The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-16
MITCHELL UNDER FIRE
CLOSELY QUESTIONED By WILL
cox AND MACvEAGH
Miners Leader Bears Himself Well
and Has Few Scars to Show
as a Result of His Cross
Examination.

Scranton. Pa. Nov 15-President Mitch
ell of the United Mine Workers Union,
occupied the witness stand throughout
both sessions of the coal strike commits
sion today. For four hours and half
he took the cross-fire of the two OF the
most brilliant attorneys of the coal com
panies and ended the day with few scars
as a result Of the battle.
David Wilcox of New York. general
counsel for the Delaware and Hudson
Company, and Wayne Macveagh of Phil
adelphia, who is representing the Penn
sylvania Coal Company and the Hillside
Coal and Iron Company. were the princi-
pal questioners and they put hundreds OF
questions to Mr.. Mitchell.
The afternoon session was the more In
teresting. Mr.. MacVeagh's cross-exami-
nation was, as a rule, very Keen anu
while he assured Mr.. Mitchell that he
was not radically opposed to him. he DID
not miss an opportunity to place Mr..
Mitchelrs reasons for better conditions
in the anthracite field In bad light be-
fore the commission. When he began ms
cross-examination of Mr.. Mitchell at
opposed to proper organized labor.
He took up the demands of the miners.
He questioned Mr.. Mitchell on the de-
mand for an increase in wages and press
ed the National President hard when he
asked him IL he cared to carry the re-
sponsibiiity Of increasing the living ex-
penses of the great mass of poor people
of the Eastern States who would uiti-
mately have to carry the burdens II the
demands Of the miners for higher wages
were granted. Mr. Mitchell's reply. in
substance. was that the miners could not
assume the responsibility as 1t was a sit
uation over which they had no control.
Mr.. MacVeagh made the most Of his
opportunity to picture the great burden
that would fall on the people If the de-
mands Of the miners were granted. From
this question he passed to the demands
for a shorter work day and the weighing
coal by the ton Of 2,240 and then took
IN the fourth demand for trade agree
ments which practically means recogni-
ton of the union. He asked Mr.. Mitchell
what sort OF contract he would draw
I'D and the latter replied he would favor
an agreement as outlined In his sugges-
tion to the commission yesterday.
After going over the demands Of tho
miners, Mr. Mcveagh took up the condi-
tions existing in and about the collieries
of the companies he represented, and
tried to show that the conditions spoken
of by Mr.. Mitchell were not borne cut
by investigation. He took Forest City,
where the mines of the companies are
situated, as an example, and produced
photographs of houses in the town. and
also referred to the large deposits OF mon
ey in the local bank to show the pros
porous condition of the community.
oIkk nf Cd
that the conditions as presented by MIR.
Macveagh were true, said he could not,
for lack Of familiarity with the commun-
ity, deny his assertions.
The constitution of the United Mine
Workers was also taken up by the law
yer, and he and Mr.. Mitchell several
times spared for points regarding the
references contained in it for an eight
| hour day. Mr.. MacVeagh contended that
| no one had the right to deny man the
privilege of working more than eight
hours il he so desired. He said no one
member of the commission would be oc'
cupying his present high place If he had
| limited his own labors to eight hours g
| day, With reference to this argument
Mr.. Mitchell thought it was not fair tc
| compare the mine workers with the arbi
| traitors Mr.. MacVeagh said he himself
| started out in life by working fourteen
1 hours day on a farm. and for more
than forty years ne had worked more
| than ten hours day.
To the direct question of whether he, as
President of the Union, had a right tt
| curtail the hours of employment eacf
day of the miners, Mr.. Mitchell said he
thought he had and made an explana,
ton by saying that If one miner worked
moro than eight hours a day 1t would
probably result in the other men being
| compelled to work the same number OF
| hours.
During Mr.. MitchelTs examination by
Mr.. Wilcox, the fact was brought out
that if the increase in wages was grant
ed it would increase the expense Of the
companies about 81, 100000. IN regard to
! child labor, Mr.. Mitchell said he was In
] favor of State law which would make
the minimum age for a boy to go to WORK
, at the colleries IA instead of IL years.