The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-27
COL. WRIGHT AND THE COAL
COMMISSION.

The addition of United States Labor
Commissioner Carroll d. Wright to the an
thracite coal commission strengthens 1t and
any point. AS previously constituted the
commission consisted of six members, and
there was. of course. a possibility Of tie
vote. The appointment of Colonel Wright,
with the full consent of both Sides pre-
vents this. Colonel Wright will be valu-
able addition to the commission because
he has given much study to economic ques-
tions and labor conditions. and recently
made a special investigation OF the strike
at the request Of the President His re-
port was very judicial in tone and showed
that he Is capable of taking broad views
and looking at all sides of a question.
There is reason to believe that Colonel
Wright will endeavor to bring about bet
ter relations between the miners and oper-
ators than have existed heretofore. The
first duty Of the commission will be to
arbitrate the matters in dispute in the
recent strike but 1t will also be expected
TO make recommendations for the preven-
ton of future strikes. From this point of
view the public is interested in the express
sions of different members of the commits
sion. Colonel Wright has lectured and
written on different phases of the labor
them combined, and he is distinctly in
favor of industrial Cancellation He be-
lieves in the right of labor to organize
and in the usefulness OF labor unions but
he regards strikes as unnecessary and un-
wise. He is strongly in favor of boards
of Cancellation and arbitration. At the
Chicago conference in December, 1900. the
principal paper read was by Colonel
Wright, giving an account of what had
been accomplished by boards of concilia-
ton and arbitration in other countries
In this paper he declared himself strongly
disputes.
Colonel Wright thinks the anthracite
miners should have a separate organiza-
ton Of their own and deal directly with
the operators. Among the conclusions and
recommendations in his recent report TO
the President were the following:
That the anthracite employees should or
ganiZe an anthracite coal miners union,
In its autonomy 10 be independent OF the
| United Mine Workers of America. The new
union might, of course, be affiliated with the
| United Mine Workers and the American
| Federation of Labor, but in the conduct
of all the affairs relating to the anthra-
| cite coal regions the new union should
| preserve its own autonomy and be finan-
| cially responsible for its agreements.
That under new organization consisting
! OF anthracite employees there shall be or
ganized a joint committee on conciliat ton,
composed of representatives of the oper-
atOrs and OF the new union, TO which all
grievances they arise shall be referred
| for investigation; and that when two-thirds
/ OF the committee reach a decision that de-
/ cision shall be final and binding upon both
parties.
This leaves no doubt as TO Colonel
Wright's position on the question OF ar
bitration and that OF a separate and indie
| pendent union of the anthracite miners
| He will probably try 10 bring about some
such arrangement this, and no other
| member OF the commission will have more
| influence than he Another recommends
| ton In his report to the President was
that there shall be no interference with
nonunion men" Colonel Wright is much
too just . man to admit that nonunior