The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-26


justice perpetrated by the United Mine
Workers.
"Second-That such settlement would
be, in the eyes of the public, confess
sion that we have heretofore been
guilty of all the offenses charged
against US by the said mine workers.
'"Third-That we have and believe
that you have such a perfect and COM
plete defense to the allegations made
by the compliments before the COM
mission that any money award the
commission would render would be far
less than the amount we understood
that it is proposed to concede, especial
ly to miners and their laborers.
'Fourth-That aside from any money
considerations this commission, COM
posed as we believe, of men that are
absolutely fair, unbiased and of I'M
usual experience and good judgment, in
their findings viii make such declara
ton as will for many years put a ban
upon unlawful practices, oppression or
non-union men, unjustifiable demands
and other grievances that we have
been suffering under since 1900, when
the union first took possession of our
property. If. on the other hand, this
settlement be made now when not a
single witness has been called on our
Part or on your behalf, it would be an
absolute and distinct surrender to the
miners union and the troubles above
referred to viii not only be continued,
but so magnified as to be absolutely un-
bearable.
Ask a Hearing.
THE hearings before the anthracite
| coal strike commission present the first
opportunity that the coal operators
have ever had of presenting their case
before the general public, who are real
! ly an important third party, since alb
cffs lfafc saE i
are published all over the United States.
and it is a duty that we owe to our
| selves as we'll as to them to prove that
| the continued and repeated charges of
! injustice. barbarity and eXtOrtion are
absolutely unfounded; all of which the
| individual operators at least propose
| to do.
THE case as presented already shows
such weakness that We believe they
were almost disheartened when these
| suggestions for a compromise were
made. We believe that any surrender
on our part, which would be practically
what this compromise would amount TO,
would be by Tar the most serious mis-
take ever made in the anthracite coal
1 business
The above statement is signed by
twenty-five independent coal compa-
MES. '.e-.+
Mr.. Simpsons Speech.
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
i owe il 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
4 wages we have paid and the treatment
! accorded our men have been fair, and
| that their earnings have been large in
proportion to the intelligence required
and their willingness to work.
ITO common labor the daily wage
has been small. but no less than it re-
ceives from the class of work in any
roads. We do not give mechanical
/ wages to men who handle a pick OF
| wheel a barrow
AS to miners, it can be shown thai
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 pei
day through choice, and, consequently
through the same choice, less days pei
/ year. since the operator must employ
! a large number of men in order to Sc
cure the output which might be pro-
duced by a fraction of that number"
Mr.. Simpson urged that chance bs
given to bring out before the commits
sion the points favorable to the oper-
ators. He said that evidence could b'
produced which would clear the at
mosphere of much of the maudlin senti
ment which is apparent Too mucf
prominence. he said. had been given t
John Mitchell, who had been kept OF
the witness stand four and one-hal
days, while the only point developed
was that he was in sympathy with th'
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 generalities. Continu
ing, Mr.. Simpson said:
No Compromise.
I'VE think il highly desirable that an,
attempt at compromise should immedi
ately stop, that the investigation shOul'
continue. and that one or two of tn
Individual operators with your repre-
sentatives should collect and tabulat
figures of earnings for the purpose o
presenting them in evidence After tina
our witnesses can appear"
The meeting of the independent op
orators and railroad officials lastei
about an hour. and at its close Presi
dent Fowler of the New York, Ontari
& Western said that President Baer o
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