Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-17

| cepted by the operators, and 1 now most
| earnestly ask and urge that the miners
! likewise accept this commission. 1t fs q
| matter of vital concern to all our people,
and especially to those in our great cities
| who are least well off. that the mining OF
coal should be resumed without days un-
necessary delay.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Mr.. Mitchell's Reply.
WILKESBARRE, Pa. October 10, 1902.
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt. President Of the
United States, Washington, D. c.
Dear Sir: am in receipt Of your telegram
of October 16, which reads follows: Il
have appointed as commissioners Brig. Gen.
John NJ. Wilson, Mr.. E. w. Parker, Judge
George Gray, Mr.. E. E. Clark, Mr.. Thomas
H. Watkins and Bishop John L. Spalding,
with Hon. Carroll D. Wright as recorder.
These names accepted by the operators
and now most urgently ask and urge that
the miners likewise accept this commission.
It is a matte: OF vital concern to all our
people, and especially to those in our greae
cities who are least well off. that the min
ing of coal should be resumed without q
days unnecessary delay.
Replying thereto I beg to inform you that
your recommendations were submitted 10
the members of the executive boards OF
districts l. and 0, United Mine Workers
of America and they have unanimously
agreed to call n delegate convention, TO pc
held next Monday, and Will recommend 10
the convention that all men now on strike
return to the positions and working places
formerly occupied by them, and submit TO
the commission appointed by you all guess
tions at issue between the operators ana
mine workers of the anthracite coal helds.
In connection with this subject we are
glad to know that the managers OF the coal
companies have decided to recede from the
untenable position which they so long oc.
cupied and to accept modified proposltion
for the arbitration of the coal strike and 10
give you full latitude in the selection OF a
commission. 1t will be remembered thac
we proposed on October to place tha
whole matter In your hands and to accept
the verdict of a tribunal of your own selec-
ton 1t will also be remembered tnat tne
company managers at that time refused to
ACCEPT the arbitrament of the President OF
the United States and preferred that OF the
local common pleas judges. We propose to
leave everything to you without condition
or reservation having the utmost faltn In
your impartiality and good judgment;
In their refusal to accept your arbitra-
ment the operators sought to hold you In
part accountable for the very conditions
which you were trying to remedy, and to
instruct you as to your duties concerning
ed before you, dropping the common pleas
judge and proposing to abide by the verdict
Of a tribunal appointed by you, but at
tempting to prescribe within fixed and mar
row limits the character and vocation or
the men you were to name. To this propo-
sition, the operators made 1t, we were
unalterably opposed. First, because our
respect for you as a man and our Ideas as
to what is due to the dignity of your office
demanded that we should not be party to
a request of you to accept this great re-
Sponsibiity accompanied by detailed and
impertinent restrictions as to the manner
in which you should meet 1t; second, be-
cause careful analysis Of their proposition
disclosed to us, it did to you, and the
public, that the restrictions were too mar
row to enable you to secure under them a
well-balanced and thoroughly impartial
tribunal.
But now that you have yourself removed
these objections by broadening and
strengthening the commission we feel con-
fident that our convention will declare It's
willingness to have all questions between
the employing companies and the 95 per
cent of their employees who are members
Of our organization determined by the board
of eminent and impartial men chosen by
you.
We feel grateful to you, Mr.. President,
for the patriotic efforts which you have
made to bring about an honorable settle
ment Of the strike, efforts which you con-
tinued despite the remarkab BILE spirit and
conduct which you at first found In the
company managers. We were in a position
to sympathize with you, inasmuch as We
had long been forced to endure arrogance,
insult and false witness from the same
source.
Our gratitude is due to you and to the
American people and the press who have
supported you and us In the long struggle
which we hope is now about to close. Dur
ing all these long months, in which our mo-
tives have been impugned and our charac-
ters maliciously assailed. we have refrained
from saying any word or taking any action
which would tend to render reconciliation
more difficult. but now 1t becomes duty to
defend ourselves against the ISLANDERS which
have been heaped upon us and to proclaim
that we have frop the first favored prac-
tically the method which Is now employed
to break the deadlock.
If our proffer Of arbitration or impartial
investigation had been accepted six months
ago instead Of now there need have been
no strike. We have been eager Mr..
President, to respond to the peoples de-
mand for coal that during the progress Of
the strike we have more than once offered
arbitration, but we have invariably been
met with the reply: 1--WE will not permit
outsiders to dictate to us in the manage
ment Of our affairs. We have nothing to
arbitrate."
New that the managers Of the companies
have been compelled by you and a thor
oughly aroused public conscience to recede
from this position. we are proud that the
f1rmness and the heroic endurance of our
men and women in support Of their rights
and Of a vital American principle have won
the victory.
The poor. underpaid mine workers of
these coal regions who toll hard from early
morning until late at night for livelihood,
nobly supported by organized labor In this
and other lands, have taught these corpor-
alton managers useful lesson in civic ana
social duty. We exult over this tribute TO
the dignity Of labor, because 1t is the tri-
umph of right and of good public policy.
nents; we appeal to them now, as We have
from the first, to turn their eyes to the fu-
ture and to cooperate with US In an enore
to establish better relations between en-
pIoyer and empIoye for the advantage Of
BOTH
We forgive them their arrogant refusal
they are forced to acknowledge their In
ability to operate their mines without our