The Red Cloud chief., 1902-10-24
Thanks the President for His Efforts In
End the strike, and Details the
Case Of the strikers-Hopes
for More Amicablc Relations

INV
Mine Workers of America. have ap-
pointed as commissioners Brigadier
General John NJ. Wilson, Mr.. +. w.
Parker, Judge George Gray, Mr.. Z. f.
Clark. Mr.. Thomas II. Watkins and
Bishop John l.. Spalding, with Hon.
Carroll d. Wright as recorder. These
names are accepted by the operators
and | nov most earnestly ask and urge
that the miners likewise accept the
commission II is a matter of vital
concern to all II people, and espe-
cially to those in our great cities who
are least well off. that the mining of
coal should be resumed without a days
unnecessary delay.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, President
OF the United States: / am in receipt
Of your telegram OF October 16. Re-
plying thereto beg to inform you that
your recommendations were submitted
to the members of the executive boards
OF districts !, Z, and 9, United Mine
Workers of America, and they have
unanimously agreed to call a delegate
convention, to be held next Monday,
and will recommend to the convention
that all men now on strike return to
the positions and working places for
merly occupied by them and submit
to the commission appointed by you
all questions at issue between the op-
orators n mine workers of the an
thracite fields. In connection with this
subject we are glad to know that the
managers of the coal companies have
decided to recede from the u~ntenable
position which they so long occupied
n to accept a modified position for
the arbitration of the coal strike, and
to give you full latitude in the selec-
ton of n commission. 1t will be re-
membered that we proposed on Octo-
Der 3 to place the whole matter in your
hands and to accept a verdict of q
tribunal OF your own selection. II will
be also remembered hat the ompany
managers at that time refused to ac-
cept the arbitrament of the president
OF the United States and preferred that
OF the local common pleas judges. We
proposed to leave everything to you
without condition. having the utmost
faith in your impartiality and good
judgment.
I'm their refusal to accept your ar
bitrament the operators sought to hold
you in part accountable for the very
conditions which you were trying to
remedy, and to instruct you as to your
duties concerning them. Eight days
later they again appeared before you.
dropping the common pleas judge and
proposing to abide by the verdict of q
tribunal appointed by you, but at
tempting to prescribe within fixed and
narrow limits the character and voca-
ton OF the men you were to name.
TO this proposition, as the operators
made It, We were unalterably opposed.
FIRST, because our respect for o as a
man and our ideas as to what is due
to the dignity of your Office demanded
that we should not be a party to a re-
quest of you to accept the great re-
sponsibility accompanied by detailed
and important restrictions as to the
manner in which you should meet 1t;
second. because careful analysis of
their proposition, disclosed to us. as 1t
did to you and the public, hat the re-
strictions were too narrow to enable
you to secure under them a well bal
anced and thoroughly impartial tri-
bunal.
But o that you have yourself re-
moved these objections by broadening
and Strengthening the commission, we
feel confident that u convention will
declare its Willingness to have all
questions between the employing COM
panies and the So per cent OF their en-
ployes who are members of u ryan
ization determined by the board Of
eminent and impartial men chosen by
you. We feel grateful to you, Mr..
President. for the patriotic efforts
which you have made to bring about
an honorable settlement Of the strike;
efforts which you continued despite the
remarkable spirit and conduct which
you at first found In the company man
ayers.
I'VE were in a position to sympa-
thize with o inasmuch as we had
long been forced to endure arrogance,
insult and false witness from the same
source. Our gratitude is due to you
and to the American people and the
press who have supported you and us
in the long struggle which we hope is
now about to close. During all these
long months in which our motives
have been impugned and our charac-
tiers maliciously assailed, we have re-
Trained from saying a word or taking
any action that would tend to render
reconciliation more difficult, but now
it becomes a duty to defend ourselves
again the ISLANDERS which have been
heaped upon us and to proclaim that
We have from the first favored the
method which is nov employed to
break the deadlock.
I'm our proffer of arbitration or i'm
partial investigation had been accepted
six months ago, instead of now. there
need have been no strike. We have