The Topeka state journal., 1902-10-04
PARTY STATEMENTS.
Each Side Lays Its Case Before the
President.

Each Side Lays Its Case Before the
President.
Washington, Oct. AT the tenpor-
ary White house the following official
statement was given out concerning the
coal conference:
The conference opened at II O'Clock.
The operators and representatives of
the miners were presented to the pres
ident. Those in attendance were:
George F. .Baer, president Reading
railway system; w II. Truesdale pres
ident Delaware. Lackawanna & West
ern railroad company; E. B. Thomas,
chairman of the board, Erie company;
Thomas P. Fowler, president New York,
Ontario & Western Railroad company;
David Wilcox, vice president and gen
eral counsel, Delaware q Hudson COM
pany; John Markle, representing inde
pendent operators; John Mitchell. pres
ident United Mine Workers of America;
Thomas D. Nichols, Thomas Duffy, Jo-
Seph Fahy, district presidents United
Mine Workers of America; Attorney
General Knox, Secretary Cortelyou and
Carroll D. Wright. commissioner of
la bor-
The president at the outset expressed
his hearty thanks for their attendance
and stated that owing to his peculiar
relations to the situation he felt that he
! should make to them a very careful
statement of his position and OF his in
Upon the completion of the presi-
dents remarks Mr.. Mitchell made
statement as follows:
Mr.. President, 1 am much Impress
ed with what you say. l am much inn
pressed with the gravity of the situa-
ton. We feel that we are not respon-
sible for this terrible state of affairs.
We are willing to meet the gentlemen
to adjust cur differences among our
selves. If we cannot adjust them that
way, Mr.. President, we are willing that
YOU shall name tribunal who shall
in the strike, and HSthe gentlemen rep
resenung the operators viii accept the
award or decision of such tribunal the
miners will willingly accept it, even if
it is against their claims. - -
The president:
Before considering what ought to
be done I think it only just to both of
4 you=both sides=and desirable from my
standpoint that you should have time
to consider what l have stated as to
/ the reasons for my getting you together
and / shall trespass so far upon your
good nature as to ask that this inter
view cease now and that you come
back at o'clock. I should like you to
think over what I have stated, not to
decide now, but give it careful thought
and return at 3 o'clock"
The conference then adjourned until 8
o'clock. Upon reassembling Mr.. Baer
spoke as follows:
Mr. President. do we understand cor
rectly that we will be expected to an
swer the proposition submitted by Mr..
Mitchell this morning?"
| The president
1T will be a pleasure to me to hear
any answer that you are willing to
| malse."
Mr.. Baer:
Il have prepared an answer
STATEMENT OF MR. BAER.
ITO the President of the United States:
We understand your anxiety is forcibly
| expressed in the statement you read to
US this morning to bring about an inn
mediate resumption of operations in the
coal mines in some such way as will.
without days unnecessary delay. meet
the crying needs of the peoples We in
fer that you desire US to consider the
offer of Mr.. Mitchell verbally made this
morning, expressing and speaking for
the United Mine Workers. to go back
to work if you would appoint commits
sion to determine the question at is
sue
You distinctly say that you do not
invite a discussion of your respective
claims and positions. But we assume
that statement of what is going on in
the coal regions will not be irrelevant.
We represent the owners of coal mines
in PENNSYLVANIA. There are from Is to
20 thousand men at work in mining and
preparing coal. They are abused. as
saulted, injured and maltreated by the
=
work under the protection of armed
guards. Thousands of other workmen
are deferred from working by the in
timidation. violence and crimes inaugu-
rated by the United Mine Workers. over
whom John Mitchell whom you invited
to meet you. is chief.
I need not picture the daily crimes
committed by the members of this
organization. The domestic tranquility
which our constitution declares is the
/ chief object of government does not ex-
! ist in the coal regions. There is a ter
rible reign of lawlessness and crime
there. Only the lives and property OF
the members of the secret oath bound
, order which declared that the locals
, should have full power to SUSPEND oD-
erations at eollieries' until the nonunior
men Joined treir order, are safe Every
effort IS made to prevent the mininy OF
? coal and when mined NxitchelPs mer
/ dynamite bridges and tracks. mob train
: men and bv all manner of violence try
= to prevent its shipment to relte-e the
public.
/ THE constitution of Pennsylvania
: guarantees protection to life and prop
erty- II express terms it declares the
right OF acquiring, possessing and de
Tending property to be inaliena bic
| When riot and anarchy too great to be
= appeased by the civil power occurs the
= governor of Pennsylvania is bound te
r Gall out the state troops to suppress it
: He must fearlessly use the whole power
I OF the state to protect life and prop
t erty and to establish peace-not al
armed truce. but the peace of the law
Whlch protects every man at work anc
! going to and from work He has sen.
troops to the coal regions Gradually
the power of the law is asserting itself
Unless encouraged by false hopes orde
: will soon be restored, and then we car
mine coal to meet the public wants I
: the power of Pennsylvania is INSULT
> cient to re-estsbEsh the reign of law
j Continued on Page 14.)