Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-28
BA[R IS RESPONSIBLE
He is Known to Have Been
Cause of Failure of Strike
Settlement
MITCHELL AGREED TO ACCEPT
Peace Could Have Been Arranged, as
Labor Leader Had sisnified He
Would Recommend Acceptance of
Proposition Which the Operators
Were Prepared to Make.

Tsaer president of the Reading railroad,
and self-constituted ambassador of the
almighty in all matters pertaining to
anthracite coal, is the one man who de-
feated the agreement of the coal opera
tors and the miners as the result of a
conference between John Mitchell and
Wayne MacVeagh in this city last Fri
day. Copies of the agreement drawn
up by Mr.. MacVeagh, as attorney for
the operators, and acceptable to Mr..
Mitchell, have been submitted to the
president, with a full history of the
most recent effort to reach settle
nlent of the strike. These papers show
That Mr.. Mitchell was ready to agree
to the plans submitted by the attorney
for the operators, and that the strike
would have been settled and provis-
ion made for future settlements of like
controversies had not Mr.. Baer again
broken faith and defeated both opera
tors and miners efforts.
When the full history of the strike
and the failures 70 settle it is made
public it will appear that Mr.. Baer has
been the one man more responsible
than any other for the condition bor-
dening on anarchy in the anthracite
regions. Mr.. Baer has so long regard
ed his right to dictate as of divine
origin that he finds it impossible to
agree with other mortals, even when
they have like interests with himself.
Mr.. Baer came to Washington to ask
the president to name commission to
investigate, but when Mr.. Mitchell
made that suggestion Mr.. Baer refused
to agree to it until forced to do so by
]. Pierpont Morgan.
Baer was one of the operators who
last week originated the idea of trying
to settle the strike, independent of the
commission. and he signed the telegram
to the commission requesting a sus-
pension of its meetings for a week, to
give the operators and miners an OPP
portunity to get together. Wayne Mac
yeagh, attorney for the Erie railroad
was selected to act for the operators
and confer with Mitchell. The operators
considered tentative plan of settle
approved it. but doubted the ability
of the attorney to reach an agreement
with Mr.. Mitchell.
Mr. Macveagh invited Mr.. Mitchell
to come to Washington last Friday
and they held an all-day conference al
the Willard hotel. They reached ar
agreement on every important point
| This agreement provided for Id pei
cent increase in wages, an eight-houl
| day, check weighing at the mine. to be
] paid for by themselves; no recognition
| of the union, and no discrimination
| against either union or non union men;
| each railroad and coal company t.
settle with its own; a contract for three
years, and plan of arbitration for the
/ settlement OF differences in the future
| This last item in the agreement Mr.
! MacVeagh regarded as the most i'm.
portant of all. He had worked out the
plan with great care, so as to guard
| against strikes in the future. 1t pro-
yided for a series of arbitrations from
1.-The former OF the mines up thru the
various officials and finally named
Judge George Gray of the United States
circuit court or his successor as the ar
sible between direct representatives OF
the operators and the miners. There
was to be no strike ORDERED without six
months notice.
When Mr. MacVeagh submitted this
plan of agreement to the operators last
week they We're unanimous in approx
ing it, but had no hope that Mr.. Mitch
ell would sign 1T. Mr.. Baer was among
those who approved it, when he
thought Mitchell would reject it. Mr.
Baer's idea was that, after Mitchell
rejected the agreement, 1t could be CIV
en- to the public as an evidence of sim
cere effort on the part of the operators
to reach a settlement, and to show thai
they were willing to make great con-
cessions.
After the first conference between
Messrs. MacVeagh and Mitchell last
Friday, Mr.. MacVeagh reported to the
! operators that Mr.. Mitchell was ready
to sign. Then Mr.. Baer repudiated the
whole business and refused to agree to
the plan submitted by the attorney fol-
the operators.
Mr. Baer. and not the Independent
operators, is responsible for the failure
The independent operators We're never
a party to the investigation or plan OF
arbitration. Mr.. MacVeagh repre-
sented the six railroads that operate
coal mines. They were all agreed on
his plan. All but Mr.. Baer were
ready to sign after Mr.. Mitchell had
agreed to accept the plan. Mr.. Baer is
the one man who defeated this last
effort to settle the coal strike, and Mr.
Raer considers himself the vice regent
OF the Almighty.