The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-18
MINER AND LAWYER
CENTRAL FIGURES BEFORE THE
STRIKE COMMISSION.
MITCHELL AND MACVEAGH
WITH THRUSTs AND PARRIES, EN-
TERRAIN THEIR HEARERS.

SNNA<AAN
Battle OF Keen Wits Was That in
Which Witness and His Examiner
Observation-Disclosures Said Mitchell
Was a Splendid Witness, for Him
characterization Moving Very
SlowIy-Statement of the Nom
Union Men to the Commission.
Scranton. Pa, Nov. lin the pres
ence of as many persons as could be
jammed into the Superior Court room
to-day, Wayne MacVeagh, for the Erie
Company, and John Mitchell, for the
miners, continued their brilliant battle
Of cross-examination before the Anthra-
cite Coal Strike Commission.
The two men, the one in his thirties
and the other in his seventies, were
followed with intense interest by the
commissioners and the crowd through
out the day, and the contest will be
resumed in the morning.
The fourth demand of the union,
which calls for a yearly trade agree
recognition of the union, was the bone
of contention, and although four hours
were taken up in discussion of the
question, no material progress was
made. Wayne MacVeagh, skilled in
the art of cross-examination, attempt
ed to show the utter responsibility
of the union and it's unf1tness to make
contracts which it could live up to. His
principal argument was the alleged
boycott and he often hard pressed the
miners president for an answer. The
latter, however, slowly and deliberate
ly gave some reply, but it did not al
ways satisfy his inquisitor.
Mr.. MacVeagh, in the presence of the
assemblage, expressed his admiration
of the ability of the witness, and on
one occasion, when Mr.. Mitchell par
ried question regarding the boycott
ting of a coal and iron policeman by
a hotelkeeper, the distinguished attor-
ney threw up his hands, laughed and
said:
Mr.. Mitchell. you are the best wit
ness for yourself that 1 ever confront
ed"
Called 1t n Reign of Terror.
Mr.. MacVeagh weighed heavily on
what he said was a. reign of terror in
the anthracite region during the period
of the strike. He read list of four
teen names Of men who We're killed
during that time and also submitted
in evidence about rs printed pages
of acts of alleged violence. boycott
and intimidation. and with the assist
@f 80 zIw-
maintained that il would be utterly
he represents to enter into agree
ments with an organization that could
not control it's own men.
Mr.. Mitchell stoutly maintained that
the discipline in the organization was
as strict as it possibly could be where
147, 900 men were involved. He said
the strikers were not entirely respon-
sible for the acts of lawlessness that
were committed. He regretted that
members of the union had, in some in
stances, violated the law, even after
they had been warned to refrain from
doing so, but made the excuse that in
times of great excitement there was
always more or less disorder.
In answer to questions, he said that
where there was a reign of terror, and
he had no information that such was
the case during the late strike, con-
ditions arise that are intolerable or
unfortunate.
Violence Didn't Deter Them.
Replying to specific instances pointed
out to him by Mr.. MacVeagh, where
men had been deferred from going to
work through fear of personal harm
or social ostracism for themselves and
families, Mr.. Mitchell said that in
some cases, men may have been de-
tered, but denied the assertion that
such alleged acts prevented the mines
from being operated. He said that
when the strike was declared every
mine worker in the region quit work
and remained out even after the entire
National Guard of the state had been
said, the men would not have gone to
work under any condition.
The miners president no matter how
skilfully he was questioned, could not
be dragged into a fiat admission that
he, is president of the union, approved
of the boycotts complained of by the
companies. He had his personal opin-
ions of some phases of the boycott, but
would not express them as being the
sentiment or policy of his organization
During the cross-examination the
questions in order to stop a long coll
loquy of some disputed point. While
the examination was at times quite
spirited, the best of good feeling pre-
vailed.
Once Mitchell Was Irritated.
Only once did Mr.. Mitchell show
signs of irritability. This was when
Mr.. MacVeagh, reading the long list
of alleged acts of violence, would take
Mr.. Mitchell to task for some particu-
larly vicious act, and say, sharply:
You could have prevented this"
In the course of the forenoon ses-
sion Mr.. MacVeagh examined Mr..
Mitchell regarding the eight-hour de-
mand and referred to the fact that
Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield
and William Mckinley worked more
than eight hours day and were
thus enabled to climb the lad
der to the Presidency. Mr.. MacVeagh
grew eloquent in the course of putting
one of his questions TO Mr.. Mitchell
the martyred Presidents, and
added:
II only mention these because they
were the victims of the spirit of an
archy, which is the curse of this coun-
try to-day and the only serious curse
affecting it."
Mr.. Mitchell, quick as a fash, came
back with the inquiry: Trade unions
are not held responsible for 1t, are
they?"
To this Mr.. MacVeagh quickly re-
sponded that they were not, and sup
plemented this with the remark that
labor unions are most admirable. The
bringing Of the word anarchy" into
the examination caused a distinct
p1tIrrnfir of dfeannrovai froua the MANY