Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-10-09

TO use Whatever lnuue1ce personally
can to bring to I'm end situation
which has become literally intoler-
able. 1 wish to emphasize the charac-
ter of the situation, and to say that
its gravity is such that / am con-
strained urgently to insist that each
one of you realize the heavy burden
of responsibility upon him. We are
upon the threshold of winter, with an
already existing coal famine, the fu-
ture terrors of which we can hardly
yet appreciate. The evil possibilities
are so farreaching, SO appalling, that
it seems to me that you are not only
justified in sinking, but required to
sink for the time being, any tenacity
as to your respective claims in the
matter at issue between you. In my
Judgment the situation impe ratively
requires that you meet upon the COM
mon plane of the necessities of the
public. With all the earnestness
there is in me, / ask that there be an
immediate resumption of operations
in the coal mines in some such way
as will, without days unnecessary
delay, meet the crying needs of the
people. do not invite discussion of
your respective claims and position.
l appeal to your patriotism, to the
spirit that sinks personal considera-
tions and makes individual sacrifices
for the general good
Almost Immediately after the pres
ident had closed, Mr.. Mitchell arose,
and on behalf of the miners offered to
submit the differences to arbitration.
The operators looked surprised, but
before any reply could be made Pres
ident Roosevelt said he desired that
both parties take the matter under
consideration and meet him again at
three o'clock. The first session of the
conference had lasted less than fif-
teen minutes.
The AfternOon Session.
At 3:15 the afternoon proceedings
began. President Baer, of the Read
ing, opened them with statement
setting forth the views of those he
represented. He was followed by
President Mitchell of the Miners
union. Then Mr.. Thomas, cf the Erie,
followed, and was succeeded by
Mr.. j ohm Markle, an independent mine
operator, and Messrs. Truesdale, Will
cox and Fowler, OF the Lackawanna,
Delaware & Hudson and Ontario d
Western railroads, respectively.
At the conclusion of the statements
there was considerable general and
what might perhaps be regarded as
informal conversation. The president
called attention to the part of the
statement made by Mr.. Baer in which
the latter said that the operators
were willing to submit grievances to
the courts of common pleas in Penn
sylvania. The president asked Mr..
Mitchell if he, not as president of the
union, but as an individual, would
agree to that. Mr.. Mitchell promptly
replied that he would not.
The operators made it plain that
they would listen to no proposition
whatever emanating from Mr.. Mitch
ell.
Operators Talked Freely.
It was five minutes Of five o'clock
when the conference ended. The OPP
orators came down stairs and held a
brief consultation and then left in
their carriages for their train, where
they met number of newspaper men
to whom they furnished copies of the
statements they had made to the
president.
Stipulating that they should not be
quoted, they talked quite freely of
the conference. Several of them de-
clared that the interference of the
president had resulted in retarding
rather than forwarding the settle
ment. They asserted that no prog
ress had been made and said they
would return to continue the contest.
They declared that the situation was
most serious as to the coal supply,
but said that the coal would be fur
nished to the people, and that if given
protection they could get men to
mine coal at least seventy per cent. of
their capacity. They declared there
would be no compromise and that the
strike would continue until the mi
ners succumb.