Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-09
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT
Gives an Official Account Of the Coal
COnferAnCa

Washington, oct, AT the temporary
White House tonight, the following Of
tlclal statement Was given out concerning
the coal conference to-day.
The conference opened at II o'clock. The
operators and representatives of the min
crs were presented to the President. Those
in attendance were: George f. Baer
president of the Heading railway: w. H.
Truesdale, president Delaware, Lack
/ awanna e Western: f. r. Thomas, chair
man of board, Erie Railroad company;
] Thomas i. Fowler. president New York
Ontario and Western railway; David VII
cox vice-president and general counsel
/ Delaware e. Hudson company: John
Markle. representing independent opera
| tors; John Mitchell, president United Mine
Workers of America; Thomas ID. Nichols,
Thos. Duffy, John Fahey, district pre- idonts
! United Mine Workers of America Attor
ney-General Knox; Secretary Cortelyou;
| Carroll D. Wright, commissioner of labor
The President at the outset expressed
his hearty thanks for their attendance
and stated that owing to his peculiar rela-
| tiOns to the situation, he felt that he
should make "A very careful statement of
his position and Of his intentions in ask
ing them to meet
PRESIDENTS STATEMENT.
The Presidents statement follows:
fact that there are three parties affected
! by the situation in the anthracite trade
| The operators, the miners, and the gen
eral public. | speak for neither the OPP
orators, nor the miners, but for the gen
eral public. The questions at issue which
! led to the situation affect Immediately the
parties commemorative operators and the
miners; but the situation itself vitality af-
fects the public.
las long as there seemed to be a rea-
! sonable hope that these matters could b.
adjusted btwcen the parties 1t did not
seem proper TO me to intervene in any
way. | disclaim any right or duty to in
tervene IN this way upon legal grounds or
upon any Official relation that bear to the
| situation, but the urgency and terrible
nature of the catastrophe impending over
! large portion of our people in the shape
of a winter fuel famine impel me after
much anxious thought to believe that my
| duty requires me to use whatever innu-
| ence | personally can to bring to an end
| a situation which has become literally in
tolerable.
Il wish to emphasize the character OF
the situation and to say that it's gravity
Is such that am constrained urgently 10
| 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 flu
ture terrors of which we can hardly YET
appreciate. The evil possibilities are SO
far-reaching, 50 appalling. that 1t seems
TO me that you are not only
Justified In sinking but are re-
quired 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 imperatively re-
quires that YOU meet upon the common
| plane OF the necessities of the public
| with all the earnestness there Is In me
] ask that there be an immediate resump-
| ton or operations in the coal mines i'm
some such way as win without a days I'M
necessary delay meet the crying needs OF
| the people, do not invite a discussion of
your respective claims and positions.