Waterbury Democrat., 1902-10-02
CONFERENCE CALLED
Roosevelt Decides to Attempt
 to End Coal Strike.
LEADERS OF BOTH SIDES SUMMONED.
Fresident Has No Power to Compel Settlement, bat will Use Per- suasion to Bring About tIto
 Desired Result.


 WASHINGTON, Oct. 2.-Presiden1
 Roosevelt will make an effort to bring
 tfe anthracite coal mina owners and
 their striking employees together ii
 the interest of the public good. This
 conclusion was reached after series
 oI conferences with his cabinet ad-
 Vlsers covering two days. The decision
 was arrived at when the lawyers of
 the cabinet informed the president that
 there was no way under the constitu-
 uon and the form of government of Ehe United States for federal inter- Ventlon to end the strike. Every phase or the situation as canvassed, and the determination ,o have the mine op- orators and President Mitchell meet the president was reached when it was found that no other method was open. At the conclusion of the conference. whi0h was attended by Secretaries Root Shaw and Moody, Attorney Gen. eral Knox and Postmaster General Payne, at the temporary White House, number of telegrams were issued
 The telegrams sent to the operators and coal road presidents all read:
 T should greatly like to see you on Friday next, Oct. 8, at Il o'clock in the morning here in Washington in re- gard to the failure of the coal supply, which has become matter of vital concern to the whole nation. I have sent similar dispatch to MT. John Mitchell, president of the United Mine Workers of America.'
 Tho fn1Qorra to Mr Mitchell
 T should greatly like to see you on Friday next, Oct. 3, at Il o'clock in the morning here in Washington in re- gard to the failure of the coal supply. which has become a matter of vital concern to the whole nation. I have sent similar dispatch to the presi- dents of the anthracite coal compa- nies.''
 The messages were all signed by President Roosevelt.
 At the meeting Friday the line of approach toward the settlement of the strike will be an appeal by President Roosevelt to both sidessto come togeth- CT 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 people. 1t is stated by one of the pres idenfs advisers that beyond this the president cannot go. He has no DOW CTS of compulsion to bring into play against either side, and he must rely upon his persuasive abilities and his appeals to their sense of humanity if anything tangible is to be accom- plished E< | T
 The president intends to lay before his hearers the situation as it appears to him, with all the prospective hor- TOTS that will follow fuel famine. and will urge them in the interests of hu- manity to open the mines and supply the demand for coal. The president has taken this action because he feels it to be his duty tosdo so as the execu- tive head of a nation threatened with great peril. The president has in a sense taken upon himself the burdens of an arbitrator in this great dispute between capital and labor, and though the arbitration is not compulsory and is not even known under the name of arbitration in any of the invitations issued it is, the hope of the president and his advisers that it will be effec- hve-just how no one can say, though there is the suggestion of a temporary arrangement which will tide over the cold weather.
 It is stated by member of the cabi- net that there is no political purpose 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 connec- ton the story is revived of the settle ment of the strike in 1900 The opera tors claim that N hen that strike was settled under strt ss of a political exi- gency the way was paved for the pres ent strike. They also claim that the strikers have hoped that political infiu- encea would again be exerted in their behalf and the operators compelled to make further concessions
 The efforts of Senators Quay and i Penrose of Pennsylvania. Senator PIatt of New York and Governor Stone of Pennsylvania have been pointed out as a verifcation of the claim of the opera tors. All this. they have asserted, is due to the settlement 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 admins tration in the premises, and the conclu- sion was reached that the president could do more by bringing the interest ed parties together than in any other way.
 There will be no one present at Fri iay's meeting at the temporary White House but the principals. It is true hat Friday is cabinet day and that II o'clock, the hour appointed in the invi- ations for the meeting of the coal mag hates, is the usual hour of assembling ,f the cabinet; but according to the present. understanding, that cabinet meeting will be postponed.
 The purpose of the postponement is plainly to relieve the invited guests rom the feeling of reserve that might naturally be created if they appeared before the entire cabinet, including ome exceedingly cleyer lawyers whom he coal people lr'yht not care to meet n a business wsy in the absence of heir own legal advisers So the absence of the cabinet will ;IVe rne president an opportunity to dc ust what he wants-rfameIy, to have a vfsr,d heart <<. f.oo.,t fo7lx xxffl, %1,< .,v,