach settle
! ment of the trouble is problematical
\ A member of the Cabinet, who saw tn
y President after the conference, said
Il fThe conference has ended withou
\ settlement. The President is pro
q foundly disappointed. He still hope
y for favorable result. There will
Il no further conference, but what ha
1 been done may lead to something effec
4 tive here or elsewhere. There are init
y nations that unless the parties to tn
controversy make a move shortly
reach settlement, the President vii
!: communicate with Gov. Stone c
y Pennsylvania ana suggest that tn
20 State of Pennsylvania might properl
n take positive steps to terminate tn
n struggle.