Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-10-09
The Great Coal Conference at Washington
Comes to Naught.
Mr. Appeal Faty Refuse
Arbitration With the Miners, But Federal
Troops % Complete Protection to
WorIm and Their

washington, Oct. 4.-Ihe great coal
conference between the president and
representatives of operators and the
miners came to an end at the tempo
! rary White House Friday afternoon
with failure to reach an agreement.
Apparently the rock upon which the
conference split was recognition of
the Miners uH,gn. The president
urged the contending parties to cease
strife in the interest of public well
fare. The miners through the prcsi-
dent of their union expressed Il
willingness to submit differences to
the arbitration of a tribunal to be
named by the president and to enter
into an agreement to abide by the
terms fixed by the arbitration for a
period of from one to five years.
The employers, through the prcsi-
dents of the railroad and coal COM
pauies and leading independent
operator, squarely refused arbitra-
ton, denounced the miners labor or
gsnization as a lawless and anarch-
istic body with which they could and
would have no dealings, demanded
federal troops to insure complete pro-
in the mining region and court pro-
ceedings against the Miners union,
and offered if the men returned to
work to submit grievances at indl-
yidual cOllieries to the decision of the
Judges of the court of common pleas
for the district of Pennsylvania in
which the colliery was located. There
the matter closed.
1t was a remarkable chapter in the
economic history of the country that
was written yesterday. For the first
time the president of the republic
had intervened directly between the
great forces of capital and labor in
an effort to avert what he himself
regarded as a great national calami-
ty. The result was to bring the prin-
cipals in the great controversy face
to face, with the whole country eager
ly intent and watchful of their do
ings.
At the temporary White House last
night the following official statement
was given out concerning the con-
ference:
The conference opened at ii o'clock.
Those in attendance were:
George f. Baer, president Reading
railway system.
w. II. Truesdale, president Della
ware, Lackawanna a. Western Rail-
road Co.
T.. b. Thomas. chairman of board,
Erie Railroad Co.
Thomas p. Fowler. president New
York, ontario q Western Railway
Ga.
David Wilcox, vice president and
general counsel, Delaware 4 Hudson
Co.
John Marlle, representing indepcn-
dent operators.
John Mitchell, president United
Mine Workers of America.
Thomas ID. Nichols, Thomas Duffy
and John Fahy, district presidents,
United Mine Workers of America.
Attorney General Knox, Secretary
Cortclyou and Carroll ID. Wright, com
missioner of labor.
The president at the outset cX-
pressed his thanks for their attend
ancc and stated that, owing TO his
peculiar relations to the situation, ne
felt that he should make to them a
statement of his position and of his
AZ u llh4'lln III tsr'NIliS tliNlil w nv 4"
The presidents statement follows:
81 wish to call your attention to
the fact that there are three parties
affected by the situation in the an
thracitc trade: The operators, tho
miners and the general public. |
speak neither for the operators nor
the miners, but Tor the general pub
lie. The questions at issue which led
to the situation affect Immediately
the parties Conccrned-the operators
and the mincrs-but the situation
itself vitality affects the public. AS
loug as there seemed to be reason
able hope that these matters could he
adjusted between the parties it did
not seem proper to me to intervene
III any way.
Il disclaim any right or duty to
intervene in this way upon legal
grounds, or upon any official relation
that | bear to the situation, but the
urgency and the terrible nature of the
catastrophe impending over "A large
portion of our people in the shape Of
a winter fuel famine impel me to be-
lieyc that my duty requires me to use
whatever influence | can to bring to
an end a situation which has become
literally intolerable. | wish TO en-
phasize the character of the situation
and to say that its gravity is such
that ! am constrained urgently to in
sist that each one of you realize the
heavy burden of responsibility upon
him.
I'VE are upon the threshold of win
ter with an already existing coal
famine, the future tcrrors of which
we can hardly yet appreciate. The
A Rattle with Pirates.