Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-11-26

the individual operators at least pro-
pose TO do.
THE case as presented already shows
that such weakness that we believe they
were almost disheartened when these
suggestions for q compromise were
made,
I'VE believe that any surrender on
our part which would be practically
what this compromise would amount to,
would be by far the most serious mis-
take ever made In the anthracite coal
business"
The statement Is signed by rs indie
pendent coal companies
The protest was presented by Mr..
Simpson, who, In the course OF an earn
est speech, said
1T Is our opinion, and one upon
which we are very determined, that we
owe II to ourselves to have this inves-
tigation continue In order that testi-
mony may be taken which will prove
clearly to the public at large that the
wages we have paid and the treatment
accorded our men have been fair, and
that their earnings have feen large In
proportion to the Intelligence required
and their willingness TO work.
"To common labor the daily wage
has been small, but no less than 1t re-
ceives from the class of work In any
industry, and more than on your rail-
roads. We do not give mechanical
wages to men who handle a pick or
wheel a barrow.
'As TO miners, II can be shown that
their annual earnings are more than
the amount called fair wages, which
was specified by two witnesses called
for the plaintiff. Their wages per hour
are greater than those OF skilled me-
chanics working and living In the same
regions and they work less hours per
day through choice. and, consequently,
through the same choice, less days per
year, since the operator must employ
large number OF men In order TO Sc
cure the output which might be pro-
duced by fraction Of that number"
Mr.. Simpson urged that chance he
given TO bring out before the commits
sion the points favorable TO the oper-
ators. He said that evidence could he
produced which would clear the at
mosphere Of much OF the maudln senti-
mcnt which Is apparent" Too much
prominence, he said. had been given ia
John Mitchell who had been kept on
the witness stand four and one-half
| days. while the only point developed
was that he was In sympathy with the
miners and was not familiar with an
| thracite mining. Half an hour would
have been sufficient, Mr. Simpson said
and would have prevented much sym.
pathy-creating generaltes. Continu-
ing. Mr.. Simpson said;
I'VE think It nightly desirable that
any attempt AT compromise should i'm
medately stop, that the investigation
should continue, and that one or two
OF the individual operators with your
representatives should collect and tabu-
late figures Of earnings for the pur-
| pose Of presenting them In evidence
| After that our witness can appear"
The meeting of the Independent OBJ
orators and railroad officials lasted
| about an hour. and at Its close Presi-
| dent Fowler Of the New York. Ontario
| & Western said that President Baer ot
| the Reading was preparing a statement
| Later the statement was issued and
| Mr. Baer left AT once for philadelphia
After mentioning at the outset the
| names OF the private" operators pres
ont the statement given out by Mr.
| Baer says:
| "They (the private operators) met the
coal presidents who had signed the re-