The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-03
THE CAUSE OF THE STRIKE.
a Statement Showing the Contention
of the Miners.

One of the clearest articles that has
been published in connection with the
great anthracite coal strike is embodied
in an editorial in the Indianapolis News
discussing the statement Of President
Mitchell of the miners organization
and Mr.. Baer on the part OF the oper-
ators. The article reads:
Mr.. Baer has said that the wages paid
in the anthracite region are, compared
with the wages paid elsewhere in like
employment, fair and just Mr.. Mitch
ell assumes that bituminous coal mining
is like employment" and says that
the wages paid to bituminous miners
are from 20 to 40 per cent higher than
those paid in the anthracite fields. The
minimum wages paid to the soft coal
miners are 2614 cents an hour for men
and 1212 cents an hour for boys; while
the anthracite miners receive from 15
to 20 cents an hour for men and ) to s
cents an hour for boys If these figures
are right Mr.. Baer has his answer. Mr..
Mitchell further says that the bitum-
inous miners never work more than
eight hours a day, While the anthracite
miners work two hours longer each day
Mr. Baer further says that the
miners had restricted the output of the
mines Here, again, Mr.. Mitchell gives
facts, which, II they are facts. prove
that Baer is wrong. He shows that the
output for 1901 was the largest in the
history of the mines, and he quotes the
Engineering and Mining Journal as au-
thority for the statement that virtually
the only restriction on output was u
shortage of cars Mr.. Mitchell says that
instead of there having been a falling
off of a million tons in the output OF
the Reading company'S mines, there was
right-Mitchell or Baer? When we re-
meber the singular and unpardonable
/ inaccuracy of Mr.. Hewitt's recent state
ments, we are not prepared to take as
! I9hSDlnfplU irpr he.
said by the operators, or in their be-
/ half
Mr.. Mitchell shows that the pei
capita output has increased. and his
authority is the annual reports of the
I Pennsylvania state bureau of mines
he insists that the aims and purposes OF
the miners have been misrepresented by
the operators and their allied news
papers. He declares that the strikers
40 not hope, expect or desire to controi
the business Of coal mining, or to inter.
fere with proper discipline Here are
their demands. as set forth by Mitchell:
We do demand. first, an increase in
wages for men employed on piece work
second, reduction in the hours of la
Dor for men employed by the day; third
payment for legal ton of coal; fourth
that the coal we mine shall be honestly
weighed and correctly recorded; and
fifth, we favor incorporating in the
form Of an agreement the wages thai
shall be paid and the conditions OF en-
ployment that shall obtain for a specific
De. iod.'
There is not one of these demands
that does not seem to be rea sona hle
Certainly tkere is not one of them thai
might not fairly be made the subject
of arbitration And Mitchell again Of
fers to submit them to an impa:-tia
board of arbitrators.
In reply to Mr.. .Baer's contention tha
there c2n not be an increase of wage:
without an increase in the price of Goa
to the consumer Mitchell shows tha
the operators raised TIE price of Goa
last year from 80 to 20 cents a to1
without one cent oe increase in tn,
miners wages. And he shows furthe
that the Increase of 10 per cent in wage,
granted in 1900 probably, did not in
/ crease the cost of coal more than
CONTINUED On Sixth PAGE