The Washington times., 1902-09-29
MITCHELL'S REPLY TO BAER

so cents per ton. and at the present time
Mr.. Baer and his fellow presidents are
forcing the public to pay from s. to $40
excess upon ton of coal in order to
save this same public 10 or Is cents
Mr.. Baer states that 40 per cent OF
the coal produced is sold in the market
below the cost Of mining: but he fails
to say that the larger portion of this
40 per cent is made up of grades OF coal
for which the miners received no COM
pensation whatever. Indeed, up to a
few years ago, or before the installation
of washeries. the miners were docked
for loading this very coal which brings
small prices now I'M the markets and,
according to Mr.. Baer's process of rea-
soning. the miners should receive less
wages for the larger grades because
they mined the small sizes gratuitously.
II shall not enter elaborately into
the question Of cost. but shall merely
say that Mr.. Baer's statements are ut
terly misleading The rise in wages in
1900 was more than counterbalanced by
an increased cost of living which lef.
the miner worse of than before:
The Per Diem Average.
"Mr Baer claims that the average pay
per working day in his mines is s1.S9.
Admitting, for the sake of argument. the
correctness of his figures, this would
make, upon the average number of
working days in 1901. grand annual
total of 1868 per employe, or an average
of s705 per week; thus. as result Of
the strenuously opposed and bitterly re-
gretted advance wrung from the opera
tors by the strike of 1900, the average
adult employe of the Reading Coal and
Iron Company is permitted to spend
upon himself. wife and his children the
munifcent sum Of $1.01 per day.
'In closing this statement l desire to
say that we have entered and are con-
Quoting this struggle without malice and
without bitterness; we believe that our
antagonists are acting upon misreprc-
sentation rather than in bad faith; We
regard them not as enemies but as op-
ponents, and we strike In patience until
they shall ,accede to our demands or
submit to impartial arbitration to the
difficulties between us. We are striking
not to show our strength but the JUS
tice of our cause, and we desire only
the privilege of presenting our cause
to a fair tribunal. We ask not for fav
ors. but for justice. and We appeal our
cause to the solemn Judgment Of the
American people.
Involved In this fight are questions
weightier than any question of dollars
and cents. The present miner has had
his day and has been oppressed and
ground down, but there Is another gen
Grafton coming up.
"a generation of little children is pre-
maturely doomed to the whirl OF the mill
and the noise and blackness OF the |
breaker 1t is for these little children |
we are fighting. We have not underes-
timated the strength of our opponents: |
we have not overestimated our own
power of resistance, accustomed always |
to live upon little. little less Is no un-
endurable hardship. 1t was with
uuaking of hearts that we called for
strike: 1t was with quaking hearts that
wa asked for our last pay envelopes. but /
in the grim, bruised hand of the miner
was the little white hand Of child-a
child like the children OF the rich-and
in the heart of the miner was the soul
rooted determination to starye to the
last crust of bread and fight out the
long. dreary battle to win a life for the
child and secure for it place in the
world In keeping with advancing civil
izatlon.
Dynamite in Mine.
Another dynamiting occurred about
at the No. colliery Of the
.ehigh and wilkesbarre Coal Company
1t Sugar Notch. an effort being made to !
blow up the pipes leading to the fan
louse, thus stopping the fan and pre-
renting the ventilation OF the mine The
explosion fiattened four pipes, damaging
hem so they were useless. and the fan
vas stopped. Connections were made.
however, with another pipe and the fan
vas started with so short q. delay that
10 damage was done.