New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-18
MITCHELL AGAIN ON STAND
SAYS A NON-UNION MAN HAS NO
RIGHT To WORK DURING
STRIKES

Scranton Penn. Nov. 1.-THE Strike Com
mission listened all to-day to the clever ques-
ttons and ready replies of Wayne MacVeagh.
attorney for the Hillside Coal and Iron Com
pany and the Pennsylvania Coal Company and
President Mitchell. Of the United Mine Work
ers. on the question of the boycott and intimi-
dation- At the end Of the day the operators
side and the mine workers view had been well
presented Mr.. Macveagh did not con1ne him
self to direct questions. but also gave his views
Of the conditions. and when President Mitchell
would not admit that violence. the boycott or
intimidation Of the so-called scabs existed. Mr.
MacVeagh got him to give his views assuming
that they did exist
On this assumption most OF Mr. MftchelPs re-
plies were based. He said Of the non-union
man: He has not moral right to pursue his
occupation if his work destroys the hopes and
aspirations of his fellow men"
OF the boycott: 1T is a form OF strike: il is
refusal Of the people to spend money at GER
tain places. to patronize certain people. 1t ia
in effect strike against merchant 1t might
be against man holding a public Office. a re-
fusal to patrOnize him.
AS to intimidation. he would not admit that
it existed. and adroitly avoided an answer to
this question by Mr. MacVeagh: "If cases are
shown to you until you are weary Of heaEing
them. will you then agree to take drastic. thor
Oughgoing. effectua! measures to root it out.
you would any other unmanly. un-Americans
deadly. cowardly practice?'
LIST OF ACTS OF VIOLENCE.
At the afternoon session Mr.. Maeveagh took
hour and half to read long list Of acts
Of violence. to which Mr. Mitchell. when asked
what he thought Of the conditions which pro-
duced them. replied that he did not admit that
they had occurred.
Il have repeatedly and emphaticaIy said." he
declared. that If men guilty Of Iawlessness
they should be punished"
Judge Gray asked. In how large a degree is
the success Of a strike due to such condition
of violence as has been described?'
Mr. Mitchell replied that it was detriment
a strike and that it lost the strikers the sym
pathy of the public He also declared that vio-
lence was produced by all big movements. even
lately by the funeral of rabbi in NewYOrk
and that Election Day there more
people killed than during the whole course OF
the strike. He added that most of the killings
I during the strike were by Coal and Iron
police and soldiers. and that the union men were
| TO blame for only a couple Of them.
In none OF the replies did he fall into traps
or make admissions damaging to the union.
At times he was frank. especially in his dis
cussion of the boycott question. and on couple
of occasions. when instances of violence were
read to him. he admitted that if the conditions
existed they were unfortunate and intolerabe.
You are the best witness for yourself have
ever confronted" exclaimed Mr. DIacVeagh at
one point.
Mr.. MacVeagh made the effort in the morning
to show that Mr.. Mitchell and his union were
not doing right in endeavoring TO be parties to
making the poor pay higher price for their
coal He emphasized the fact that the poor OF
Philadelphia are at this moment cIamoring for
coal which they cannot get and that so per
cent Of the domestic coal is bought by people
earning just enough money 20 make both ends
meet
INCREASE WOULD BE MADE ANYWAY
Mr. Mitchell contended that the union was
not willingly party to. and did not approve
Of any increase. Il expect that the operators
would make Il anyhow" he said whether
got an increase in wages or not. They Will get
all they can for their coal"
He said that. because Of their own low wages.
the union men were not asking the manu-
facturers of foodstuns to decrease the cost OF
their products
Mr. Mitchell explained at length the miners
reasons for asking for the abrogation Of the
Coal and Iron Police bill. He said that it
abled the operators to maintain a standing
army of irresponsible men, who were not 1t TO
be armed with the powers OF policemen. He
considered 1t the duty of the State. county and
city to furnish protection for the properties OF
the coal companies if IT were needed.
DO you not know cried Mr. MacVeagh.
that it is altogether childish to fancy that the
troops could prevent the violence which did
occur. the single cases of assaults and the in
tinidation that prevai!ed?'
II do not know that there were any" an
swered Mr.. Mitchell. Il regret to say he ad-
mitted later that there were some acts of viO-
lence during the strike. but there was reign
of terror"
Mr.. MacVeagh took up the question OF the in
fuence of the union in relation to strike vio-
Ience and disturbances. and declared that in
the twenty-three years prior to the establish
ment of the union in this region his company
lad only one disagreement with its employees
and that was speedily settled. while since the
union came. two years ago. there had been eight
and that since Mr. Mitchell made the 1900
agreement with Mr.. Hanna. there had been 1O2
strikes in the coal region.
Mr.. Mitchell said that it was these disturb
ances that the union was endeavoring to pre-
vent. and that If the operators made agreements
with the union governing conditions Of work
and the rate of wages there would be no further
trouble.
THE TROUBLE IN ILLINOIS.
Mr., Macveagh. at once referred to the fact
that. despite an agreement there were troubles
in the Illinois region. and that there the opera
tors were afraid. though the agreement gave
them the right to do so. to discharge men be-
cause of the condition OF unrest il would cause
So many references were made to the Illinois
troubles that the commissioners said that they
considered il advisable TO invite Herman Justi
the representative of the miners there and some
of the operators to testify before the commits