Arizona republican., 1902-11-16
MR. MITCHELL
 ON THE RACK
Miners President SuStainS
 Fire of the Attorneys
The Question of the Responsibility of the Miners for the Greater Burden on the People That Would Follow in Compliance With the Strikers Demands.

Scranton, Pa, November 15.-Presi- dent Mitchell of the United Mine Workers occupied the witness stand throughout both sessions of the coal strike commission today. Four hours and a half were taken up with the cross fire of two brilliant attorneys Of the coal companies, and the day ended with few scars as the result C. the bat tie. David Wilson, the New York gen eral counsel for the Delaware & Hud- son company, and Wayne McVeagh, of Philadelphia. representing the Penn sylvania Coal company and the Lehigh Coal and Iron company were the prin- cipal questioners, and they put hun dreds of questions to Mir. Mitchell. The best harmony prevailed between the lawyers and witness.
 The members of the commission con tinue to take the same interest in everything, and frequently interrupt with questions, that they may have a better understanding of what is being said. The afternoon session was inter cstirg. McVeagh's cross examination as a rule was very keen, and while he assured Mitchell that he was not rad icGly opposed to him, he did not miss an opportunity to place Aiitchell's req sons for better conditions in the an- thracite coal fields in a bad light be- fore the commission. He took up the demands of the miners. He questioned Mitchell on the demand for an increase Oi wages, and pressed the national president hard when he asked him if he cared to carry the responsibility of in creasing the living expenses Of the great mass of people of the eastern states, who would ultimately have to carry the burdens of the miners if the wages were increased.
 MitchelTs reply, in substance, was that the miners could rot assume the responsibility, Gs it was a situation over which they had no control. Me Veagh made the most of his opportu- nity to picture the great burden that would fall upon the people if the de- T1G nds cf the incrS "a gram .d. From rnfs~ question he passed to the demands for a shorter work day. and the weighing of coal by the ton O.; 2 2,240 pounds, and then took up the fourth demand of the men for trade agree mects, which practically means Q rec cgzitiCn of the union. He asked MT. Mitchell what sort of a contract he would draw up, and the latter replied that he would favor an agreement out lined in his suggestions to the commis- sion yesterday.
 After going over the demands of the miners. McVeagh took up conditions existing in and about the collieries of the company he represented, and tried to show that the conditions spoken of by MT. Mitchell had not been borne out by investigation. He took Fort City. where the mines of the com panies are situated as an example, and produced photographs of the houses i1 town, and also referred to the large deposits of money in the To- cal bank to show the prosperous con- ditiCn of the community. MT Mitchell although not admitting the conditions as represented by McVeagh to be true, said he could not, for lack of familiar ity with the community, deny the as sertions.
 The constitution of the United Mine Workers of America was taken up by the lawyer and he and Mitchell sev- eral times spared for points regard ing references contained in it to an eight-hour day. McVeagh contended that no one had a right to deny that men had the privilege of working more that eight hours a day if they desired. He said that not one of the members of the commission would be occupying his present high place ii he limited his own labors to eight hours day. With reference to this argument Mitchell thought it was not fair to compare mine workers with arbitrators. Me Veagh said he himself started out in life by working fourteen hours a day on farm, and for more than forty years he had worked more than ten hours day.
 To direct question whether he, as president of the union, had right to curtail or limit the hours of employment each day of the miners. Mitchell said he thought he had. and made an explanation by saying that if one miner worked more than eight hours day it would probably result in other meu being compelled to work the same number of hours. It is ex- pscted that all next week will be taken up by the miners in presenting their ease.