Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-11-20
The STRIKE INQUIRY
Mitchell Completes HE Testimony
Before the Commission.
NOTHING IMPORTANT BROUGHT OUT.
The Mine workera' President Against Hav-
Ing One Union for the Anthracite Min
ers and Another for the Btu
minous Miners

A1k OuO puiUh AOA eho f@usssse~sso s'-sA.
ers and Another for the Btu
minous Miners
Scranton, Pa, Nov. 2O.-After being
on the stand for Az DAYS President
Mitchell, of the miners union, com
pleted his testimony before the an
thracite strike commission at noon
yesterday. During his ordeal he was
examined by his own attorney and
those of the Erie company, the Della
ware & Hudson, the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna q Western, the Lehigh Valley
and the Philadelphia q Reading
Coal and Iron company, and also by
the attorneys Of the Independent
operators. He was followed on the
witness stand by Rev. Peter Roberts,
D. D., Of Mahoney City, Pa, a Con-
gregational minister, who has studied
the anthracite coal industry and has
written book on the subject. He
was still ON the stand when the COM
mission adjourned for the day.
One Of the most important things
brought out during the cross-exami-
nation Of President Mitchell yester-
day was his emphatic declaration
that the miners were opposed to
separating the bituminous miners
from the anthracite workers, thus
creating two organizations He made
this reply to q question of Exon
gresham Simon T. Wolverton, coun-
sci for the Reading company, as to
whether 1t would not be better to
have separate organizations. Mr..
Nitchelrs answer was that lit would
not be possible or desirable. The an
thracite mine workers have had in
dependent organizations in the past.
They have had several. They have
gone. They are MT here now and
the men do not want any more of
their organizations to go the same
way"
Commissioner Wright, as head of
the department of labor, in his re-
port to President Roosevelt on the
coal strike, dated June 20, suggested
among other things as reasonable
and just" to prevent industrial con-
flict in the anthracite fields, that
the Anthracite employees should or
ganize an anthracite coal miners
union, in its autonomy to be indie
pendent of the United Mine Work
ers of America" but might be affil-
lated with it. There has been some
gossip among the small army of at
torneys at the hearings that the
commission may possibly suggest
such a separate union, and the fact
that Mr.. Wolverton touched on the
matter shows that it is being serious
ly thought of in some quarters
What effect Mr.. Mltchell's declara-
ton will have on the attitude OF the
commissioners II this phase of theta
Dor question is taken up by them Is
OF course, not known.
The non-union men, that is, thost
who remained at work during thu
strike, were made a party to the ar
bitration plan yesterday by theil
counsel agreeing to make public thu
names of the men who pettioned thu
commission. When the attorneys fol
the "non-striking" worldngmen, al
Chairman Gray designated them, an'
who number about 1000, made q de
mand to the commission for 20 pc
cent. increase in wages, with no re
duction in hours, their attorneys de
sired to withhold the names of tn
persons they represented. The com
mission, however, decided they coul'
not be q party to such a plan o
secrecy.
In connection with the non-uniol
feature of the investigation, MI
Mitchell announced that he is ais
representing thousands of non-unio
men who struck with the unionists
and that all the workmen would abld
by the award of the arbitrators, 70
get out of the union"
Mr.. Mitchell's testimony yesterda
contained little that was new to tn
commissioners, and that of DR.. Rot
erts was Of a general character, RI
garding the economic and sociolog
cal conditions in the anthracite COT
country.
The commissioners, while regre
ting they have to do so, are still r.
minding both sides that they wou'
like to have the submission OF test
mony expedited. Chairman Ora,
several times during the day, int
rupted and showed that ground the
being gone over had already bee
covered. It has been suggested TIL
counsel for both sides agree to rul'
for the submission Of evidence, b
nothing has yet been done lookil
toward that end.