The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-15
THE STRIKE STATUS
,-y.ToRs AND STRIKERS STAND
AT CoNTRARIES.
MITCHELL UNCoMMUNICATIvE.
s.,s HE AWAITS ACTION OF
THE UNION.

Morgan ana OtheFs Coh' A0e
..-;t.ers Remain Quiet-GOmpers
.,r.bor Federation Talks Plainly.
,,;tcheH,s Plain Statement as Issu-
= "a the Press Last Night After
an resident Newspaper Corre-
,ondents Had Urged Him.
,vills4sbarre, Pa, Oct. 14.-From a
.hororgh canvass of the situation as 1T
&c Tonight, there is every indica-
ZION for believing that the new arbitra-
80, rlan proposed by the presidents of
.,i companies for ending the miners
.-riks will not be accepted in its pres
-. form There is a division of opin-
,an among the strikers, but there is no
doubt that a majority feel that
tba offer to have the Presi-
,. of the United States
ao,sot an arbitration commission
oiorg the lines suggested by the opera
.ors is not fair and that it unduly linn
nc the President in making up the
ho,rd The miners, it is safe to say,
win abide the advice of their national
president, in whose judgment they
q howe the utmost confidence. President
& Mitchell declines to say how he per-
sonaIIy looks upon the proposition, but
81 Tonight he gave to the press the fol-
i loving statement:
Il fully appreciate with what anxiety
The people of our country are awaiting
4 tre end of the coal strike. The coal
4 operators have not addressed the
4 miners union or it's officers in max
s ing their public statement. 1t is there
s fare impossible for me to state the at
3 titude of the miners at this time. !
am now. as | have always been, deeply
solicitous of the interests of the public
81 and the welfare of the mine workers
who have been on strike for the past
81 five months A formal statement de-
fning our position and intentions VIII
8 be issued just as soon as we are in
j possession of the full meaning OF the
n proposition of the operators"
d This statement was made by Mr..
a Mitchell at o'clock after a silence
lasting all day. He had no intention
s. OF making it until the correspondents
j representing newspapers all over the
country called on him in a body and
informed him that the general public
81 desired to have an answer to the prop
81 osition of the operators. After giving
81 1t he was asked many questions re-
II garding the attitude of the men and
II the probability of the acceptance or
rejection of the new offer, but he had
Il no reply to make to any of these ques-
tons. He denied that he had any
u knowledge of what the new offer of
d the operators was until it became pub
n lie property, and also denied that he
II was intelephonic communication with
a President Roosevelt. His attention
s. was called = to the fact
most of thes information from
Washington indicated that the propo-
81 sition would be accepted and that the
strike was near an end, but he stout
" maintained that neither his officers
nor the rank and file of the men had
done anything to cause such an i'm
H preston to go out.
The district presidents also maintain
silence as to their personal opinion on
me proposition, except President
RAINY, who, after he arrived from Bos-
ION to-day, gave an inkling as to how
ne viewed the new turn of affairs. In
reply to query, D. said:
Inc strike cannot be settled with
out the consent of the men. We are
not dealing in gold bricks of any kind
1# : OH Cetil IlidhS any u6uuCtlOn lEOIIl
81 that you want"
There will be conference tomorrow
between Mr.. Mitchell, the three dis
nIct presidents and Secretary and
treasurer Wilson, who will arrive here
tomorrow 1t is fully expected that
Lhe sentiment of all the strikers will
W known tomorrow and that action
VIII be taken accordingly. There is
AK OF a convention being called, but
mere is nothing definite on which to
oaSe tnls talk. When Mr.. Mitchell was
asheu II ne and the district officers had
b power TO end the strike, he said that it
n Is rule of the organization that no
SeItiement can be made by the officers
u me union without the consent of a
oe'esate convention. 1t is practically
certain that Mr.. Mitchelrs advice will
ioHoWed in the conference. While
NJ mg mas not said word as to what he
# VIII DO 1t is freely predicted by those
VINO understand the situation, that he
Fl ton. ''-e pi'l0''-
FL - ne rank and file of the miners view
n nv nv new proposal in different lights,
I'll wv w. make strong arguments as to their
# ,ieWs Those who are opposed to ac-
Fl cspting the new offer look upon the
Ri YasIdlors latest move as a counter
arSSposltlon to Mr.. Mitchells offer to
b ~pIrate made at Washington. They
IHpdfe the two offers and pick out
81 NJ lheY allege to be many flaws.
# ~" greatest objection to it is that
Nj operators dictate to the President
n iom what class of men he shall Sc
81 on 49, Inc arbitrators. and charge the
III pre!9IorS with lack of faith in the
otiueht When they do not give him
49, hand to pick the men he wants.
# poyner objection to 1t is that the
I9luent TO limited to four men in Sc
ing the jurist on the commission.
,ba sreat many of the strikers think
ri tbo. opposition should be accept ed and
dar. me miners should trust 20 Presi-
ma roosevelt to do the best he can
y coai me conditions laid down by he
wa road presidents. An argument
Ho,., made by one miner at the Hart
not Today that Mr.. Mitchell could
osit,N ven afford to turn down TIE prop
mi, =, after already offering to per-
e bars ne PRESIDENT to select the mem
~ ol the commission.
81 ana Ire 81 Is still a third held by miners,
4 Off NAT is to refuse to accept the plan
& erb,4 ana make a counter proposition
Il in ~. Flhg some suggestions contained
"a tlona, operators' offer. This was men,
81 wo,II TO President Mitchell, but he
S.LLu make no comment on it.
95ulke headquarters presented ar
81 Tho yea scene all day and evening.
M 10 a ne"s of the operators proposal
# regior pirate spread throughout the
cane CAM quickly. Towards noon reports
etfect ~ ~ from outlying districts to the