The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-02
TO TRY To SETTLE IT
PRESIDENT MAKES EFFORT TO
SMOOTH OUT SITUATION.
CALLS OPERATORS TOGETHER.
ASKS THEM TO MEET HIM FRIDAY
OCT. 3.


Rapid Advance in Price of Coal
and Certain Resulting Distress
the Base of Presidents Appeal for
settlement.
washington, Oct. president
roosevelt will make an effort to bring
the anthracite coal mine owners and
their striking employees together in the
interest of the public good. This con-
clusion was reached after a series of
conferences with his cabinet advisers
covering yesterday and to-day. The de-
cizion was arrived at when the lawyers
of the cabinet informed the President
that there was no way, under the con-
stitution and the form of government
of the United States, for federal inter
vention, to end the strike Every
phase of the situation was canvassed
and the determination to have the
mine operators and President Mitchell
meet the President was reached when
it was found that no other method was
open. At the conclusion of the confer
ence to-day, which was attended by
Secretaries Root, Shaw and Moody At
torney General Knox and Postmaster
General Payne at the temporary
White House, the following kilograms
were made public:
white House, Washington, Oct l.
George F. Baer, president Reading
Railway System. Philadelphia; w. II.
Truesdale, president Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western Railroad Com
pany, 26 Exchange Place, New York;
E. B. Thomas. chairman of the board,
Erie Railroad Company, Il Cortlandt,
New York; Thomas +. Fowler, presi-
dent New York, Ontario and Western
Railway Company, 56 Beaver street,
New York; r. M. Olyphant, president
of Delaware and Hudson Company,
New York John Markle, 527 West
Thirty-fourth street, should greatly
like to see you on Friday, next, Oct 3,
at II O'Clock a. m, here in Washing
ton, in regard to the failure of the
coal supply, which has become a mat
ter of vital concern to the whole ma
ton. 1 have sent a similar dispatch to
MIR. John Mitchell, president of the
United Mine Workers of America.
Theodore Roosevelt"
~John Mitchell, president OF the
United Mine Workers of America,
Wilkesbarre, Pa. I should greatly like
to see you Friday, next, Oct. 8, II a.
m, here in Washington, in regard to
the failure of the coal supply, which
has become matter of vital concern
to the whole nation. 1 have sent a
similar dispatch to the presidents of
the anthracite coal companies.
Theodore Roosevelt"
At the meeting Friday the line of
approach toward the settlement of the
strike will be an appeal by President
Roosevelt to both sides to come togeth-
er as men and not to allow false pride
or feeling of obstinacy to stand in
the way of the termination of the
great strike which is fraught with such
threat of misery to thousands of peo-
pie. 1t is stated by one of the Presi-
dents advisers that beyond this the
President cannot go; he has no powers
OF compulsion to bring into play against
either side. and he must rely on his
persuasive abilities and his appeals to
their sense of humanity if anything
tangible is to be accomplished.
The President intends to lay before
his hearers the situation as it appears
to him, with all the prospective hor-
rors that will follow a fuel famine
and will urge them in the interests of
humanity to open the mines and sup
ply the demand for coal. The President
IL to be his duty to do so, as the ex-
ecutive head of a nation threatened
with great peril. The President has,
IN sense taken upon himself the bur-
dens of an arbitrator in this great
dispute between capital and labor and
though the arbitration is not compul-
sorry and IS not even known under
the name of arbitration in any of the
invitations issued to-day, it is the hope
OF the President and his advisers that
II will be effective. Just how no one
can say, though there is the sugges-
uon of temporary arrangement
which will tide over the cold weather.
1t is stated by a member of the cabi-
net that there is no political purposes
IN this effort, but that the President
IS moved to exert his influence solely
IN the interests of the people.
In the other attempts, it is said the
operators felt that politics was the
most prominent motive. In this con-
nection the story is revived of the set
Element of the strike in 1900 The OPP
orators claim that when that strike
was settled under stress of political
exigency, the way was paved for the
present strike. They also claim that
the strikers have hoped that political
influence would again be exerted in
their behalf and the operators COM
PEELED to make further concessions. The
EFFORTS of Senators Quay and Penrose
of Pennsylvania, Senator Plat of New
York and Gov Stone of Pennsylvania
nave been pointed out as a verification
OF the claim of the operators All this
they have asserted is due to the set
tlement which was made in 1900.
All these various questions have been
discussed during the past few days,
together with the legal situation and
the power of the federal administra-
ton in the premises. and the conclu-
sion was reached that the President
could do more by bringing the inter-
ested parties together than in any
other way
There will be no one present at
Fridays meeting at the temporary
White House but the principals. 1t
IS true that Friday is cabinet day and
that II O'clock, the hour appointed in
the invitations for the coal magnates,
is the usual hour for the assembling
OF the cabinet, but, according to the
present understanding the cabinet
meeting will be postponed. The purpose
OF the postponement is plainly to re-
heve the invited guests from the feel
ing of reserve that might be
naturally created if they appeared
before the entire cabinet, including
some exceedingly clever lawyers whom
the coal people might not care to meet
IN business way in the absence of
their own legal advisers. So the alb
senoe of the cabinet will give the Presi-
cent an opportunity to do just what he
wants. namely. to have a good heart TO