Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-10-17
COAL STRIKE SETTLED.
Successful Result of President
RooseveIt's Efforts.
Commission Appointed to Consider
and Adjust All Points Of Contention
Between Miners and Operators.


The final steps assuring settlement
were taken at a conference held at
the temporary White House in Wash
ington in the early hours of Thursday
morning.
Under a mutual agreement finally
reached between the coal operators,
represented by j. Plerpont Morgan, the
mine workers, represented by~yo
Mitchell, and President Roosevelt, MIR.
Roosevelt appointed a commission of
six members who are to consider and
settle all the points at issue, and mean
time the mine operatives are to begin
the mining of coal at once.
The Operators Proposal.
The final proposition for the settle
ment of the strike was made to Pres
ident Roosevelt by John Pierpont
Morgan and his partner, Mr.. Bacon,
! Monday night 1t came as the result
! of an earnest conference held with
| Mr.. Morgan by Secretary Root last
| Saturday, followed by conferences with
the presidents of the coal operating
roads. AS soon as the operators had
agreed to this proposition Mr.. Morgan
and his partner took train for Wash
ington to present its terms to Presi-
dent Roosevelt in person. The prop
ositon in brief was that commission
to be appointed by the President of the
| United States, shall consider all ques-
lions at issue between the respective
companies and their own employees,
| whether they belong to the union or
not, and that the decision of the com
mission shall be accepted as final. 1t
was further proposed that as soon as
this commission shall have been APP
pointed the miners shall return to
work in the mines, and that the COM
mission shall fix the date when its
findings shall become effective. The
terms fixed upon shall remain oper-
alive for at least three years.
The full statement submitted by the
operators to the President rehearses
the fact that in the anthracite re.
gions 147 900 miners and workmen are
employed, of whom 10000 are under
age. About one-half these workmen
belong to the United Mine Workers
union, of which John Mitchell is pres
ident. The main contention of the
operators is that the union shall not
govern arbitrarily all the workers in
the coal fields-the non-union men as
well as those belonging to the union
On this point the operators say that
they are not discriminating against
the United Mine Workers, but they in
sist that the miners union shall not
discriminate against or refuse to work
/ with non-union men: that there shall
be no restriction or deterioration In
quantity or quality of work, and that
owing to the varying physical condi
tons of the anthracite mines, each
colliery is problem by itself"
Farther on in their statement the
operators say that they have no mora
right to abandon the interests of the
men and women in their care who
want to earn their living working If
r the mines, but who do not belong tc
the union. They therefore restatt
their position as follows;
E THE undersigned are not, and never
E have been. unwilling to submit al
4 questions between them and theil
workmen, to any fair tribunal for de
cision. They are not willing to entel
into arbitration with the mine workers
union, an organization chiefly com
posed of men in a rival and competi
tive interest. (bituminous coal min
any arrangement which will not Sc
cure to the men now working, and al
now or hereafter wishing to work
whether they belong to the mine work
! ers' union or not, the right and oppor
tunity to work in safety and withou
personal insult or bodily harm to them
:, selves or their families. For thes'
reasons the arbitrations heretofore pro
| DOsed have been declined "
d This proposition of the mine opera
tors was considered by Presiden
!, Mitchell of the Mine Workers uniol
Tuesday and Wednesday. Mr.. Mitch
). ell was in conference with Presiden
r Roosevelt in Washington on Wednes
=, day. 1t is understood that he object
! ed to several of the points raised b.
r the operators. but especially to thei
designation of the classes from whicl
n the board of arbitration should b,
$ drawn Communication was had b.
= President Roosevelt with representa-
tives of the operators, and finally sat
isfactory basis was reached. An
y nouncement of this, with the names o
e the arbitration commission, was givel
to the press representatives by Sec
rotary Cortelyou few minutes pas
il l o'clock Thursday morning Follow
: ing are the names of the commission
{ ers:
T. Brig. Gen. John NJ. Wilson. L. S. A.. re
tired date chief of engineers, L. s. A.
. Washington, ID. c., an officer of tn
: engineer corps of either the military o
), naval service of the United States.
e. w. Parker, Washington, d. c. a
!, an expert mining engineer Mr.. Parke
. is chief statistician of the coal division
:. of the United States geological survey
George Gray of Wilmington, Del,
: Judge of a United States court.
T.. T. Clark of Cedar Rapids Ia. CRANE
, chief of the order of railway conductors
a man who has made a careful stud!
of social questions and has PRACTICAL.
applied his knowledge.
Thomas II. Watkins of Scranton, Pa.
as man practically acquainted with TIN
mining and selling of coal.
Bishop John L. Spalding of Peoria, III
The President added Bishop Spaldinl
to the commission on his own response
bilty.
Carroll d. Wright. commissioner o
!, labor, has been appointed recorder of tn,
commission.
' MASSACHUSETTS NOTES.
Y Field & Beamans box shop in Lev