The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-12
Conference Committee of PG0- pIGS s Alliance Calls on GoV-
 Grnor Stone
WANT ID ENACT LAWS
 FORCING ARBITRATION
One Speaker Argues That J. Plerpont Morgan Should Force President Baer to Bring About a Settle
 ment-The Reasons.

Harrisburg, Pa, September 1.-The conference committee of the Peoples AL liance. appointed at their convention at Hazelton last Thursday, appeared before Governor Stone this afternoon and sub mitted a plan for effecting a settlement of the anthracite coal strike. Their plan consists of calling an extra session of the legislature to enact laws for com pulsory arbitration; better control of for eign corporations doing business in Pennsylvania and enforcing the six teenth and seventeenth articles of the constitution. Daniel J. Mccarthy of Ha- zelton said the alliance represented the business people of the hard coal districts and that it's purpose was to secure a set clement of the strike. There was no sign of settlement and the only hope of bringing about an end to the strike was by an extra session of the legisla- ture for the enactment of legislation that will end the present strike and prevent strikes in the future.
 MT. Mccarthy suggested that if an ex- tra session is held some action should be taken to curb the great foreign corpora tions which are doing business in Penn sylvanIa He attacked the beef trust, the steel trust and other large corpora tions because of the alleged high prices which they charged for their products.
 Should Force Morgan.
 MT. Mccarthy further said:
 President Baer of the Philadelphia and Reading company is the creature of J. P. Morgan, and the latter should be forced to compel MT. Baer to arbtrate the strike. A load of coal cannot be bought in the coal region at present from any of the large coal corporations at any price. If the legislation Is enacted which the alliance recommends. it will bring the strike to an end and prevent strikes in the future."
 MT. Mccarthy argued that the present difficulty in the coal region comes through the gross mismanagement of the great coal corporations. None of these corporations. he said. pays dividend. while the individual operators are all making money and getting rich. Relief can be granted, he continued, by legis- lauon.
 T. c. Parker of Wilkesbarre said tho conditions in the anthracite regions are horrible in a commercial way, and hun dreds of people are being forced to leave that locality because of unfortunate con- ditions. The best residents are going away, leaving the region with a remnant Of undesirable people.
 Extra Session Only Remedy.
 "The only remedy he said, lis an ex- tra session of the legislature for the en- actment of laws that will settle the trou- Ii A. x,f aIl .7 William Wilhelm of Pottsville argued that if the legislation recommended by the alliance was enacted by special session of the general assembly 1t would force the coal operators to settle the strike and improve the conditions in the anthracite coal regions. He submitted copy of a bill which he had drafted pro- hibiting persons under A years old from working in and about the mines for more than eight hours a day. The enactment of the bill into a law would prevent the crowding of the mines with undesirable working men. He said:
 There will be an uprising and protest at the next election if the conditions in the coal regions are not improved"
 Matt Long of Hazelton argued that the only solution of the problem in the coal region was compulsory arbitration If such a law could be enacted by spe- cial session of the legislature. he said other laws must be enacted which would prevent much of the trouble between the coal companies and the miners.
 The Rev. Dr. Schwayer of Giradville, a blind preacher. said that what was needed to settle the strike and prevent trouble in the future was legislation such as that suggested by the alliance. Should an extra session of the legislature be held, the members would be ordered to enact remedial legislation. This closed the argument.
 The governor said he was glad to hear from the alliance, but made no com ment on their remarks.