The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-05
Average Circulation
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THE JOURNAL
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Generators Still Blind.

Divine Right, God in His Wisdom Baer.
who with This-Is- Our Business Truesdale
have been Sc successful in their great feat
Of putting public sympathy and opinion
on the side of the anthracite coal mine
strikers, now realize their mistake. Mr..
Baer, who has heretofore told representa-
tiyes Of the press that he would not an
swer any inquiries concerning the strike,
has found It necessary to volunteer
statement. If newspaper men were class
who permitted their personal grievances
to interfere with their duty TO the pub
,Eo they would have suppressed this state
tment and left Mr.. Baer to the joyous task
OF putting his views before the American
speople by the aid of circulars and posters.
1T IS evident that even Mr.. Baers thick
hide of sef-righteousness has been pene-
Ftrated when he rushes into print where
hitherto he could not be dragged in.
In his statement Mr.. Baer makes no d.
rect expression Of his theory of the d.
vine right of mine owners and is evidently
doing his best to play the part OF a
righteous but aggreved despot. Still,
though gloved in velvet, the hand Of AFRO
gance can be felt If not seen.
Mr.. Baer still stubbornly refuses to con-
cede that the 100000 employees OF the an
thracte coal mines shall have any voice In
determining what part of the revenue of
the coal fields shall go to them. He says
that the conditions are so-and-so, and
that his statement to that effect settles it.
He does go 50 far as to admit that the
mine owners have a duty to the public,
(which is to add to the common welfare"
But he proposes to perform that duty in
his own way. He will not let the public,
through arbitration, have anything to do
with determining how it's welfare shall be
served. The owners Of the mines pro-
pose to settle this question themselves, he
says; they alone understand the situation
and can best determine how to serve the
interests of the public, Of the laborers and
Of the stockholders.
The godly Mr.. Baer comes far short of
perceiving how the public view Of his
business has stridden forward in the last
few weeks. Practically the only anthra-
cite in the United States is to be found in
$50 square miles in Pennsylvania. The
ownership OF COulTOl OIL IlllS
happens to have fallen into the hands OF
D. group of railway companies. The people
Of the United States need and have be.
come accustomed to the use of that coal
They have often been charged exorbitan
prices for it. A little group Of men have
been enriched by the fortuitous circum
stance that the legal title to this preciou!
land has come to them or their corpora
tions. Now through quarrel with thei
employees, which they stubbornly refuse t.
submit to arbitration, millions of peopl
hre subjected to great inconvenience an,
business in the anthracite region is para
ayzed.
Mr.. Baer says he and his allies will set
He the matter in their own way.
= But they don't settle it.
r The nation demands a settlement
The state Of Pennsylvania is about t
demand a settlement.
How will the mine owners like enforce
arbitration with possible confiscation G
their property by the state? That is n
dream, either. The welfare Of the publ
Is always superior to private rights. Prop
erty is not sacred when it stands in tn
way of public contentment and tran
guilty.