The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-29
The SHAW WEDDING OFF FOR SCRANTON
The Anthracite Coal Commission
Leaves Washington for the
Mines To-day.
Important Towns Will Be Visited
AT Least Two Months
Needed.

| Washington, Oct. 29.-The majority Of
the members of the anthracite coal strike
commission left here at 3 o'clock this af-
ternoon over the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
for Scranton Pa, where they will meet to-
morrow morning to begin their investiga-
tons OF the conditions in the mining re-
glon. The party consisted of Commission
er OF Labor Carroll D. Wright, General
John M. Wilson, Bishop Spalding. Grand
Chief E. E. Clarke, of the Order of Rail-
road Conductors, Assistant Recorders
Moseley and Neill, and three stenogra-
piers The other members Of the commits
sion are also expected to reach Scranton
oy tomorrow morning. Judge Gray, the
chairman. is at Wilmington, Del, and ex-
poets to board the train on it's arrival there
late this afternoon. Messrs. Watkins and
Parker are In New York city, and have
been officially notified Of the departure Of
the others from here. The commission will
spend Tomorrow at Scranton arranging
the details of the trip through the coal
helds. The hearings will not begin until
the formal claims of the miners and the
answers of the operators have been fled
Inc first place to be visited by the COM
mission after leaving Scranton probably
Will be Wilkesbarre. The tour of the COM
mission through the coal fields in advance
OF the hearings will be of a preliminary
character as the same points in all prob
ability will be visited later for the purpose
OF taking the testimony of the mine BOSSES
1oremen and the miners themselves. To
require the miners to leave their work and
traVel any considerable distance to testify
before the commission would involve con-
SIDERABLE hardship upon the men and also
interfere to some extent with actual work.
Ing of the mines.
IN the preliminary inspection and in
Quiry into the conditions at the rnines tho
itinerary will be mapped out to cover the
several important coal fields of the anthra-
cite region Important towns representa-
tive or each Of the fields will be visited.
IL is expected that the commission will
proceed to WtlkeSbarre and then to Pitts
ton, which points, like Scranton, are In
what Is known as the northern coal basin,
linen the middle eastern fields and the
southern coal fields will be visited in turn.
Inc towns to be visited probably will in
ciude Hazleton, Shenandoah, Pottsville,
Tamaqua, shamokin and Carbonate.
None OF the members Of the commission
are willing to be quoted in predictions Of
the length of time the work of the COM
mission will consume. They say that they
Will go into the subject exhaustively and
one or them said privately to-day that he
believed the report would be ready within
two months.
If either of the parties to the controver
sy should refuse to abide by the decision
OF the commission what could be done?"
this commissioner was asked.
40 not regard that as a possibility"
was his answer. I'VE see no reason to
anticipate anything Of the sort I do not
believe that either side could face the
force of public opinion by rejecting the
conclusions which they have. agreed in
advance to accept