The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-10-10
BAIT WAS NOT TEMPTING.
Answer of the Miners to President
Roosevelt's Request.

Washington Oct 9.-President Mitch
ell of the coal miners union has refused
TO comply with the appeal of President
Roosevelt TO call the strike off, His
letter 10 the president. which was made
public at the White House today. is as
follows:
Hotel Hart, Wilkesbarre. oct. 8.
l902.-Theodore Roosevelt, President of
the Unted States, Washington, d. c.
Dear Sir-Carrol ID. Wright has,
no doubt. reported TO you the delivery
of your message TO me last Monday and
my statement 10 him that I should take
your suggestion under Amusement al
though l did not look upon il with
favor. Since that time l have con-
suited with our district presidents, who
concur fully In my views.
we desire 10 assure you again that
we feel keenly the responsibility of our
position and the gravity of the situa-
ton and II would give us great pleasure
TO take any action which would bring
this coal strike TO an end in a manner
that would safeguard the interests Of
our constituents.
I'm proposing that there be an i'm
mediate resumption OF coal mining upon
the conditions we suggested in the con-
ference at the White House, we believed
that we had gone more than half way
and had met your wishes. 1t is un-
necessary in this letter TO refer TO the
malicious assault made upon US in the
response or the coal operators. We feel
confident that you must have been i'm
pressed with the fairness of our propo-
sition and the insincerity Of those who
maligned us.
Having In mind our experience. with
the coal operators in the past, we have
no reason 10 feel any degree of con-
fidence in their willingness TO do us
justice in the future, and inasmuch as
they have refused TO accept the decis-
ion of a tribunal selected by you and
inasmuch as there is no law through
which you could enforce the findings of
the commission you suggest, we re-
spectfully decline to advise our people
TO return 10 work simply upon the hope
that the coal operators might be in
duced or forced TO comply with the
recommendation of your commission
"As stated above, we believe that we
went more than half way in our pro-
poSal at Washington and we do not
feel that We should be asked to make
further sacrifices. We appreciate your
sOlicitude for the people of our country,
who are now and viii be subjected to
great suffering and inconvenience by a
prolongation of the coal strike, and we
feel that the onus of this terrible state
Of affairs should be placed upon the side
which has refused to refer to fair and
impartial investigation. / am, respect
fully, JOHN MITCHELL,
President u. NJ. W. A"
No comment was made concerning the
letter of Mr.. Mitchell by officers at the
White House today, although it can be
said that the president has not ex-
hausted all efforts in bringing about an
end to the strike. Nothing can be
learned as to the future intentions OF
the president in this matter and IL is
stated that the time has not yet come
to disclose the purpose OF the admin
istration. This naturally gives rise to
speculation as TO what may be the next
move, as it was understood that the
administration had done about every
thing possible in bringing the operators
and the miners together and in the ap-
peal made TO Mr.. Mitchell.