Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-10-16


fix the date when the same shall be
effective and shall govern the condi.
lions of employment between the re
spectfve companies and their EN-.
ployes for term of at least three
years."
The statement is signed by George
+. Baer, E. B. Thomas, W. H. Trues.
dale, T. P. Fowler, R. M. Oliphant and
Alfred Waters.
MINERS MAY REJECT OFFER.
Operators Proposition Not satisfac
tory to the Men.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Oct. 15.-From
thorough canvass of the situation as
it exists today, there is every indica.
ton that the new arbitration plan pro.
posed by the presidents of the coal
companies for ending the miners
strike will not be accepted in it's pres.
ent form. There is a division of opin.
ion among the strikers, but there is
no doubt that majority feel that the
offer to have the president of the Unit.
ed States select an arbitration com.
mission along the lines suggested by
the operators Is not fair and that It
unduly limits the president in making
up the board. The miners, it is safe to
say, will abide the advice of their ma.
tional president, in whose judgment
they have the utmost confidence.
President Mitchell declines to say
how ho porconoyI1y Iool,e ,,-ox, ~.
proposition, but he gave to the press
the following statement:
II fully appreciate with what anx-
tety the people Of our country are
waiting the end of the coal strike.
The coal operators have not addressed
the miners union or It's officers in
making their public statement. It Is
therefore impossible for me to state
the attitude of the miners at this time,
! am now, as have always been, deep.
~ solicitous Of the interests of the
public and the welfare of the mine
workers who have been on strike for
the past five months. A formal state
ment defining our position and inten.
lions will be issued just as soon as
we are in possession Of the full mean.
Ing Of the proposition of the oper.
ators."
This statement was made by him
after the correspondents, representing
newspapers all over the country, called
on him in a body and informed him
that the general public desired to have
an answer to the proposition of the
operators. After giving it he was
asked many questions regarding the
attitude Of the men and the probable.
lily of the acceptance or rejection of
the new offer, but he had no reply to
make to any of these questions. His
attention was called to the fact that
most Of the information from Wash
tngton indicated that the proposition
would be accepted and that the strike
was near an end, but he stoutly main
tanned that neither his officers nor
rank and file of the men had done any,
thing to cause such an impression to
go out.
Not Dealing In Gold Bricks.
The district presidents also main.
tain silence as to their personal opin-
ion on the proposition, excepting Pres
ident Fahey, who gave an inkling as
to how he viewed the new turn of af-
fairs. In reply to a query, he said:
The strike cannot be settled with
out the consent Of the men. We are
not dealing in gold bricks of any kind;
and you can make any deduction from
this that you want
There will be conference today
between Mr.. Mitchell. the three dis.
trict presidents and Secretary Treas
urer Wilson. 1t is fully expected that
the sentiment of all the strikers will
be known today and that action will
be taken accordingly. There is talk
of convention being called, but there
is nothing definite on which to base
this talk. When Mr.. Mitchell was
asked If he and the district officers
had power to end the strike, he said
that it is rule Of the organization
that no settlement can be made by the
officers of the union without the con.
sent of a delegate convention. It is
practically certain that Mr.. Mitchell's
advice will be followed in the confer
ence. While he has not said word
as to what he will do, 1t is freely pre-
dicted by those who understand the
situation that he will advise refusal
of the proposition.
The rank and file of the miners
view the new proposal in different
lights. Those who are opposed to &C.
cepting the new offer, look upon the
operators latest move as counter
proposition to Mr.. Mitchells offer to
arbitrate, made in the temporary
white house at Washington. They
compare the two offers and pick out
what they allege to be many flaws.
Their greatest objection to it Is that
the operators dictate to the president
as to from what class of men he shall
select the arbitrator, and they charge
the operators with lack of faith in the
president when they do not give him
a free hand to pick the men he wants.
The arbitration talk has acted as
check upon the movement OF men re-