The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-12-25
CLOSE MINERS CASE.
Testimony of One Witness Will
End Strikers Evidence.
VITAL POINT RAISED BY MINERS.

Alleged Determination OF Railroads
In Favor Of Certain Coal Operators
Refused Investigation, Chairman
Gray Stating That the Scope of the
Hearings Would Not BE Enlarged.
Scranton, Pa, Dec. 16.-After pre-.
senting nearly 100 witnesses and
consuming 19 days the miners have
practically closed their case before
the anthracite coal strike commits
sion. The last session was one of the
most important sittings the commits
sion has yet held, because the ques-
tion of whether the close relationship
Of the coal-carrying roads with the
mining companies shall figure in the
commissions effort to adjust the con-
troversy came squarely before the
commission.
The decision of the commission,
II the remarks Of Chairman Gray
can be so called, was briefly this
That the commission in a general
way is adverse to widening the scope
of the investigation beyond the terms
Of the submissions of the miners and
operators; that in carrying on the in
vestigation it assumes the coal COM
panies can afford to pay fair wages;
| that If the coal companies, in present
ing their side of the case, maintain
| they can not afford to give an in
crease in wages, then the commission
will hear what the miners have to say
| on the ability of the companies to do
| so, and that if business can not pay
! fair wages the employer ought to get
out of it. These points were brought
out during the two hours consumed
by the miners lawyers reading docu-
mentary evidence, to the whole Of
| which the coal companies entered
| specific and general objections.
The mine workers depended a great
deal on the evidence they had to pre-
sent to show that the coal-carrying
railroads control the coal companies
| and that the railroads charge ex-
| orbitant and discriminating freight
rates, thus greatly. decreasing the rev.
enues of the mining properties.
The latter part of the session was
taken up in hearing the testimony of
the remaining witnesses who are or
| have been in the employ of the Phila-
delphia and Reading Coal and Iron
| company, after which Mr.. Darrow an.
nounced the close of his case, except.
ing that he would call one witness on
matter entirely different from any
thing that hac baon Offarod
II will present a table," he said,
Showing the fluctuations in the an
thracite industry,as toIthe amount of
| mining in the past 10 years and the
| amount per man. We will claim, of
course, that the last year is not fair
criterion as to the amount of wages
that miner could earn. We may, at
some future time---do. not promise
now, but just wish to reserve the
right, If 1t should happen to come
we. may want to ask some questions
about any combinations that are of
various railroad presidents when we
get them before this commission. We
leave that question as it is. We may
or may not want to ask that"
The hafrman-"Well, Of course,
we will have to decide when ques-
tions of that kind come before us.
The scope of our inquiry is to investi-
gate and decide Upon the matters in
controversy between the anthracite
mine workers and the operators who
have signed the letter of submission,
or those who have interviewed since.
The question of the existence of a
coal trust can not be Investigated
here. take it that this commission
will consider that it has quite enough
to do to decide the important issues
that now constitute the controversy,
and without deciding anything until
1t is actually prepared, can state as
a general opinion that we shall be ad-
verse to widening the scope of the
Investigation beyond the terms OF
submission"
re