Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-10-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent)
Washington, Oct. 18th, 1902.


Although the recent conference
over the coal strike, held in New
York, which was participated in by
Governor Odell, Senators Platt,
Quay and Penrose and President
Baer for the operators, came to
naught and the coal situation is
discouraging, the President is still
working on the problem. He has
incurred the enmity of the opera
tors because they believe that he
sides with the miners and he has
incurred the enmity of some of the
labor organizations, who criticise
his last proposition to President
Mitchell AS matter of fact Mr..
Roosevelt is not concerned with the
interests of either the miners or
their employers. He believes that
the prolongation of the strike will
mean suffering to a great number
of innocent people and, in the SIM
pie cause of humanity, he is doing
all in his power to end the strike.
Certain politicians say that he
would have done better to leave the
situation alone, that he will get
little thanks and much blame before
he gets through with it, but he says
he is not working for himself but
for the people, whose representative
he is. 1t is at least certain that
the President will appoint a COM
mission to investigate the situation
in the anthracite region, as he feels
that he must have light in the sit
uation before he communicates with
Congress at the opening of the ses-
sion. In the meantime, he is urg-
ing Attorney General Knox to bend
every energy to ascertain some
legal method for dissipating the
''intolerable situation.N If Gov.
Stone calls for federal troops he
will gladly respond. He feels that
order must be preserved although
he believes the militia will prove
sufficient to accomplish that end.
Adjutant General Stewart and
General Gorbin, of Pennsylvania,
called at the White House one
evening recently and explained the
situation to the President. They
assured him that the reports of dis
order were greatly exaggerated by
Sensational newspaper correspon-
dents and that their forces We're
amply able to cope with the situa-
ton at present.
In the meantime, Secretary Shaw
has rendered a decision which is
taken to mean that Welsh coal is
TO be admitted duty free. Arrange.
ments will be made at the ports tC
examine the coal as soon as the
vessels carrying it are docked and
admission will be promptly granted
OF course it will be impossible tC
put out whole shiploads of Goa
through d chemical analysis, bu
under the circumstances the col
lectOrs will exercise reasonable dis
cretion and will admit all coal tina
seems to be practically softer than
that which the law provides mus
pay Il duty. This will save the i'm
porters 67 cents per long ton, TIN
tariff on coal containing less thar
% per cent, "fiXed carbon"
The assumed arbitrary position o
American naval officers togcthe
with sensational newspaper report
have made it necessary for Secre
tary Hay to explain to the Colon
bian government that the Unite,
States has on designs on the isthmu
other than the protection Of Amcri
can property and the enforced neu
tralitv of the Panama railroad
Rear Admiral Casey issued an orie
10 effect that Colombian troops am
supplies could not be trans porte
by the railroad when their prescnc
was likely to precipitate an attac
by the insurgents aud this orde
was misintcrprctod, in Bogota, {
mean that the Colombian govern
mcnt was denied all u-c %. the ui
road. Secretary llay ha- called o'
tcu,iuu 60 th.s ml mtrrpfeBuu
aud has renewed assurances ol th
impartiaiiy OF this government