The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-04
.Vcau York Su,, Special Servtee

4vcau Yorh S,en Special Servtee
Chicago, Oct. 4.-Walter Wellman, In
q washington special to the Record-Her-
aid this morning, in discussing yester-
days conference, predicts. an extra SEES
Among other things Mr.. WelInan says: !
The railway presidents came to town
In a gorgeous special train. While here
they lived in their private cars. They
drove to and from the White House in
carriages
John Mitchell and his lieutenants ar
rived in the smoking car of a night train.
They walked down Pennsylvania avenue
to a cheap but tidy hotel CARRYING their
grips in their hauds. They rode to the
White House in the street cars.
MItche'I's Simple Proposition.
Mr.. Mitchell Immediately placed before
the president his simple, plain, uncondi-
tional proposal for arbitration. He re-
sponded to the presidents appeal for &C
ton with a proposal to act. If the coal
famine must be relieved, he offered the
means Of relieving it.
| Without making charges against his
antagonists, without any attempt to con-
fuse the issue. but driving straight to the
heart Of the question in which the Amer
| lean people are SO vitality interested, he
offered arbitration.
He would leave everything in the hands
of the president of the United States and
20 back to work. He would exact no
onerous conditions. He would make it
easy for the other side to: meet him.
Though without fear that his men could not
win the victory if the struggle were con-
tinued, he recognized the peoples rights
and was ready for peace. This done, ne
| took his seat.
Its Scornful Rejection.
The reply Of the railroad presidents to
this proposal of fair and amicable settle
ment was a scornful rejection. a refusal
| to have anything to do with the man Who
offered 1t, personal abuse of him, and
counter proposition which. President
Roosevelt declined seriously to entertain
because manifestly it was not offered IN
/ good faith, but as device to confuse the
situation and render the - conference
| abortive.
President Roosevelt and every one Of his
advisers here think this proposition of the
miners an eminently fair one. They all
think it proposition which should have
been accepted. They have no hesitation
in saying that the onus Of refusal, of fail
ure to take a single step toward peace
when an honorable peace was proffered,
must rest upon the heads OF the presl-
dents of the coal railways.
The corporation managers were as I'M
fortunate in the manner as in the sub
stance of their reply. They not only de-
clafed again that they had nothing to
arbttrate, but they made their declara-
ton in an offensive way. Not content
with saying they would have nothing to
do with any proposal that came from
Mitchell OF the union, they INDUCED in so
much personal abuse Of that gentleman
and his organization that on several oc-
casions President Roosevelt found it
necessary to interfere. He felt outraged
that guests of his should come to his
, council table and indulge In such TRADE
upon another guest.
He had asked them in plain language,
so plain that gentlemen should have had
} no difficulty in understanding it, to leave
their difficulties outside the door. He
did not want TO listen to their contention
Mr.. Mitchell implicitly obeyed the presi-
dents request, Messrs. Baer, Truesdale
Thomas ct al. did not.
Mr.. Mitchell did not interrupt the. rail-
; way presidents. They frequently inter-
rupted him. He was calm and courteous
during all their attacks upon him, attacks
which were unjust, in some respects I'M
truthful, and in all respects out of place.
They were spiteful. petulant and child
) ish.
) One Of the presidents advisers, who was
present during the conference, said to the
writer:
"Amazing Effrontery."
more amazing effrontery I have never
seen come from mortal The rail-
way managers were arrogant and dis
. gushing. More than once 1 feared Presf'
l. dent Roosevelt would lose his temper an6
> give them the reproof which they wei
. merited. But he kept himself admirably
in hand, despite the great provocation.
- ''The most marvellous display of self
. control I have ever seen was that O.
. President MITCHELL He bore insult ant
= abuse without word of angry response
= His black eyes flashed fire, but he bore
y. the ordeal as became the occasion and {
. | gentleman. The contrast between himsel
=. and his opponents was most striking. HI
won the admiration Of every one as maj
= | of poise and balance"
:. The gentleman who uttered these word
= | is one of the most famous men in tn
u United States. am not at liberty t,
) use his name, much as l should like t.
do so.
It seems almost Incredible and We
it is true, that President Roosevelt an,
1t his advisers gained the impression tina
a the coal railway presidents had come t
o Washington with deliberate plan t.
n rouse the anger Of either Presiden
: Roosevelt or President Mitchell, and b.
THUS causing the conference to break up Il
hot blood, to be able to go before tn
n country with the statement:
= There, you see, we can't do bushes
e with such people as these"
II II this was not their deliberate purpos
their manners" belied their minds. Tha
IS they We're not successful was due to tn
IL great efforts which both the president {
the United States and the chief Of tn
miners made to preserve their dignity.
u With the president Of the United State
- the corporations came somewhere rfeare