Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-10-23
ARBITRATION COMMISSION.
II wiiitMcetii in Washington Next Friday
iortihe Purpose of Organizing.


iorfihe Purpose of OsgHniziTg.
Washington, Oct. q. 81 President
Roosevelt yesterday was notified by
telegraph by John Mitchell that the
coal Mirrors lad accepted the erhiSre-
tion rlan, and would 60 to work to-
morrow. Mr.. Mitchell's telegram Was
in the words Of tho resoiution adopted
by the convention at Wilkesbarre.
The Presi1ent Immediately an
nounced that the first meeting of the
commission To arbitrate tho strike
would lie held in Washington on Friday
tions to that e.foct have been sent TO
the various npmbers OF the commits
sion. Tine following message was also
senr to ar. Mitchell:
White House, t'ct. 2ls. 1902 Mr.. John
Mitchell, ChairT Hi OF toiirenticn. Wilkes
barre, Pa. I; Upon resriln Of your telegram
otf this tiate ila ltfssiaent summoned the
comirsissinn tn feat here on Friday, line
2ith inst, it it q m.
II George B. Cortelyou. Secretary.
The meeting Of the commission will
prabsbly.abe held in the Office Of Com
inissioner7tAfright, in tle Department
Of Labor. Aftor the commission has
effected its organization The members
will call in hody On the President
TO pay their respects. At that tina, it
is expected, he will embrace the on
portunity to give the commission such
verbal questions as he may care TO
present to it. BESIDES, he Iray prepare
a formal letter OF instructions. That
is the method pursued at the time of
the appointment of the Pullman Strike
Commission, OF which Col. Wright
was the president.
II is understood that few meetings
of the commission Sill be held in
Washington, and it is probable that the
first sessions at which testimony will
Le taken will be held in Wilkesbarre,
as that city will be most convenient
for tie minors fprosentatiyes. Other
meetings will be held in Philadelphia
or New York. or in both cities.
Whether the sessions of the commits
sion will lie. oren to tie public 10 q
question tie commission itself will
have TO dstermine, but it is regarded
rs quite likely that at all sessions,
when testimony is taken, representa-
tives Of the press will be admitted.
The Indications now point to the
election cf Judge Gray as chairman of
the commission at the meeting on
Friday. At first it was assumed that
Gen. Wilson would be selected. because
his name headed tho list as given out
at the White House. In this case,
however, the first name on the list is
deprived of the significance it would
otherwise have had by the fact that
tho President followed the outline of
q commission given by the operators
at Mr.. Morgan's visit to the White
House. 1t was purely a formal follow
ing out OF the operators skeleton com
mission, and it is not TO be supposed
that the operators meant to dictate
that the chairman shonld he the en-,
ginesr officer merely because his name
came first on their list.
While Gen. Wilson would nndoubt-
edly discharge the duties of the office
with tact and skill, the feeling is he
coming general that Judge Gray is
pre- -eminently tie man for tho place.
He is a lawyer of long experience, and
has been for three years a United
States Circuit Court judge. In addi-
tion his service in the United States
Senate furnished him with experience
which no other man on the commission
possesses, and adds materially to his
qualifications for the chairmanship.
He served two full termI in the Senate,
besides serving two years of the unex-
pired term OF Thomas F. Bayard-in
all Ia years.