Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-12
FIGHTING The UNION
Mine Owners All Declare Rec
ognition of the Union Not
an Issue
MORE REPLIES TO MITCHELL
Answers of the Owners Are Unanimous
in Declaring That the Question of
Recognizing the United Mine Work
ers' Organization Is Not an Issue Be-
fore the Coal Strike Commission.

Washington, Nov. 12.-That the an
thracite coal mine owners will resist to
the utmost every effort to make recog-
milton of the United Mine Workers of
America an issue in the arbitration
which is now in progress is made evil
dent by the replies to the statement of
President John Mitchell of the miners
organization, which have been filed
with the strike commission. There are
five of the answers in addition to that
of President Baer, which was given out
yesterday, and all dwell with especial
emphasis and marked unanimity on this
point. They also agree in resisting the
demands of the miners for an increase
of pay for piece work, and reduction
of hours for tie work and for Weighing
rather than measurements OF coal. he
corder Wright left for the anthracite
regions today, taking the replies with
him.
The reply for the Delaware COM
pany to President Mitchelfs statement
to the anthracite coal strike commis-
sion was made public today. Is
signed by President Truesdale, VINO
says the company owns twenty-five
anthracite collieries and employs l2,ooo
workmen. Truesdale, like. Baer, OBJ
jects to making recognition of the
union one of the issues to be considered
by the commission, saying: This COM
pany uneauivocally asserts it will under
no condition recognize or enter into
I1n
Workers of America or any branch
thereof Nor will it permit said as
sociation or its officers to dictate the
terms and conditions under which 1t
shall conduct it's business" Referring
to the recent strike, Truesdale says
he is reliably informed that large
per cent of the companies employees
We're opposed to the strike, but were
forced to it by majority vote OF the
mine workers in other fields. Trues-
dale follows closely the lines of Mr,
3aer's argument as to the dissimilarity
between work in anthracite mines and
that in bituminous mines. He de-
clares 1t is impossible to adopt uni
form rate to be paid to miners for
unit of coal mined at all mines. The
declaration is also made that anthracite
miners, as rule, do not work as many
hours day as do bituminous miners
and the opinion is advanced that had
the wages of anthracite miners been
less than that of other working men
they would have found employment
elsewhere, which they did not do. He
says that: Prior to the introduction
of agitators and mischief makers the
workers were, on an average,
as prosperous, comfortable and con-
tented as any body of workers in sim
liar employment in this country"
Truesdale resists the demand for a re-
duction Of 20 per cent in the hours OF
labor saying that no such branch OF
business employing thousands of men
can hope to compete successfully in
the markets of the world il it's hours
of labor are restricted. He declares
there is no unjust discrimination in
weighing coal as it is measured rather
than weighed, and asserts the demand
is out of all reason"
President Olyphant of the Delaware
& Hudson Company, in his report de-
clares the wages paid by his company
are just and adequate. Denial is made
of all the agitations in connection with
the demand for shorter hours, and it is
argued that the reduction necessarily
would increase the price of coal. Oily
phant also takes exception to the prop
osition to arbitrate the question of rec
ognition of the miners union. He says
the company has no desire to discrimi-
nate against members of the union.
President Fowler speaks for the
Scranton Coal Company and Elhill Coal
and Iron Company. He says they own
ten collieries and work 5000 men. He
asserts that If the average wage earned
by the anthracite workers Is less than
that paid to workers in other employ
ment it is because '"They fix their own
hours of labor and the amount of their
earnings without any regard to the in
terests or wishes of their employers,
and in total disregard of the earnings
and welfare of every other class of
employees" He declares the men in the
mines do not work to exceed four or
five hours day. All the other charges
made by Mitchell are combatted.
The statements made for the Lehigh
Valley and Pennsylvania companies
cover the same ground as the other
statements.