The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-16
A WRONG SPIRIT.

Hon. Carroll d. Wright. United States
commissioner of labor, In his report TO the
President on the anthracite coal strike.
presented the main features of the case
from opposite points of view and said:
"All this shows and proves clearly that
there is no confidence existing between
the employees and their employers, and
that suspicion turks in the minds of every
one and distrust in every action on either
ly verified in many ways during the long
strike, and is being emphasized by the
attitude of both sides towards the pending
proposition for arbitration. In fact, the
strike itself, like all strikes. is an out
growth of conditions which argue lack of
confidence and distrust on both sides. If
the operators had met the miners in a spirit
of frankness and fairness and discussed
their demands in a conciliatory spirit the
strike could have been prevented. Since it
began the operators have refused to have
| anything to do with the miners union or
| with Mr.. Mitchell, but there was time
| when they could have conferred with their
employees directly. man to man. or with
a committee on grievances appointed by
the miners themselves. There can be little
| doubt but matters could have been salts
| factoriy arranged by such conferences
held at the proper time, but distrust pre-
vented. Again, when President Roosevelt
suggested that the miners go to work and
await the decision of a commission to be
| appointed by himself they refused, be-
/ cause they did not believe the operators
| would redress any of their grievances
after they had once resumed work. In the
| pending proposition for the appointment
of a commission the operators tried to re-
strict the choice of the President by speci-
| flying the classes from which members
| of the commission should be selected. while
the miners object because they fear they
| will not get two or more avowed friends
/ on the commission. Each side distrusts
and wants to get an advantage over the
other, and both appear to distrust the
fairness Of the President in constituting
the commission. In this respect both sides
are wrong. They have shown a wrong
| spirit. There can never be Industrial peace
on basis of mutual distrust. At a meet
ing of the National Civic Federation in
New York in December, 1901. Mr.. John
Mitchell, President of the American Miners
| Union, delivered an address in which he
said: 81 desire to say, one who knows
the effects of Industrial war, that no one
more than / shall welcome the day of in
dustrial peace. i have said on many oc-
casions that / was opposed to strikes, op-
posed to lockouts, opposed to industrial
turmoil; that I favored peace, but always
with the qualification, that it must be ar
honorable peace. There will never be peace
between the men who work and those
who employ men to work unless that peace
guarantees to each that which is their
proper due" That was well said. and it i:
sound doctrine. but there are many who
think that Mr.. Mitchells recent conduc
and his present attitude do not consist
with this expression. He has shown quite
as much distrust of the operators and a:
much Of desire to get the best of then
as they have of the miners The spirit Of
distrust must be wholly eliminated befor,
there can be permanent industrial peace