The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-10-04
THE COAL BARONS DEAF
TO ROOSEVEL1'S APPEAL
The Mine Workers Offer to Submit the Matter to a
Committee Appointed by the
President.
THE PROPOSAL vEHEMENTLY REJECTED

affects the public. AS long as there
seemed to be a reasonable hope that
these matters could be adjusted between
the parties it did not seem proper to me
to intervene in any way. l disclaim any
right or duty to intervene in this way
upon legal grounds or upon any official
relation that / bear to the situation, but
the urgency and the terrible nature of
the catastrophe impending over large
portion of our people in the shape OF
winter fuel famine impels me after much
anxious thought to believe that my duty
requires me to use whatever influence |
personally can to bring to an end a sit
uation which has become literally intol-
cradle. | wish to emphasize the charac-
ter of the situation and to say that its
gravity is such that l am constrained
urgently to insist that each one OF you
realize the heavy burden Of responsibility
upon him. We are upon the threshold
of winter with an already existing coal
famine the future terrors of which we
can hardly yet appreciate. The evil possl-
bjlities are so far reaching, some appall-
inf, that it seems to me that you are
not only justified in sinking but re-
ouired to sink FOR the time being any te-
nacity as to your respective claims in
|
NV Judgment the situation imperatively
requires that you meet upon the common
plane of the necessities of the public.
With all the earnestness there is in me
ask that there be an immediate resump-
ton of operations in the coal mines IN
some such way as will without days
unnecessary delay meet the crying needs
of the people.
1iCpnGSiOO
respective claims and positions ap-
neal to your patriotism. to the spirit that
sinks personal considerations and makes
individual sacrifices for the generai
good
The statements to the President were
made in the following order:
President Baer, of THE Reading Rail-
road. President Mitchell, of the Mine
Workers; President Thomas, of the Erie
Railroad: Mr. Markle an Independent
/ operator; President Truesdale, of the
I.ackawanna Railroad; Mr.. Wilcox, vice.
President and General Counsel of the
Delaware and Hudson Railroad; Mr.
| Fowler. of the New York. Ontario and
/ Western Railroad.
The statement by George F. Baer, Pres
! ident of the Reading Railroad Company,
says:
ssYou distinctly say that you do not
invite a discussion of your respective
claims and POSITIONS But We assume
! that a statement of what is going on in
! the coal regions will not be irrelevent.
We represent the owners of coal regions
in Pennsylvania There are from fifteen
to twenty thousand men at work mining
and preparing coal. They are abused, as
saulted injured and maltreated by the
United Mine Workers. They can only
work under the protection of armed
guards. Thousands of other Workmen
are deferred from working by the inti-
midations violence and crime inaugu-
rated by the United Mine Workers, over
whom John Mitchell, whom you invited
| to meet you. is chief.
Il need not picture the daily crimes
committed by the members of this or
ganization. The domestic tranquility,
which every constitution declares the
chief object of government, does not eX-
! list in the coal regions. There is ter
rible reign of lawlessness and crime
there. The constitution of Pennsylvania
guarantees protection to life and prop
! erty. In express terms it declares the
right of acquiring, possessing and defend
! ing property to be inalienable.' When
riot and anarchy too great to be appeased
by the civil power, occur, the Governor
! of Pennsylvania is bound to call the
! State troops to suppress it. He has sent
! troops to the coal regions. Gradually
the power of the law is asserting itself
| Unless encouraged by false hopes, order
will soon be restored and then we can
mine coal to meet the public wants. If
! the power of Pennsylvania is insufficient
! to re-establish the reign of law, the Con-
! stitution of the United States requires
I the President. when requested by the
/ Legislature and the Governor, to sup
/ press domestic violence You see there
/ is a lawful way to secure coal for the
| public.
| '',The duty of the hour is not to waste
! time negotiating with the fomenters of
/ this anarchy and insolent defiance of
/ law, but to do as was done in the War
/ of the Rebellion, restore the majesty of
/ law, the only guardian of a free people,
and to re-establish order and peace at
any cost
"The government is a contemplate
failure if it can only protect the lives and
property, and secure the comfort of the
pople by compromising with the violators
| of law, and the instigators of violence
/ and crime.
Just now it is more important to tcach
| ignorant men, dwelling among us, mis-
! led and used as tools by citizens of other
States. that at whatever cost and ireon-
yenience to the public Pennsylvania will
/ use the whole power of government TO
protect not only the men who wants TO
work, but his wife and children, while he
/ is at work, and to punish every man who
1 by instigation or by overt acts attempts
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