The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-10-07
The Presidents Efforts for Peace.

The Willingness of the OnclatorS to sub
init to tho arbitration of an inferior local
:ourt while they refuse to submit to the
arbitration of the chief executive of the
nation is regarded by members of the ad-
ministration as almost insulting. but M.
Roosevelt will pass that by if rcconsid-
eratlon by the operators under tremcnd-
Gus pressure OF public opinion shall lead
them to consent to the substitution of
the president of the United States for the
Judges OF the court of common pleas
Washington Dispatch in the New York
Tribune.
@HAT THIS represents the
presidents position may be
Il doubted 1t is not an insult
to the president or the United
States to suggest that the adjudication
of differences in PENNSYLVANIA should
be committed to the regular courts of
Pennsylvania. Citizens residing in this
commonwealth freely accept, in civil
actions, and are compelled to accept, in
crlnina! actions. the adjudication of
the Pennsylvania courts, save where the
action involves federal statutes, when
recourse is had to the federal courts.
The common pleas courts of Pennsyl-
Nania daily adiudcate issues fully as
important as those involved in colliery
disputes; and. upon occasions, they
pass on issues more Important, since
upon them depend human life. Our
courts may not be perfect but they have
the respect Of the great ma iority of our
citizens; they are constitutional and
regular, and they have the advantage
which an outside tribunal would not
possess, Of long familiarity with mining
conditions, some of the judges having
themselves at one time or another been
miners, and all having been closely in
touch with them.
\ thorough investigation of the an
thracite industry by commission of
experts, for the purpose of finding out
abuses and recommending remedies.
would be useful. No one can contend
sincerely that there are not abuses or
That many changes for the better, both
in methods and in spirit of adminis-
tratIon, could not be instituted with
advantage both to the operators and
10 the miners, Commissioner Wrlght's
report so far as it went, made this
clear to all who have studied it atten-
lively. The question is sufficiently
broad ana intricate 10 warrant such an
inquiry, more especially in view of the
changed conditions of mine ownership
and operation, by which control of the
management, formerly distributed
among many operators living near to
the collieres and able to give personal
supervision to their workings. has be-
come centralized among IA few men
living at distance and interested con-
currently in other forms of enterprise
that enable them to give to mining
only divided attention.
II 1t is the presidents plan to suggest
such an inquiry and to couple with the
suggestion an appeal to the miners to
return to work pending its results, in
the meanwhile availng themselves of
the offer of the operators to ACCEPT
arbitration by the local courts of col
liery grievances not adjustable at the
mine, the miners would do well to give
Il favorable consideration. 1t would
not be a surrender To the operators but
a concession to the acute public need
of fuel, to avert intolerable suffering
and hardship. 1t would earn for their
Just demands measure of public SYM
pathy and a firmness of determination
by public opinion 10 aid in securing the
granting of those demands which could
not be secured by any other course OF
actfnn